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Sposa takes halfway lead

Mike Sposa birdied the 18th hole Friday for a six-under 66 and a one-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Greater Greensboro Classic at Forest Oaks Country Club. Sposa, who has never led after 36 holes in three seasons on the PGA Tour, posted a two-day total of 10-under- par 134.

"I am playing really well. More than that, I am making a lot of putts. That is key to any good week that you have, especially if you fall into the lead," said Sposa, who tallied just 23 putts in each of the first two rounds. "But more encouraging for me, I really hit the ball a lot better today."

After playing the front nine in four-under 32, Sposa birdied the 13th and 15th -- both of which are par-fives -- to go four-under for the day on the long holes and move one shot clear of first-round leader Scott Simpson, who was already in the clubhouse at nine-under with a 69.

But Sposa dropped a stroke at the par-three 17th after he blasted out of the rough and his ball wound up over the other side of the green. He returned to the top at the home hole, where his seven-iron approach left him two feet for a closing birdie.

Sposa carded a 68 in the opening round that was marred by a double-bogey at 17 -- his eighth hole on Thursday.

"Yesterday I kind of struggled but my putter kept me in the game," he said. "Today I hit the ball much better. I drove it better. The course sets up very good for me. I hit a fade and there is a lot of left-to-right holes out here. So hopefully my putter can stay hot."

Sposa, 31, has survived the cut in eight of his nine starts in 2001 and has finished in the top-25 five times. He turned in his career-best showing last season, tying for seventh place at the Houston Open.

Simpson, the 1987 Greensboro winner looking for his first victory since the 1998 Buick Invitational, stumbled out of the gate with a bogey when he lipped out a 10-foot par putt at his first hole, the 10th. He climbed back to even on the day with an eight-footer for birdie at the 11th, only to miss a five-foot putt to save par at 12.

Back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 lifted Simpson to one-under by the turn. He sandwiched seven pars between birdies at the first and ninth holes for sole possession of second place.

"I could have gotten more, I missed a couple of like 10-foot birdie putts on my back nine there," said the 45-year-old Simpson. "I didn't make any long putts or chip in or anything. But overall I played pretty steady. Maybe I could have gotten more but I was pretty happy with what I got."

Simpson, who broke his ankle while skiing at the beginning of last year and was forced to sit out the entire 2000 season, was granted a medical exemption for the 2001 campaign.

A seven-time champion since joining the PGA Tour in 1979, Simpson is best remembered for winning the 1987 U.S. Open by one shot over Tom Watson at The Olympic Club. He also had a chance at the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine but was defeated by Payne Stewart in an 18-hole playoff.

Omar Uresti, a non-exempt member on the 2001 Buy.com Tour, fired a seven-under 65 -- the co-low round on Friday -- for a share of third place at eight-under 136 with Rich Beem, David Berganio, Jeff Maggert and Scott Hoch.

Scott McCarron, the winner of the BellSouth Classic earlier this month, stands three strokes off the lead with Jonathan Kaye, Dudley Hart and Jerry Kelly.

A total of 32 players are within five shots of the lead. The only golfer in the current top-50 to shoot over par Friday was Jeffrey Lankford, who finished the second round tied for 33rd after shooting a one-over 73.

The cut fell at two-under-par 142 and included former Greater Greensboro Classic winners Joey Sindelar (-6), Trevor Dodds (-5), Frank Nobilo (-4), Steve Elkington (-4), defending champion Hal Sutton (-3) and Mike Springer (-2).

Former champions Jim Gallagher, Jr., Sandy Lyle, Andy Bean and Mark O'Meara were among those who missed the cut.

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