Players tied for lead have home-state edge

Former Georgia Tech star Troy Matteson shot an eight-under-par 64 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead in the AT&T; Classic at Duluth, Ga., with former University of Georgia player Ryuji Imada.

Matteson and Imada (67) had 10-under 134 totals on the Greg Norman-designed TPC Sugarloaf. And both failed to take full advantage of the 18th hole, a par five that gave up 20 eagles in the second round. Imada birdied the 18th, and Matteson made par.

D.J. Brigman (67) was a stroke back, and first-round leader Kevin Sutherland (71) followed at eight under. Masters champion Zach Johnson (66) was seven under along with Camilo Villegas (67) and Craig Kanada (70).

Johnson, the 2004 tournament winner, gained six shots on the field with his 66.

Matteson, who five years ago became the first Georgia Tech player to win an NCAA individual title, expects to engage in some trash talk with Imada, the best player on the Georgia team that won the 1999 NCAA team championship.

Even though he attended Georgia Tech after Imada left Georgia, the rivalry between the two schools remains intense.

“You know, obviously we hated one another in school, but we’re pretty good friends now,” Matteson said.

If Imada wins “or a Tech guy wins, it’s always a little bit of bragging rights to take home with you, but it’s all in good fun now.”

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Hours after Sarah Lee completed her morning round, top-ranked Lorena Ochoa birdied five of her final eight holes for a five-under 67 and a share of the second-round lead with Lee.

Ochoa and Lee (69) had nine-under 135 totals. Jane Park (68) was two strokes back, and Juli Inkster (68), Brittany Lincicome (71), Sherri Steinhauer (69) and Young Jo (67) followed at five under.

Ochoa, who won the Sybase last year when it was played at Wykagl Country Club in New Rochelle, N.Y., hasn’t won since taking over the No. 1 ranking from Annika Sorenstam last month, though she has two top-five finishes in three tournaments.

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Seve Ballesteros got off to a terrible start in his Champions Tour debut, opening with a double bogey and finishing with a six-over 78 to fall 13 strokes behind leader Scott Hoch in the Regions Charity Classic at Hoover, Ala.

Ballesteros has played only two tournaments in the last two years, the British Open last year and the Masters last month.

Hoch, coming off his first Champions Tour victory two weeks ago in the FedEx Kinko’s Classic, had a seven-under 65 to open a three-stroke lead over Rod Spittle, Bob Gilder, Fuzzy Zoeller and Tom Kite. It’s the largest first-round lead on the tour this year.