Jacobsen Playing Follow the Member

Peter Jacobsen took advantage of his playing partner’s inside knowledge of Oak Tree Golf Club to take the lead at the Senior PGA Championship at Edmond, Okla.

Jacobsen shot a three-under-par 68 to move past Oak Tree member Gil Morgan on Friday for a one-stroke lead in the Champions Tour major.

Jacobsen is at seven-under 135 for 36 holes. Brad Bryant shot a 67 to tie Morgan (70) for second at 136.

Jacobsen, who is looking to win his third major in as many years, played in Morgan’s group in each of the first two rounds and admitted being a bit of a copycat.

“It’s fun to play with somebody like Gil Morgan who not only knows the nuances of the golf course. He stands up there and drives it right down the middle and doesn’t give it a second thought because he’s so familiar with it,” Jacobsen said. “I just try to follow what Gil’s doing.”

Jay Haas, the Senior PGA runner-up in 2004, shot a 70 and was three strokes behind Jacobsen in fourth place. Loren Roberts, Tom Watson, Jose Rivero and Dana Quigley were another stroke back in a tie for fifth.

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Darron Stiles grabbed a two-stroke lead with a six-under 64 after the second round of the St. Jude Classic at Memphis, Tenn., where winds gusting to 20 mph for a second consecutive day played havoc with the dry fairways and hard greens at the TPC at Southwind.

“It seems like I’ve been playing in the wind for the last month whether it’s been out in New Orleans a few weeks ago or a couple weeks ago on the Nationwide Tour,” said Stiles, who won the Rheem Classic in Arkansas two weeks ago.

“I used to not like playing in a lot of wind. I think I’ve toned down enough mentally and gotten a lot smarter to play the right shot.”

Stiles turned in eight birdies with a double-bogey for a 133 total through 36 holes, giving him only his second lead on the PGA Tour and his first by himself. In 2003 at Memphis, he had shared the first-round lead with Jay Haas and Richard Johnson.

Tim Herron, who won at Colonial last week, shot a 65 and was tied with Tom Pernice (68) and first-round leader Chris Smith (71) at 135. David Toms (67), Brian Gay (67) and Camilo Villegas (66) were at 136.

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Virada Nirapathpongporn sure isn’t playing like a rookie.

The 24-year-old former Duke star, who won the 2002 NCAA title and 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur, shot a five-under 67 to take sole possession of the lead after two rounds at the LPGA Corning Classic at Corning, N.Y.

Nirapathpongporn, a native of Thailand, was at 133, one shot ahead of Brandie Burton (68) and first-round co-leader Nancy Scranton (69). Another stroke behind was Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, who had a bogey-free 68 and was tied at 135 with Jeong Jang (69).

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David Howell of England shot a seven-under 65 for a three-stroke lead in the rain-delayed BMW Championship at Virginia Water, England.

Howell, shrugging off the effects of a bad back that forced him to miss the Irish Open last week, had eight birdies and a bogey for an 11-under 133 total. Nick Dougherty is second after a 69.

Heavy rain forced a one-hour delay at the start of play, and the second round was not completed.

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Adrien Mork of France shot the first official 59 in the history of the European Tour during the Moroccan Classic Challenge Tour event at Agadir.

“I do not think I fully realize yet what I have done. I feel great, but quite numb,” said Mork, 26, who shot a first-round 63.

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Still coping with the death of his father, Tiger Woods decided to skip the Memorial Tournament next week for the first time, meaning he will be coming off the longest layoff in his career when he goes to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in New York in three weeks.... Michelle Wie will play with David Gossett and club pro Rick Hartmann when she tries to qualify for the U.S. Open. The 36-hole qualifying is June 5 at the Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J.