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Duval & Verplank share 36 hole lead

David Duval shot five-under 65 on Friday to move into a share of the lead with first-round leader Scott Verplank after two rounds of the Byron Nelson Classic. The pair stand at 11-under-par 129, one shot ahead of Robert Damron and two better than Vijay Singh.

Verplank, who opened with a 62 on Thursday, maintained his place at the top with a three-under 67.

Edward Fryatt had a 65 to finish the day alone in fifth at eight-under. Kenny Perry, Tommy Armour III, Chris Riley and Dudley Hart are deadlocked in sixth place at minus-seven.

Tiger Woods, playing his first competitive rounds since winning the Masters over a month ago, carded a two-under 68 at the TPC at Las Colinas to join a 12-way tie for 10th at six-under 134. Defending champion Jesper Parnevik also made it to six-under after shooting 64 at the easier Cottonwood Valley course, while Fred Couples turned in the day's best round of seven-under 63 at the TPC for his share of 10th place.

Couples was sizzling as he posted nine birdies over the first 16 holes to get into position to tie the course record of 61. Although birdies on each of the last two holes would give him the hallowed score of 59, he missed short putts for par to close with back-to-back bogeys instead.

Duval made seven birdies against two bogeys through 16 holes of the TPC course, then saved par out of a bunker at the par-three 17th. He ran into trouble again at 18, where his wayward drive led to a punch second shot into another greenside trap. He blasted out to 15 feet and rolled in the par to remain tied at the top. It is his first lead after any round this season.

It was also Verplank's turn at the TPC, which played more than a stroke harder than the Cottonwood layout after the first two days. He bogeyed the first but bounced back with birdies at holes seven and eight. Birdies at 13, 14 and 16 were interrupted by a bogey at 15.

Verplank, a Dallas native who used to carry the score signs at the Byron Nelson Classic as a kid in the mid-1970s, joined Duval in going 4-for-4 on the par-fives so far this week.

Woods, the 1997 Nelson champion looking for his fourth win in as many starts, collected four birdies on Friday but struggled with his distance control into the greens. He notched pars at his last six holes, including the 17th after chipping to five feet with a three-wood.

Damron shot a back-nine 30 for a six-under 64 at the TPC, while Singh's 64 at Cottonwood Valley included four birdies over the final five holes.

Last year's PGA Championship runner-up Bob May, Canadian lefthander Mike Weir and 1991 Byron Nelson winner Nick Price are among the others at minus-six.

A total of 83 players survived the 36-hole cut, which fell at one-under 139. Among the players to miss the cut were Tom Lehman, Lee Janzen and former Byron Nelson winners Ernie Els, Neal Lancaster, Craig Stadler and Ben Crenshaw.

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