DEARBORN, Mich. — Howard Twitty was tied for second after two rounds of the Senior Players Championship. He's not sure how he feels about that.
That's been a common emotion for Twitty since the death of his son Kevin in March.
"Everything is changed, and I can't explain how," Twitty said after shooting a 69 Friday. "You feel like you've had a glimpse into hell, and it isn't very pretty."
Kevin Twitty, 25, the oldest of Twitty's seven children, drowned on March 25.
"When something like that happens, you are changed forever," he said. "I try to approach the game the same, but it isn't. I'll never be the same again. I might be better in some ways, but I'm not the same person."
With a 68 in the first round, Twitty has strung together consecutive sub-70 rounds for the first time all season. Since Kevin's death, his best finish in 10 tournaments has been a tie for 19th.
"I've been playing horrible golf, but the one thing about this game is that you always know it is going to change," he said. "I didn't think I would get worse, and luckily, I was right. I'm very pleased, and now I just have to keep from making any mistakes the next two days."
But even a victory in the last of the four senior majors won't ease Twitty's pain.
"People have asked me if playing golf helps with the healing," he said. "Honestly, I can't say that it does. I haven't found anything that does.
"People say that when you lose a child, a day never goes by where you don't think about him. With me, there is a rarely an hour when I don't think about Kevin."
DRASTIC TURNAROUND: One day after shooting a 78 that left him tied for 67th place, Bob Murphy had Friday's second-best round with a 64.
"I went out there after a lesson from Gary McCord, and I got tips from Gibby Gilbert and Lee Trevino," Murphy said. "That's what happens when you are playing badly — everyone tries to help. But something certainly worked. Shooting 64 is a lot better feeling than 78, that's for sure."
Murphy has struggled with injuries for most of 2002, but was still shocked by his opening-round 78.
"I've been playing badly all year, because I had a horrible case of tendinitis in my hand," he said. "But this week, I've felt good and I've been able to get a good three days of practice in for the first time all year. That's why I was so disappointed Thursday. I hit the ball well, but I just couldn't get it in the hole."
Murphy expects 2002 to be his last full season on the Senior PGA Tour.
"I'm going to be down to 20 tournaments this year with my hand, and next year, I'm going to be doing a lot of TV for NBC," he said. "I still love the game, but it is time to get into the booth, because I really enjoy doing the broadcasts."