Maggert pulls five clear of field

Jeff Maggert never thought anyone would mistake him for Tiger Woods.

Maggert, one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour with only two career victories, took one of the largest 36-hole leads this year by staying out of the thick rough in a round of 3-under 69 that gave him a five-stroke advantage today in the Buick Challenge.

Only Woods has led by more this year after two rounds - seven strokes in the NEC Invitational at Firestone, and six strokes in the U.S. Open.

``I'm pleased to get my game in shape where I feel like I have a chance to win,'' said Maggert, who was at 12-under 132 despite bogeys on two of the last five holes. ``If I keep driving well, I'll give myself birdie chances.''

Among those at 137 was David Duval, returning from a back injury that sidelined him for two months. He had a bogey-free 69, a solid score in swirling winds at Callaway Gardens.

``I'm kind of excited to come back and be right up there,'' Duval said.

Paul Azinger also was at 7 under. He started birdie-eagle, but then spent the back nine trying to keep his patience as his ball continued to disappear in the rough. Adding to the frustration was the scoreboard, which showed Maggert ahead by seven shots at one point.

``I figured, 'There goes Tiger' ... oh, it's Maggert,'' Azinger said.

It would be hard to fault anyone for being surprised to see Maggert with such a large lead, or anywhere on the leaderboard, for that matter. He not only hasn't won this year, he has only seriously contended once, in the Western Open.

But the Mountain View course is well suited for his style. Maggert reads the grain in the Bermuda greens as well as anyone, and he rarely hits from anywhere but the short grass.

One day after posting his lowest score of the year, a 9-under 63, Maggert made birdie on the first two holes. When he walked off the 11th green after another tap-in birdie, he was at 5 under for his round, 14 under for the tournament, and leaving everyone in his wake.

``I was trying to stay really aggressive and put distance between me and the rest of the field,'' Maggert said. ``I was feeling pretty good.''

Then he felt the wind on his face, heard it rustle through the pines and changed his strategy.

``I wasn't expecting that,'' he said. ``I went from an aggressive mindset to playing careful. When I got off to a good start, I thought if I could get to 15 under it would be a nice cushion to work with on the weekend. But I can't complain.''

He missed the green on the par-4 14th and failed to get up-and-down for his par, then missed his only fairway on No. 18 and came up short of the green, hit a 50-yard pitch to the back fringe and two-putted for bogey.

``I wish I could have hung in there, but I'm in good shape,'' Maggert said.

The others at 137 were Joe Durant (69), Carl Paulson (67), Canada's Glen Hnatiuk (69) and the surging Cameron Beckman (70), who turned in his application for Q-school three weeks ago and might not have to go if he can keep up this pace.

Scott Hoch and Nick Price were among those at 138.

Defending champion David Toms missed the cut, along with Justin Leonard, who ended his 2-1/2-year victory drought last week at the Texas Open.

Duval last completed a tournament in the Open, where he was paired with Woods in the final round at St. Andrews. During his two months out, he began to wonder when he would be able to return.

Now, he feels so good that he plans to play next week in Virginia. And five strokes out of the lead, he isn't conceding anything at Callaway Gardens.

``I didn't know what to expect coming into the week,'' Duval said. ``I certainly felt like I could win, but a lot of that might have been from having a fresh mind and being anxious to play.''

Divots: Jeff Gove made a hole-in-one on No. 12 with a 5-iron from 186 yards, but that wasn't enough for him to make the cut. ... Maggert said he has always wanted to play the Dunhill Cup matches at St. Andrews, and this would have been the year. Organizers had a hard time finding Americans because the Presidents Cup is the week after. Maggert didn't make the U.S. team, but said he wasn't called about the Dunhill Cup until Monday. ``I had already made out my schedule,'' he said. ... Shigeki Maruyama withdrew with an injured wrist. ... Despite bogeys on his last two holes, John Daly made the cut for the second week in a row, only the second time this year he's done that. ... Australian amateur Aaron Baddeley has had only two rounds under par in his last eight tournaments, missing the cut in all of them.

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