Putter Propels Tway Into Lead at Doral

Most people see the switch to a belly putter as an act of desperation. Bob Tway prefers to call it maturity.

“Maybe I’m getting older and maybe not quite as stubborn,” Tway said.

Either way, the change seems to be paying off. Tway birdied three of his last five holes Friday for a four-under 68, giving him a one-stroke lead over Jim Furyk in the Ford Championship at Doral in Miami.

Tway, who always considered himself a good putter while winning a PGA Championship and six other PGA Tour events, switched to the belly putter last month and is starting to get more comfortable with it each week.

He was at 11-under 133 on the Blue Monster, which was relatively tame despite temperatures that approached 90.

Furyk closed with three consecutive birdies and a six-foot par-saving putt on the 18th for a six-under 66, putting him at 134. Carlos Franco (68) and first-round leader Rod Pampling (71) were another stroke back.

The belly putter, first made popular by Paul Azinger in 1999, has a long handle that sticks into the stomach as an anchor. Tway, who hasn’t won in nearly eight years, hopes it carries him through what figures to be a wide-open weekend.

There were 21 players within five shots of the lead, including Mike Weir of Canada, who leads the PGA Tour money list and already has won twice.

Weir got some kinks worked out of his lower left back and shot a 67, leaving him in a large group at 137.

Jack Nicklaus made double bogey on No. 4 and shot 73 to miss the cut by three shots. Gary Nicklaus had a 76 and finished one stroke behind his father.

Also gone is David Duval, who has made the cut in only one of four stroke-play events this year. Duval bogeyed his final four holes and shot an 80, his highest score in 159 PGA Tour events over seven years.

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Ernie Els took a chance on the 18th hole, and it cost him sole possession of the lead midway through the Dubai Desert Classic at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Els’ second shot on the par-five, 547-yard hole found water short of the green. He finished with a bogey and a four-under 68 in the second round that left him in a four-way tie for the lead.

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Allen Doyle shot a seven-under 65 for a two-stroke lead after the first round of the MasterCard Classic Champions Tour event at Mexico City.

Doyle had an eagle and six birdies on the 7,111-yard, par-72 Bosque Real Country Club course.

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This year’s British Open course has been lengthened by 246 yards to make it more challenging for golf’s long hitters. Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, was lengthened to 7,106 yards, according to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. The course, site of the tournament July 17-20, was 6,860 yards the last time the event was played there in 1993.