Nine within one shot of lead

There's a five-player logjam atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the ACE Group Classic and another four players within a stroke of the lead.

But all eyes are on Tom Watson with 18 holes to play.

Dave Eichelberger and Jose Maria Canizares shot 5-under 67s today and Walter Hall had a 68 for a share of the lead with first-round leaders Dana Quigley and Jim Thorpe. Quigley and Thorpe shot 71s to join the group at 9-under 135.

"We just kind of opened the door for another six or seven players," Thorpe said. "We both should've been 12-, 14-under easily. You can pick up one shot in a hurry. Four or five shots, it takes a few holes for them to catch up.''

Watson, the five-time British Open champion in his first full season on the Senior PGA Tour rookie, and Stewart McGinn shot 67s to join Larry Nelson and John Jacobs at 136. Nelson and Jacobs shot 69s.

"I would have expected some of the leaders ahead of me to really have shot a 65," Watson said. "It didn't happen. It kind of surprised me. Now everybody's bunched up. It's going to take a 65 to win."

Watson is playing his first full-field event since the death of his father, Raymond, from a heart attack Jan. 20, just before the start of the season-opening MasterCard Championship in Hawaii.

"We're certainly not going to try and let him win, believe me," Quigley said. "If we could play best ball against him, it may help, but they probably won't let us do that. We're all on our own.

"The winner is going to be the guy that putts well. It doesn't necessarily have to be Tom Watson. He may be the favorite with the fans, who knows. There's a lot of good players."

Raymond Floyd, with a 68, was in a threesome at 137, and Mark Hayes, with the day's best round of 65, headed a group at 138.

Lanny Wadkins, a rookie who opened with a 65 on Friday, struggled to a 73 despite ideal scoring conditions to fall three strokes off the pace.

Among the five leaders, only Eichelberger and Quigley have Senior PGA Tour victories. Eichelberger has five, including the U.S. Senior Open last year, and Quigley has three.

"You're not supposed to change your game, but I can promise you most of us do," Quigley said. "It's definitely hard playing from the lead. It's a little bit easier I think playing from behind and still being aggressive."

Thorpe finished second twice as a rookie last year, Canizares has three second-place finishes and Hall has two.

The tournament is playing out much differently than a year ago when Allen Doyle led wire to wire and won by five shots.

This is the first year the event has been played at the 6,960-yard Pelican Marsh Golf Club layout. The winner will collect $180,000 from the $1.2 million purse.

No one may want it more than Watson.

"Before my dad passed away, he said, 'You know Son, you've never won one in Florida. Why don't you win one for me?' " Watson said. "That's what it would mean."

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