Allenby, Lowery Are Tied

Robert Allenby has been looking for a spark in his game, a little something extra to turn good rounds into good scores. His eight-under-par 63 in the second round of NEC Invitational on Friday might do the trick.

Allenby had an eagle and five birdies on his final seven holes at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., to set the course record and take a share of the lead with Steve Lowery in the $5-million World Golf Championship event.

Lowery started his round the way Allenby finished his, with birdies on four of his first five holes. He missed two short par putts on the back nine, including one from 18 inches, and finished with a 65 to join Allenby at 10-under 132.

Retief Goosen (68) was one stroke back and Justin Rose had his second 67 and was at 134.

The previous course record was 65, held by Greg Kraft and Nick Price at the 1998 PGA Championship (par 70), and matched Thursday by Goosen and Toshi Izawa.

Tiger Woods’ hopes of becoming the first player in 75 years to win the same event four years in a row will require two low scores.

Birdies were followed by bogeys and he shot a 70, which left him six strokes behind. That’s the widest margin he has faced after any round in the three-year history of the NEC Invitational.

*

Steve Flesch had an eagle and four consecutive birdies to shoot a 64 and take a share of the second-round lead with Tom Pernice Jr. and rookie Ben Crane at 10-under par at the $3 million Reno-Tahoe Open.

Flesch, who started the day at two under, with a migraine headache and a sore wrist, played the first nine holes six under at the 7,472-yard, par 72 Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno.

Charles Howell III, who led after the first round with a seven-under 65, shot a 73 to fall four strokes off the lead at 138.

*

Danielle Ammaccapane took another step toward ending a four-year winless streak with a three-under 69 that allowed her to maintain a share of the lead after two rounds of the Betsy King Classic at Kutztown, Pa.

Ammaccapane, who opened with a 66, made three of her five birdies on the back nine in the second round. She was tied with Wendy Doolan, who had an eagle during a round of 68, and they were nine-under at 135.

Karrie Webb had a 65, despite a triple bogey on the 14th hole. She was at 136, tied with Michelle Ellis, Rachel Teske and Stefania Croce. Teske had a 67. Ellis shot 69. Croce had a second 68.

Joanne Morley shot a 66 and was two strokes off the pace with Val Skinner, who had a 69.

Se Ri Pak, third on the money winners’ list, shot a 68 and was in a group of five players at 138.

*

Morris Hatalsky chipped in on consecutive holes and finished with eight birdies, an eagle and 19 points to take the first-round lead at the Uniting Fore Care Classic at Park City, Utah.

The Senior PGA Tour went to the modified Stableford scoring system for this year’s event.

Tom Watson birdied and eagled two of the final three holes and moved into second place with 14 points. Hugh Baiocchi, Terry Dill, Mike McCullogh and John Harris were tied for third with 12.

*

Bill Haas, son of PGA Tour pro Jay, defeated John Klauk, 5 and 4, to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Haas, of Greer, S.C., shot a 28 on the front nine to make the turn at 4-up.

He will next face Ricky Barnes of Stockton, who beat 18-year-old Spencer Levin of Elk Grove, Calif., 4 and 3.

In the other semifinal, Hunter Mahan of McKinney, Texas, faces Dustin Bray of Asheboro, N.C. Mahan defeated Henry Liaw of Rowland Heights, 3 and 2. Bray beat Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., 4 and 3.