DULUTH, Ga. - Zach Johnson strolled into the interview room, accompanied by his father and a group of about 10 people.
The PGA Tour rookie already has quite an entourage.
Johnson used a run of four birdies in his final six holes for 6-under 66 Friday to take the second-round lead after another windy day in the BellSouth Classic. He totaled 9-under 135 for a two-stroke lead over 2003 winner Ben Crane (69), Craig Bowden (71) and Tim Petrovic (70).
The rest of the folks joining Johnson after his round were his financial backers early in his career. Some came for the entire week, others arrived late Thursday, and everybody got quite a show.
"These are the guys that when others didn't see the potential in me, these guys did," Johnson said. "This business is hard financially to get started, and quite frankly I didn't really have to worry about it too much.
"Fortunately I'm able to go on by myself. At the same time their support is still there and I can still feel it."
Brian Gay (70) and Scott Hend (66) were three back, and PGA champion Shaun Micheel (72) and Padraig Harrington (69) were another shot behind.
Johnson started his round on No. 10, and eagle on the par-5 18th helped him get going. After three pars he birdied the next three holes, then capped his day with a 21-footer for birdie on the last hole.
"My putter has been pretty good the past two days," he said.
A strong, swirling wind made conditions tough again, with only 16 scores in the 60s. Hend tied Johnson for low round of the day, and Peter Lonard had 67.
"Sometimes it feels like it's at your back, sometimes it feels like it's in your face," Bowden said of the wind. "It's tough to pick a club and then commit to it, because there's a few holes out there that you can have a train wreck on."
The first-round leaders fell off the pace, with Jose Maria Olazabal shooting 77-142 and Roger Tambellini shooting 78-143.
LPGA TOUR: Annika Sorenstam, her short game back in the groove, shot 4-under 68 to take the first-round lead in the Office Depot Championship at Los Angeles.
Accurate around and on the greens on a day when the putting surfaces were tricky, Sorenstam was one in front of Jill McGill and Meg Mallon in the 54-hole event.
Sorenstam, who won the event two of the past three years, was among 11 players to beat par on an especially difficult day.
Karrie Webb, a two-time LPGA player of the year and winner of six majors, started off with bogey and kept going downhill on the way to 81 - her worst round since she joined the tour in 1996.
Sunday's Kraft Nabisco winner, Grace Park, was in contention with 73 that left her tied for 22nd. Se Ri Pak, who beat Sorenstam at this event two years ago, had 74 and was tied for 31st.
EUROPEAN PGA: Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 6-under 66 and took a one-stroke lead halfway through the Algarve Open in Portimao, Portugal. Jimenez, who has won eight titles on the tour, birdied six holes and parred the rest, leaving him at 9 under after two rounds. Tied at 8 under were Terry Price (68), Ignacio Garrido (67) and Damian McGrane (66). First-round leader Peter Lawrie shot 71 and was 7 under.
