Summerhays maintains three shot lead

Bruce Summerhays retained his three-shot lead and "a nice little cushion" after the second round of the LiquidGolf.com Invitational at the TPC at Prestancia.

Summerhays, 56, birdied the final hole to complete a 3-under 69 for a 13-under-par 131 total, breaking the 36-hole tournament record of Larry Nelson by a shot. On Friday, Summerhays fired a course-record 62.

"It was enjoyable to hang on that way," said Summerhays, who's been a top player on the tour but has only two victories in five full seasons. "The second round for me is always the toughest round when I'm in the lead. I'm grateful to be three up. It's a nice little cushion right now."

Tom Wargo, Monday qualifier Bob Ralston, Gary McCord, and Jerry McGee are all three shots behind at 10-under. Defending champion Bruce Fleisher bogeyed No. 17 to fall to 9-under, along with Dave Eichelberger and George Archer.

"I really just wasn't with it today," said Fleisher, who missed three putts under four feet, two of them birdie putts.

"He could've been right there," Summerhays said of Fleisher, who's won nine times in 36 senior events. "We're not going to breathe a sigh of relief about Bruce. He's liable to make them all tomorrow."

Summerhays birdied the first two holes and added another on No. 8, then made eight straight pars before a three-putt bogey on No. 17. He bounced back with an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to get his lead back to three shots.

Summerhays has been one of the top players on tour since joining full-time in 1995. He was eighth on the money list in 1998 and 1999 and has 52 top-10 finishes in five years, but only two tour victories, one in 1997 and one in 1998.

Three of the four players closest to Summerhays haven't won a tournament recently either. Ralston is playing in his first senior event. Wargo hasn't won since 1995, and McGee has never won a senior tour event. McCord won twice in 17 events last year.

Ralston, father-in-law of PGA Tour player Glen Day, failed to make the field in three other attempts in Monday qualifiers. Ralston jumped into second place by pitching in for eagle from 40 yards out on the par-5 12th

"I really didn't expect to be where I'm at right now," said Ralston, who was wearing a button on his hat picturing his granddaughters. "I don't know if I'm cut out for all this. I'm just sweating like crazy. I'll probably be that way tomorrow."

Ralston, who is from Arkansas, has been named player of the year for the South Central PGA Section.

"That seems kind of petty with all of those major champions out here," he said.

McCord is playing in his first senior tour event in five weeks after four weeks in the TV booth for CBS. McCord birdied three of his last four holes.

"I managed my golf ball really good," said McCord, who played 27 holes on Tuesday and 36 on Wednesday to get tuned up. "I drove it well and putted it well and everything else in between was ugly, really ugly."

McGee is recovering from mouth cancer and played in only 14 events last year. He had two malignant tumors on the left side of his neck and the base of his tongue removed on March 24.

"I haven't shot two 67s back to back in quite awhile," McGee said. "I started good every day and today I finished well.

"If you don't keep the birdie machine going ... it's going to be the same thing."

Wargo finished out of the top 31 on the tour money list for the first time in seven years in 1999. He birdied the last three holes today.

The winner receives $180,000 of the $1.2 million purse.

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