Thinking Ahead, Ogrin Shoots 66 to Share Lead

David Ogrin is trying to keep his tour card. Bob Tway’s goal is to qualify for the Tour Championship. Robert Damron simply wants to have some fun.

Three golfers with differing perspectives--but some low scores in common--shared the lead Thursday at 11 under par after two rounds of the Las Vegas Invitational.

Tway shot 65, Ogrin 66 and Damron 68 to share a one-shot lead over five other players, including Paul Azinger and Bob May, with three rounds left in the 90-hole event.

“That’s the kind of round I like to play,” Ogrin said after posting the first 11-under score, only to see Damron and Tway tie him with late-afternoon rounds.

Ogrin, fighting to keep his tour card for next year despite having made 20 cuts this year, started and finished with birdies on the TPC Summerlin course.

It put him in position to make yet another cut today, then hope he can improve on weekend performances that have left him 132nd on the money list with $199,637. The top 125 players automatically get tour cards for next year.

“On one level I’ve played great golf, really smooth and consistent this year,” Ogrin said. “But my Sunday scoring average is pretty lousy.”

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Lee Westwood asked his caddie on the first tee what his tactics should be.

“He told me not to make any bogeys and make as many birdies as I could,” Westwood said.

Westwood did just that in the first round of the World Match Play Championship at Virginia Water, England, beating Stuart Appleby, 8 and 7.

Westwood was 12 under for 29 holes after going eight-under 64 for the first 18--two off matching the tournament record.

In other first-round matches, Patrik Sjoland defeated Steve Stricker, 1 up, Colin Montgomerie beat Thomas Bjorn, 4 and 3, and Ian Woosnam defeated Darren Clarke, 4 and 3.