Scott Verplank Shoots Second-Round 66 to Take Lead at PGA Championship

Aug 10, 06:05 PM

Current Headlines: TULSA, Okla.. (CP) - Stephen Ames is within a breath of the lead at the PGA Championship.

The Calgary golfer shot a 1-under 69 on Friday and trailed clubhouse leader Scott Verplank by a stroke. Ames made a bogey on his final hole of the day, but was otherwise pleased with his position.

"I played well today," he said. "I had a blunder at the last hole but you can expect a couple of those at tournaments like these."

His solid play should give Gary Player something to think about over the weekend. The captain of the International Team for the Presidents' Cup in Montreal will make his final two selections on Monday and Ames will be among the golfers he'll consider.

Another is Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., who was hoping for a great second round after opening with a 77. He was even par through four holes on Friday.

Ames is certain to be around for the weekend. He briefly held the lead during the final round of the U.S. Open in June and is excited to have another chance to win his first major championship.

"I'm looking forward to the weekend," said Ames, who has two career PGA Tour victories. "I'm not looking forward to the heat, but I am looking forward to the golf."

He'll have plenty of challengers.

Verplank shot a 4-under-par 66 at Southern Hills and was cheered by the gallery all morning. He once played golf at nearby Oklahoma State.

"I'm in my own world out there, but it's always nice to know that people are pulling for you," said Verplank.

Tiger Woods got the gallery going in the afternoon by making three birdies in his first five holes to move withing two strokes of Verplank. He's seeking his first major victory of the year.

John Daly also had an afternoon tee time but opened the day with two bogeys to slide to 1 under, three off the lead.

Woody Austin shot 70 to finish his day at 2-under 138, a round he said should have been much better.

"When you're someone in my position who has never won a major, never won one of these big events, you can't throw away all these opportunities," Austin said. "I don't have that luxury. There is somebody that has that luxury but it's not me."

Not Verplank, either, who also thought he was hitting the ball much better than his score might have indicated.

"I hit the ball yesterday and today as good as I've ever hit it," he said.

But Verplank wasn't down on himself. He was simply enjoying the moment, wearing an orange shirt that reminded anyone who didn't already know that he is, indeed, an Oklahoma State Cowboy.

"I was like an accountant trying to get all of these tickets put in the right envelope," he said of his pre-tournament preparation. "I think I put like 15 envelopes at 'will call' and then I was like, OK, that's enough, I'm done with that."

Verplank's coming-home story overtook the feel-good tale fashioned by first-day leader Graeme Storm.

Storm spent the winter of 2002 working in a cake factory, but came back from that, won his first big-time tournament this year in France, then suddenly found himself in the headlines after his opening-round 65.

He had a two-stroke lead heading into Friday, but was tired when he woke up after a night of tossing and turning with a 7:30 a.m. tee time pending.

"I think I was worried about missing my alarm call, which I don't normally think about," Storm said. "But when you're leading a major, it's slightly different."

Storm lost his two-stroke lead quickly and shot 76. He was at 1-over 141, tied for 20th and still in contention.

"I'm not far away from the leaders," he said. "I'll just have to take it on the chin and come back fighting tomorrow."

Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, overcame a pair of bogeys early in his second round shot 1-under 69 to head into the weekend at 2 over. He wasn't exactly threatening to win his fourth major, but he was in contention, and also assured of finishing among the top 70 and making his first cut at a major since the Masters in April.