Irwin Uses Putter to Tie Watson

Hale Irwin and Tom Watson were the co-leaders of the Senior Players Championship on Friday, one after a spectacular second round, the other with another solid one at Dearborn, Mich.

Irwin got to nine-under-par 135 with a seven-under 65, and Watson had a 68 in the fourth and final major of the year on the Senior PGA Tour.

Allen Doyle, Ed Dougherty and Larry Nelson--who were tied for the first-round lead with Watson and Ray Floyd--stayed near the leaders. Doyle shot a 69 and was at eight under, while Dougherty and Nelson were another stroke back.

Jack Nicklaus withdrew after nine holes Friday because of a sore hamstring and herniated disk.

Irwin had 25 putts, after needing 32 on Thursday.

“I had a very hot putter,” he said. “I saved some nice pars and when I had a birdie opportunity, just about in every case, I took advantage of it.”

Kenny Perry shot an eight-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead over Chris Smith after the second round of the Greater Milwaukee Open.

Perry, who tied for third last year when Loren Roberts dominated Brown Deer Park with a record-breaking 24-under 260 total, had a 13-under 129 total. Smith shot his second 66.

Forty-eight hours after the death of his father, Skip Kendall shot a 67 on his mother’s 77th birthday to make the cut.

Ralph Kendall died Wednesday at age 77 from complications of a stroke, but it was his dying wish that his son play in the tournament.

Fresh from a weeklong vacation at a Rhode Island beach house, Emilee Klein shot a course-record eight-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead in the Michelob Light Classic at Eureka, Mo.

“I really feel refreshed,” Klein said. “I’ve been working so hard on my game this year, but you play so many in a row and you just get mentally tired. Right now I feel so good.”

Jennifer Hubbard, an LPGA Tour rookie who was born in St. Louis, opened with a 67 on the Fox Run Golf Club course, and four-time champion Annika Sorenstam topped a four-player group at 68.

His momentum slowed only by the soggy greens of Loch Lomond, U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen managed to keep some distance over the field with a two-under 69 for a two-stroke lead in the Scottish Open.

Goosen, hitting the ball as crisply as he did last month in his playoff victory at Southern Hills, missed at least a half-dozen putts inside 15 feet as he tried to negotiate spike marks and heel prints from being in one of the last groups to play.

The soft-spoken South African, who opened with a 62, was at 131, tied for the lowest 36-hole score in the short history at Loch Lomond, and had a two-stroke margin over Adam Scott of Australia.

Thomas Bjorn had six birdies in a round of 67 and was at 135, along with Barry Lane and Paul McGinley. John Daly and Tom Lehman, the only top U.S. players in the final tournament before the British Open, were each five strokes behind.

Walker Cup veteran Danny Green and Arizona State player Chez Reavie won two matches to advance to the final of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at San Antonio.

Greg Puga of Los Angeles, who qualified for the Masters with his victory at the Mid-Amateur Championship last year, lost to Adam Fuchs in the quarterfinals, 1-up.