FARMINGTON, Pa. - Their Ryder Cup experience was so miserable, the magnitude of the United States' loss to Europe so great, Tiger Woods and Kenny Perry decided to pull out of the 84 Lumber Classic. Chris DiMarco didn't, and now he's in contention to win the tournament.
DiMarco, a former University of Florida standout, shook off the disappointment he has felt since last weekend to shoot Friday's best round, a 7-under 65, and put some pressure on leader Vijay Singh, who followed up his opening-round 64 with a steady-as-he-goes 68.
Singh leads 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis by two shots with DiMarco another stroke back.
Singh actually had a bogey - his only one in two days - but opened with two straight birdies and added three more during a round that could have been even better if he hadn't missed several short putts.
Singh, who can set a PGA Tour season money record by winning the $756,000 first prize, liked how he putted despite the results. He blamed several misses on the still-maturing and tough-to-read greens at the 7,471-yard Mystic Rock course, all 18 of which were rebuilt after being criticized by last year's field for being too soft and too easy.
"It's pretty hard to read the greens," he said. "The greens are not settled. And just when you think you've got the right line, after putting you know the line then. ... I probably had three or four (misses) from inside 8 feet. But I made some long ones to equalize that."
Singh also played when scoring conditions were less favorable, after the Allegheny Mountain winds that gave shots some extra length died down in the afternoon and the greens became chewed up. He was one of the first players on the course Thursday, when he took advantage of prime scoring conditions with an eagle and six birdies for his 64.
"I'm quite happy," Singh said. "I've got the weekend to go and there are a few more chances out there."
DiMarco's 65 also came in the afternoon, after he took advantage of his later starting time to enjoy some much-needed sleep. His 2-1-1 Ryder Cup record was the best of the Americans, but the lopsided 181/2-91/2 loss to Europe stayed with him for several days and affected his preparation for this weekend.
DiMarco might have withdrawn, as Woods and Perry did, if he hadn't promised four friends he would take them to next weekend's World Golf Championship event in Ireland. Joe Hardy, 84 Lumber's fabulously wealthy owner, offered any golfer a free trip for five if he played this weekend en route to Ireland.
LPGA: Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, looking to extend to her streak of winning a tournament to eight years, shot a 5-under 66 and took a one-stroke lead over Christina Kim after two rounds of the Longs Drugs Challenge in Auburn, Calif. Inkster, a two-time winner of the tournament, is at 10-under 132 after a seven-birdie, two-bogey round.
"Overall, I played well today," she said. "Even on my bogeys, I was in the fairway and had my chances. I hit the ball well."
Kim, a non-winner in her second LPGA season, held a one-stroke lead after an opening 64. She began her second-round 69 with 13 straight pars, bogeyed 14 and then birdied three of the final four holes.
CHAMPIONS: Craig Stadler had the answers ready. Yes, the success of his son continues to help him play better. Yes, he knew how Kevin was faring in the second round of the Boise Open. And yes, he never focused on his own score in the first round at the SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.
"I walked off the 18th green and saw the scoreboard there," Stadler said. "I said, "I did shoot 7 under.' " That he did, and his 65 was good for a two-shot lead over D.A. Weibring and Wayne Levi. Stadler is going for his third consecutive victory, an incredible run that coincides with the solid play of 24-year-old Kevin on the developmental Nationwide Tour.
EUROPEAN PGA: Colin Montgomerie shot a 5-over-par 77 and missed the cut at the Heritage in Woburn, England, five days after making the winning putt for Europe at the Ryder Cup.
