Ben Crane leads Byron Nelson; Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia are one shot back

Ben Crane made a 14-foot birdie putt on his last hole Friday for a seven-under-par 63 and a one-stroke lead after two rounds at the Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas.

At 12-under 128, Crane was one stroke ahead of Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka and Bud Cauley.

Spieth had a 65. He’s playing only his second tournament since squandering a five-stroke lead on the back nine at the Masters. The world’s No. 2-ranked player missed the cut last week at The Players Championship.

“It hasn’t been that long,” said Spieth, speaking before Crane’s afternoon round. “The Masters felt like it was quite a while ago and that’s why it almost feels like, that’s why I’m getting the questions, `Was it nice to have your name back on top?’ Well, I mean (it was) two tournaments ago.”

The last time Crane led a tournament was at Memphis two years ago, the last of his five PGA Tour victories.

Crane, who turned 40 in March, took the lead after six birdies in an eight-hole stretch during the afternoon, including a 70-footer from a greenside bunker at the par-4 third hole, his 12th of the day, to get to 10 under for the tournament. He initially took the outright lead with a 3-foot birdie putt at the par-4 sixth.

“I’ve been struggling really for three years now, but intermittent bits of encouragement,” Crane said. “This has been one of those weeks where I feel like my game is really coming around.”

Koepka had a 64, Cauley shot 65, and Garcia 66.

Perry maintains lead at Champions event

Kenny Perry shot a two-under 70 to maintain a one-stroke lead over Bernhard Langer and Billy Andrade in the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala.

Perry had three birdies and a bogey to reach 10-under 134 at Greystone in the first of the year’s five PGA Tour Champions majors. The 2014 Regions Tradition winner has missed only one green in regulation.

Conditions changed after his bogey-free opening 64. Tournament officials opted for a two-tee start because of weather concerns, with Perry and Langer starting on the 10th tee. The course received 0.14 inches of rain overnight and in the morning, forcing a 30-minute delay to start. Langer had a 69, and Andrade shot 68.

Gene Sauers (70), Scott McCarron (66) and Kevin Sutherland were at eight under.

Recently turned 50, John Daly had his second straight roller-coaster 70. He had a triple bogey to go to four over through three holes and also had a string of four birdies in six holes.

Ryu leads at LPGA tournament

So Yeon Ryu had six birdies in an eight-hole stretch and shot a seven-under 64 to take the second-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va.

Ranked 11th in the world but sixth in the race for the four spots on South Korea’s Olympic team, Ryu opened with a bogey on the 10th hole, then used the birdie run to make the turn in five-under 30.

The 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion added birdies on the par-4 fourth and par-5 seventh and closed with two pars to reach seven-under 135 on the soggy River Course.

Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 6 Amy Yang and first-round leader Mika Miyazato were a stroke back. Lewis had a bogey-free 66, Yang had a 67, and Miyazato followed her opening 65 with a 71.

Lewis tied for second two weeks ago in Alabama for her 10th runner-up finish in a 49-event drought. The 11-time tour winner has 23 career second-place finishes.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko was at one under after 68.

Willett a stroke ahead of McIlroy at Irish Open

Masters champion Danny Willett shot a one-under 71 for a share of the lead at the Irish Open in Straffan, leaving home favorite Rory McIlroy a stroke back.

Willett, from England, matched Scotland’s Mark Warren (66) at eight-under 136 at The K Club. The third-ranked McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, had a 70.