Appleby Trails Funk by Nose

Just about the time Real Quiet was being chased down by Victory Gallop on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes, Fred Funk was being closed on by Stuart Appleby in the PGA Kemper Open.

Holding a lead that was as large as five strokes, Funk faltered on the back nine while Appleby pulled to within one stroke of the lead at TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md.

Unlike Real Quiet, however, Funk, gets to go at it again today.

“I had a chance to separate myself a little bit there when I got to 14 under,” said Funk, who made two bogeys over the final five holes and shot a 71 to be at 12-under-par 201. “Now it’s going to be a shootout.”

Unfortunately for Funk, Appleby, who had a gutsy 69, said he finds the gusty wind of the third round much like what he is used to in his native Australia, and is hoping for more of the same today.

Funk’s even-par round also let a lot of other people back in the tournament.

Chris DiMarco was two back at 10-under 203, and Tommy Tolles was three strokes behind. Clark Dennis, Scott Hoch and Brad Fabel all stood four back at 205.

Funk first ran into trouble with a bogey on the 301-yard par-four 14th hole. That brought Appleby, who was playing in the group in front of Funk, to within three strokes.

Appleby made up two more strokes at the 17th hole, one with his eight-foot birdie putt and another when Funk missed a five-footer for par.

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Gil Morgan, locked in a seasonlong battle with Hale Irwin for dominance of the Senior PGA Tour, shot a three-under 69 to share the lead with Bob Eastwood after the second round of the Nationwide Championship at Alpharetta, Ga.

Morgan, who has three victories and $853,818 in earnings this year, gained a share of the lead by blasting out of the sand and tapping in a birdie putt at the 18th hole. That left him at eight-under 136 after two rounds.

Eastwood shot a four-under 68, and Jose Maria Canizares was alone in third at 137.

Gary Player, 62, looking to become the second-oldest player to win on the senior tour, was one of four players at five under.

Irwin, who leads the money list with $1,051,850, shot his second straight 70 and was part of a group at four under.

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Donna Andrews shot a six-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Annika Sorenstam, the first-round leader and defending champion in the rain-shortened LPGA Michelob Light Classic at St. Louis.

After an opening 67, Sorenstam, who is trying to win the event for the third time in four years, shot a 73 in the second round. Andrews took advantage by making five birdies on the back nine .

Caroline McMillan and Cindy Figg-Currier were tied for third at three under.

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Sergio Garcia of Spain won the British Amateur championship at Gullane, Scotland, beating Craig Williams of Wales, 7 and 6.

The 18-year-old Garcia became the first to hold both the British Boys and British Amateur titles since countryman Jose Maria Olazabal.