Garcia Outduels Kuchar in Amateur

Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia toppled defending champion Matt Kuchar, 2 and 1, Friday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Rochester, N.Y., keeping on course for a rare trans-Atlantic double in amateur golf.

“If I was to lose, that was the way I wanted to go out,” Kuchar said after a dramatic match-play duel at Oak Hill sprinkled with seven hole-winning birdies.

Garcia, 18, who won the British Amateur in June, will take on Tom McKnight, 44, a one-time pro from Galax, Va., in one semifinal today. Hank Kuehne of McKinney, Texas, a recovering alcoholic who survived a horrible car crash in 1995, meets Bill Lunde of Henderson, Nev., in the other.

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Tiger Woods had a two-under-par 68 that left him tied with David Duval and Craig Parry through the second round of the World Series of Golf at Akron, Ohio.

“I’ve hit the ball better and putted better,” Woods said after finishing at five-under 135. “But I’m scrambling really good right now, thinking around the golf course. The last two rounds I didn’t make any mental errors. Physical errors, yes, but my thought process was good.”

Duval’s 66 matched Mark O’Meara for low round of the day, and Parry had a 68.

First-round leader Phil Mickelson, hooking his drives into trouble four times, is two shots back at three-under 137 after a 71.

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Before John Daly teed off in the second round of the Greater Vancouver Open in Surrey, Canada, he thanked Corey Pavin and David Frost for their support after he burst into tears and began shaking during the opening round.

“What Corey and David did for helping me through it . . . I just can’t thank them enough,” Daly said in an interview with TSN.

Daly, who is struggling through a difficult year with his play and an ongoing battle with alcoholism, began shaking terribly at the 15th hole Thursday.

He said a similar bout of shakes caused him to walk off the course at the 1997 U.S Open.

“I knew more what to do this time than there,” he said. “It’s part of the [rehabilitation] program.

“I’ve called everybody I know pretty much and they said, ‘You’re right where you’re supposed to be. We know you’re sober.’ ”

Daly shot a one-under 70 on Friday, but missed the cut.

Brandel Chamblee and Chris DiMarco are tied for the 36-hole lead at 11-under 131. DiMarco, a Nike Tour graduate, had a career-best 63, one shot better than Chamblee.

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Bobby Stroble rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to complete a course record-tying 64 and take a one-shot lead in the BankBoston Senior PGA Tour Classic. Stroble hit only 12 greens, yet needed only 23 putts in his round of eight under on the Nashawtuc Country Club course at Concord, Mass. Frank Conner shot a 65. . . . Dottie Pepper, seeking her first win since 1996, birdied four of the first five holes en route to a nine-under 63 that gave her a two-stroke lead over Vickie Odegard after the first round of the $700,000 State Farm Rail Classic at Springfield, Ill.

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In Front

Results through Friday’s play (Complete scores, C11):

NEC WORLD SERIES OF GOLF--Par 70

David Duval: 69-66--135 -5

Tiger Woods: 67-68--135 -5

Craig Parry: 67-68--135 -5

Phil Mickelson: 66-71--137 -3

BANKBOSTON CLASSIC--Par 72

Bobby Stroble: 32-32--64 -8

Frank Conner: 31-34--65 -7

George Archer: 32-34--66 -6

GREATER VANCOUVER OPEN--Par 71

Brandel Chamblee: 67-64--131 -11

Chris DiMarco: 68-63--131 -11

Payne Stewart: 64-69--133 -9

STATE FARM RAIL CLASSIC--Par 72

Dottie Pepper: 31-32--63 -9

Vickie Odegard: 33-32--65 -7

Muffin Spencer-Devlin: 34-32--66 -6

Barb Mucha: 33-33--66 -6

Penny Hammel: 32-34--66 -6

Tammie Green: 31-35--66 -6

Tracy Hanson: 35-31--66 -6

Dina Ammaccapane: 33-33--66 -6