Calcavecchia & Begay share lead

Mark Calcavecchia shot a 6-under-par 64 today to keep pace with Notah Begay after the 2nd round of the Greater Hartford Open.

Calcavecchia, a nine-time winner on tour, matched Begay at 11-under 129 on the TPC at River Highlands. Begay, coming off a victory last week in Memphis, Tenn., shot a 65.

Calcavecchia said he feels like ``a transplanted Northeasterner'' when he plays the GHO, where he has six top-10 finishes since 1981.

``Aside from Phoenix, these are probably some of the biggest crowds we see all year,'' the Florida resident said. ``I haven't had anything disastrous happen here. My sister lives here, and I get to see my nieces.''

The 1989 Open winner turned 40 on June 12.

``You know there's just something about that number that you stop and think about how many guys over 40 are threatening the winner's circle, and there's not too many,'' he said. ``So I look to other things. I just really enjoy doing things with my kids.''

He had four birdies on the first 11 holes, three-putted for his lone bogey on No. 12, rebounded with a birdie on the next hole and added two more birdies for a share of the lead.

Begay, 27, has righted himself following a drunken driving arrest in January and subsequent seven-day jail term. He has three victories in two seasons on the PGA Tour.

He had a costly double-bogey on No. 17.

``My bad rounds are coming down. My good rounds have always been good,'' Begay said. ``Being able to make a double-bogey and still shoot 65 tells me that I'm playing some good golf.''

Paying in tricky wind conditions on No. 17, Begay chose a 9-iron for his approach shot and the ball barely made the front edge of the grassy slope around the green and bounced back into the water. He hit his next shot to 8 feet and two-putted.

``This is only my second year, so I still make mistakes,'' Begay said. ``If I was a rookie, you could have called that a rookie mistake, but I can't use that anymore. Instead of having a little cushion going into the weekend, it's just going to be a dog fight.''

Edward Fryatt was two strokes back after a 64, and Dave Stockton Jr., whose father won the GHO in 1974, was three back along with Hal Sutton and Jim Furyk. Sutton, a two-time winner this year, shot a 65 and Stockton and Furyk had 66s.

Defending champ Brent Geiberger, Brad Faxon, Robert Allenby, Ben Bates, P.H. Horgan III and Paul Goydos were at 7-under 133.

NCAA champion Charles Howell made the cut in his first professional tournament, shooting a 67 for a 2-under 138 total. Among those missing the cut were Davis Love III, Fuzzy Zoeller, John Daly and Casey Martin.

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