O’Malley, Parsons Have Tiger in Tank

Triggered by the enormous publicity surrounding Tiger Woods, Australians Peter O’Malley and Lucas Parsons bolted to a seven-stroke lead over him midway through the Australian Masters on Friday in Melbourne.

O’Malley, who said the coverage being afforded Woods “fired everyone up,” shot a seven-under-par 66, and Parsons had a 67 for 15-under 131 totals on the demanding Huntingdale layout. Woods bogeyed the final two holes and finished with a 70.

Woods, coming off a 10-stroke victory in the Asian Honda Classic in Thailand, is seeking his fifth victory in 14 professional starts and trying to win on a third continent this year.

“The greens are very hard to read,” Woods said. “I was talking to Brett Ogle out there today and he was telling me that it takes years to understand these greens.”

They were too much for Ogle, an Aussie who plays the PGA Tour, but who missed the cut here.

Woods’ length off the tee, which has become a marvel on the PGA Tour, is almost a liability here because of the dry course.

“I’ve found that as it is getting hotter and drier, the ball is starting to run into the rough,” Woods said. “They are starting to bounce and roll. That means you have to be even more precise.”

Australia’s Shane Tait (67) and Canada’s Rick Gibson (68) were tied for third at 135, and Australia’s Robert Allenby (66) followed at 136. American Larry Mize, the 1987 U.S. Masters champion, shot a 70 to join Woods at 138.

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Scott Simpson birdied all four par fives and two of the four par threes en route to a six-under-par 66 and a two-stroke lead at the midway point of the Hawaiian Open in Honolulu.

Coupled with his opening 65, Simpson was at 13-under 131 after 36 holes.

With the 80-plus degree weather baking the greens, scores were considerably higher than in the first round, when 104 players were at par or better at the 7,012-yard Waialae Country Club.

Pete Jordan shot a 70 on Friday and moved up to share second place with Ed Dougherty at 11-under 133.

First round co-leader Mike Reid checked in with a 72 to join Duffy Waldorf, Len Mattiace and Tom Lehman at 134.

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John Schroeder’s four-under-par 67 gave him a one-stroke lead over J.C. Snead and Gil Morgan in the first round of the Senior GTE Classic at the TPC of Tampa Bay in Florida.

Schroeder began the round with an eagle and played the front nine of the 6,638-yard course in four-under 31. He also had four birdies and two bogeys.