Skinner tames back nine to lead

Sonny Skinner tamed the back nine of the Country Club of South Carolina on Friday to take a one-shot lead at the midway point of at the $400,000 BUY.COM South Carolina Classic.

Skinner used five birdies and a 32 on the back nine to shoot 6-under-par 66 and move to into the top spot at 7 under.

Ken Green, John Elliott and Jeff Gallagher are one stroke back while Kelly Grunewald and Robert Gamez stand 5-under-par.

Sixty-four players made the cut which came at 1-over-par 145 and tied the BUY.COM Mississippi Gulf Coast Open for the high cut of the year.

After beginning Friday's round with a bogey, Skinner settled down and made seven birdies the rest of the way -- including five in a six-hole stretch beginning on No. 10.

"Yesterday, it bit me a little bit. I started off with birdies on two of the first three and then slipped a bit," said Skinner, who bogeyed three of the last six holes on the back nine Thursday. "I putted really good today. Any time you shoot a low score, usually it is because you putted well."

Skinner is understandably looking forward to playing on Saturday. He has a third-round scoring average of 68.4 and all five of his Saturday rounds have been below par this season.

"I am going to try not to change," said Skinner, who has shot par or better in 16 of his last 17 rounds. "I have been doing pretty good trying to take one shot at a time. I have had a good third-round scoring average most of the year. I try not to look ahead. When it comes down to it -- when it is all said and done -- that's what wins it for you and allows you to play your best."

Green started Friday's round off on the right foot with birdies on three of the first four holes and a 32 on the front nine. But two bogeys on the back nine gave him a second consecutive 69 and moved him to 6 under.

"This golf course you have to get early because the back side is a seriously good nine holes of golf. You're not going to make a move on any of those last nine holes," said Green, who finished tied for 34th last week at the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic on the PGA TOUR.

Green was waiting on the 18th fairway --163 yards and two strokes away from finishing his second round -- when the horns blew to force the weather delay.

"We were just about done. I only had one shot," said Green, who entered the clubhouse with the lead. "There is nothing worse than having to sit around for an hour to hit one shot."

Grunewald walked off the ninth green shaking his head in disgust. For a golfer who just shot a 2-under-par 70 in the rain on a tough, 7,062-yard course, it was an odd sight. But Grunewald felt his putter let him down or his score could have been even lower.

"I shot 70 today, as good as I hit it -- that was probably three shots worse then I should have shot," said Grunewald, who missed eagle putts of 4 and 10 feet on two of the par 5s. "You are going to have to make your birdies when you have a chance. Definitely if you hit it in there close."

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