Scherrer’s 66 Puts Him on Top

Tom Scherrer has been down this road before. Just never this far.

Scherrer shot a six-under-par 66 on Friday in the Tucson Open for his first lead at the midpoint of a PGA Tour event. His two-day total of 13-under 131 put him two shots ahead of Tom Byrum and Mike Springer at Tucson.

The prospect of playing in a final pairing on the weekend didn’t faze Scherrer, who was tied for first after the opening round in Hartford last year.

“I’m 29, almost 30,” he said. “I’ve got a baby boy. I’m past getting nervous about this stuff. I need to put some money in his college fund.”

Byrum tied this year’s best birdie streak, birdieing the first six holes on the back nine on the way to a second-round 65, and Springer shot 66.

Ted Purdy and Jim Carter were paired at 134, with Kevin Sutherland, Len Mattiace, Ronnie Black, Greg Kraft and Steve Flesch four shots off the pace.

The group at 136 included former U.S. Open champion Steve Jones.

Two notable rookies were in a cluster at 137--Casey Martin, who sued the PGA to be allowed to ride a cart and rest his painful right leg, and Gary Nicklaus, son of Jack Nicklaus. So were Jean Van de Velde and Kirk Triplett, who won Sunday at Riviera.

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Bruce Summerhays fired a course-record, 10-under 62 to grab a three-shot lead after the first round of the LiquidGolf.com Invitational senior tour event at Sarasota, Fla.

Summerhays didn’t win a tournament last year but still finished eighth on the money list while battling the effects of osteoarthritis, a progressive degenerative joint disease with which he was diagnosed in 1997.

“I went through the process of trying to find some drugs that would work,” he said.

Finally, in September, Summerhays was introduced to Celebrex, a new prescription drug.

“It has really helped me,” he said. “I had the best end of the year I’ve ever had. A lot of the pain was gone.

“I felt good. I could exercise hard. I could hit more balls. My energy level was up.”

On Friday, so was Summerhays’ golf game. He birdied seven of nine holes in one stretch and shot a six-under 30 on the back nine at the TPC at Prestancia to lead Tom Wargo by three shots. Bruce Fleisher, a nine-time winner in less than two years on the tour, and John Morgan were four back.

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Laura Davies of Britain holds a one-shot lead over Karrie Webb at nine under par after two rounds of the Australian Ladies Masters at Gold Coast, Australia.

But it took a birdie-eagle finish on the par-72 Royal Pines course to overtake her Australian rival.

Davies said she was heading for a 72 or 73 until she holed out a shot from the back bunker for a birdie at the par-three 14th to get her round going. Her finish gave her a four-under 68.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

RESULTS, SCHEDULE

$5-MILLION MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

At La Costa--Par 72

THIRD-ROUND RESULTS

Tiger Woods (1) d. Shigeki Maruyama (48) 4 and 3

Paul Lawrie (41) d. Mark Calcavecchia (57) 21st hole

David Duval (2) d. Sergio Garcia (15) 2 and 1

Scott Hoch (39) d. Jesper Parnevik (10) 2 and 1

Davis Love III (4) d. Jim Furyk (13) 3 and 2

Miguel Angel Jimenez (21) d. Bob Estes (28) 2 and 1

Darren Clarke (19) d. Thomas Bjorn (35) 1 up

Hal Sutton (11) d. Duffy Waldorf (59) 2 and 1

TODAY’S QUARTERFINAL STARTING TIMES

7:30 a.m. Tiger Woods (1) vs. Paul Lawrie (41)

7:39 David Duval (2) vs. Scott Hoch (39)

7:48 Davis Love III (4) vs. Miguel Angel Jimenez (21)

7:57 Darren Clarke (19) vs. Hal Sutton (11)

Note: Seedings in parentheses; semifinals follow