Edwards tops leaderboard

Joel Edwards shot a 4-under-par 67 Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Matt Kuchar and Sweden's Per-Ulrik Johansson in the Air Canada Championship.

The 39-year-old Edwards, winless in 12 seasons on the PGA Tour, had a 10-under 132 total to top the leaderboard entering the weekend.

``Good grief, I can't remember,'' Edwards said when asked about his last 36-hole lead. ``It was the Honda, I guess, and I think it was '91, maybe.''

Actually it was 1990, but Edwards also led midway through the 1996 Nortel Open in Tucson.

Kuchar, the 23-year-old former Georgia Tech star who won the 1997 U.S. Amateur, matched Johansson with a 66 on the Northview Golf and Country Club course.

David Gossett, the 22-year-old player who won the John Deere Classic in late July for his first tour title, was three strokes back after a 68. He won the 1999 U.S. Amateur.

On a day when the wind picked up, the greens firmed up and most of the scores went up, Edwards stayed on the fairway all day in his bogey-free round.

``I played extremely, extremely well from tee to green,'' Edwards said. ``With this rough, it's so brutal and now that the greens are a little firmer to be able to make it through without a bogey is going to be hard, but I was happy to be able to do it today.''

Kuchar, who started on the back nine, birdied five of his first 10 holes before dropping a stroke on No. 8.

``I hit some good shots and converted my good opportunities, but overall it wasn't all that impressive of a ball-striking round,'' said Kuchar, who made his third straight cut after missing the first three this year.

``I don't know if you have stats for fairways and greens, but I didn't hit many of either. I was just chipping and putting very well. I took advantage of my opportunities when I was in the fairway and had a chance to go at the pin.''

Kuchar chipped in from 5 feet off the front edge at No. 13 and narrowly missed an eagle on the 432-yard, par-4 first hole when his 4-iron approach from 185 yards lipped out.

Gossett got off to a fast start by chipping in from 40 feet for birdie on his first hole. He added another birdie on his third hole, then ran off nine straight pars before adding a birdie on the back nine.

``Any time you play and beat old man par and don't have any bogeys, it's a good day,'' Gossett said. ``This is only halftime. We've still got two more rounds to go.

Brent Schwarzrock and Shigeki Maruyama shot their second-straight 68s to join Brent Geiberger, Greg Kraft and Tommy Armour III at 6 under.

Canadian Mike Weir, who won the 1999 tournament for the first of his two PGA Tour titles, shot a 71 to miss the cut with a 2-over total.

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