Johnson moves four clear with second 64

It was a career day for Kevin Johnson, Hiroshi Matsuo and Guy Boros at the Club at Mission Dorado.

Johnson carded his second straight 8-under-par 64 Friday to take a four-stroke lead at the halfway point of the $400,000 BUY.COM Permian Basin Open. Johnson's 16-under-par total of 128 is a tournament record as well as the best opening 36 hole score on the Tour since Emlyn Aubrey's 17-under total at the 1997 Wichita Open.

Matsuo matched Johnson's 64 with one of his own and holds down second place at 12-under 132. Boros tied the course record with a 10-under 62 to move into a share of third place (133) with Rocky Walcher (69), leading money-winner Mark Hensby (65) and first-round co-leaders Vaughn Taylor (68) and Dan Olsen (68). Brian Wilson (69) is at 10-under par and alone in eighth place.

A total of 68 players in the field of 144 made the cut, which came at 4-under-par 140.

"Coming out here I was not hitting the ball well," said Johnson, who hasn't played much since the birth of his daughter five weeks ago. "Yesterday I got it around and made some putts. I hit it better today, drove it better and felt a little more comfortable."

The 1999 South Carolina Classic winner ran off five straight birdies starting on his second hole, the par-5 11th.

"You've got to keep making birdies out here," said Johnson, who had just 24 putts for his round. "You can't go out and play it safe. You have got to have total offense. You have to fire at all of the flags."

Johnson did miss five of the 18 greens Friday and endured a mid-round, nine-hole stretch where he had just one birdie. A pair of birdies in the last three holes left him with his career best back-to-back rounds.

"I hit a lot of good putts. Some days they go in and some days they don't," said Johnson. "I don't think many people in the world shoot 64-64."

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