David Duval eagled his first hole en route to a second consecutive 6-under 66 and held a one-shot lead halfway through the BellSouth Classic on Friday.
Starting on the 608-yard 10th hole, Duval holed it from 50 yards with a sand wedge, then added five birdies before taking his only bogey on his final hole when he caught a greenside bunker on No. 9 and had his 10-foot par putt lip out.Nick Price was second after a 67 gave him an 11-under 133 total for two trips around the 7,259-yard TPC Sugarloaf Country Club north of Atlanta. The round was interrupted for 25 minutes early in the afternoon because of a thundershower.
First-round lead Don Pooley was another shot back after a 70. Charlie Rymer had an eagle 2 on No. 9 - his last hole of the day - for a 67.
Greg Norman, who designed the course, moved into contention at 137 with a 67, while Hale Irwin missed the even par cut of 144 after a 77 left him at 151.
"No matter where you're playing, any course, any conditions, if you're swinging well and hitting it solid, it's going to work," Duval said.
The former Georgia Tech golfer has had it working two days in a row.
Duval, still seeking his first PGA Tour victory, has been concentrating on conditioning, saying he had lost between 30 and 40 pounds, and he notices a difference.
"I think you notice," he said. "I mean, it would be like walking around the course carrying my golf bag now. That's about what it'd be, and it's kind of unbelievable to think I was doing that."
After getting his round going with the eagle 3, Duval parred the next six holes before knocking in a 22-footer for birdie at 17 and scoring again on 18 from 15 feet.
He tapped in an 8-inch putt for another birdie on No. 2, two-putted from 35 feet for another on the par-5 4th and put a 9-iron a foot from the pin on No. 5.
"I'm very happy with the way I played," Price said. "It's very enjoyable to be playing better again."
Price, winner at Hilton Head the week after the Masters, had trouble on only one hole, knocking it over the green at 15. He chipped back to 15 feet and missed the putt for his only bogey.
He made a 32-footer for birdie on No. 9 and closed his round with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18 - the first from 12 feet, the second from 24.
"The course is just prime for scoring right now," Price said, particularly praising the greens, which he said surprisingly didn't show spike marks even though he was playing late in the day.
Deadlocked at 138 were Mark Calcavecchia, 68, and Dudley Hart, 69. A group at 139 included Lee Jansen, 70, and Jay Haas, 71.
Sara Lee Classic
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Helen Alfredsson, who had hip surgery last November, fought through gusting winds Friday and shot a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke lead at the $675,000 Sara Lee Classic.
Alfredsson spent five weeks in bed after doctors operated on her right hip Nov. 1, reattaching a hamstring that was injured 10 years ago when she chipped a pelvic bone in an accident.
She has struggled in seven events this year, missing three cuts with her best finish a tie for 26th at the Susan G. Komen International last month. She admitted she probably pushed herself too much in trying to return to the tour.
But Alfredsson surprised herself with seven birdies and one bogey in the afternoon despite winds gusting between 20 and 25 mph.
She led Nancy Harvey, who shot her 67 on soft greens in the morning, and was two strokes ahead of Pat Hurst. Six others were tied at 3-under including Michelle McGann.
Home Depot Seniors
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Arnold Palmer's return from cancer surgery reached another milestone Friday in the first round of the Home Depot Invitational.
"If I keep hitting it the way I am, I was very encouraged," Palmer said after he opened the Senior PGA Tour event with a 3-over-par 75 - easily his best score in tournament play since prostate surgery in January.
By competitive standards, Palmer's round was hardly a gem; it left him nine shots off the lead, which was held by John D. Morgan, who birdied the last three holes at the TPC at Piper Glen for a 66.
But it marked the brightest ray of hope yet in a comeback bid that had failed to produce a round lower than 81 and left a frustrated Palmer questioning his future in the sport.
"It got to the point where I was thinking about not playing anymore," he said, "and I don't even want to think about that."
Palmer's first event back was the Bay Hill Invitational in late March. He opened with an 81 and then withdrew after playing 15 holes in the second round.
He missed the cut at the Masters with scores of 89 and 87, and it got only marginally better at the PGA Seniors' Championship, where he backed up an 84 with an 82, once again not good enough to qualify for the weekend.
But on Friday, Palmer avoided the 7s and 8s that were so prevalent on his scorecards earlier this spring. His card contained only 3s, 4s and 5s except for a double-bogey 6 on No. 10.
"I'm not pleased at all with the way I played," said Palmer, who designed Piper Glen's 6,774-yard layout. "But I played better than I've been playing."
Morgan's round of eight birdies and two bogeys left the native of England with a two-shot lead over Don Bies, Jim Dent, Larry Gilbert, Tony Jacklin, Will Sowles and DeWitt Weaver.