Consistent Donald has lead at Nelson

Luke Donald is finally leading the Byron Nelson Championship after all his under-par rounds in the event.

Donald’s four-under-par 66 Friday at Irving, Texas, was his 10th consecutive Nelson round in the 60s and put him at seven-under 133 through two rounds, a stroke ahead of defending champion Brett Wetterich (68), Fredrik Jacobson (67) and first-round leader Sean O’Hair (69).

It’s the first time Donald has led at the end of any round at the Nelson, where 16 of his 20 career rounds over six tournaments have been under par.

“Yeah, I suppose it’s a course I just enjoy,” Donald said. “You don’t have to overpower it, you don’t have to be ultra-long to be successful. It’s more about placing it. I have good thoughts and good feelings about this place when I play here, and it shows.”

Kent Jones (66) and Scott Verplank (68) were two strokes back, and Vijay Singh (67) was in a group of five players at four under.

Donald took over sole possession of the lead with a 43-foot chip from the edge of the green at the 196-yard 17th.

This is the first time in three years that Wetterich wasn’t tied for the lead after the second round. “It was slow, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like I was playing that bad,” Wetterich said. “I’m happy where I’m at.”

Phil Mickelson (139) and Singh, the only top-10 golfers playing this week, were in the same group at Cottonwood Valley on Friday.

The best round Friday was a 64 by Southern Methodist’s Colt Knost, the first amateur since Justin Leonard in 1993 to make the cut at the Nelson. He was at 138.

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Lorena Ochoa struggled in her second round as the No. 1 player in the world, shooting a one-over 74 in windy conditions to drop five strokes behind the leaders in the Corona Morelia Championship at Morelia, Mexico.

Angela Park (65), Yu Ping Lin (65), and Silvia Cavalleri (68) shared the lead at nine-under 137 on the hilly Tres Marias course.

Sarah Lee matched the LPGA Tour record for relation to par for nine holes, shooting an eight-under 28 on the front nine -- her final nine -- en route to a 66. She was a stroke behind the leaders.

Ochoa, who took the top spot in the rankings from Annika Sorenstam on Monday, had four birdies and five bogeys.