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Kelly takes one shot lead over Azinger

Jerry Kelly fired a six-under 66 Friday, good for a one-shot lead heading into the weekend at The Players Championship. The 34-year-old Kelly, still winless in five-plus seasons on the PGA Tour, holds the top spot with a 36-hole total of nine-under-par 135.

First-round leader Paul Azinger birdied his last hole for a 70 and second place at eight-under. Kenny Perry matched the leader with the day's low round of 66 to grab a share of seven-under 137 with Scott Hoch and Vijay Singh, who each had 70s.

Jonathan Kaye posted an even-par 72 for solo seventh at five- under par, while Billy Mayfair also shot 72 for eighth place at minus-four.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, ranked first and second in the world, respectively, are among six players six shots back at three- under 141.

But it's the unheralded Kelly, the lone player to shoot both rounds in the 60s, who is in the driver's seat after two rounds at Pete Dye's diabolically difficult Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass.

"I changed my game plan this week and just tried to get the ball in the fairway," said Kelly, who is ranked second in the field in driving accuracy after hitting 24 of 28 fairways over the first two rounds. "I've always probably been a hard swinger, a little preoccupied with distance. I'm getting the ball in good position to use my irons."

Kelly took advantage of the good scoring conditions in the morning, going four-under through the first six holes. Three-under coming into the day, he kicked off his scoring with an eagle after his four-wood approach to the par-five second came to rest eight feet from the hole.

Kelly landed a five-iron on the front of the green at the 466- yard, par-four fifth, then rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt to the back right hole location for the first of back-to-back birdies.

Kelly warded off potential distaster at the par-five 11th with what he called "the best par I've made in my life." His drive into the left rough left him with a terrible lie, causing him to shank an eight-iron into the rough to the right side of the fairway. He chipped his third shot out just short of the water hazard, then knocked a sand wedge to 15 feet and sank the putt to remain at seven-under par.

"That was really where I felt like things were going my way and if I just stayed patient, I could make the putts," he said. "I wasn't going to hit it like that all the time, and if I got it on the green, I could make some birdies."

Although Kelly suffered his first bogey of the tournament with a three-putt at the par-three 13th, he recovered the lost stroke with a four-foot birdie putt on 14. He went to eight-under with another short birdie at the 16th, then made it three birdies in his final five holes with a 25-footer at the 18th, the No. 1 handicap hole after two days.

Should Kelly hang on for the win, he would become the first player to make The Players Championship his breakthrough victory.

Colin Montgomerie and Tom Lehman each had 71s to finish at two- under, one shot better than defending champion Hal Sutton and Tom Kite.

Kite, the winner here in 1989, set a new record for this event by making his 22nd consecutive cut.

The 36-hole cut fell at three-over-par 147 and included former Players Championship winners Lee Janzen, Nick Price and Fred Couples.

Notable players who failed to qualify for the weekend include: former champs Davis Love III, Justin Leonard and Greg Norman; Honda Classic winner Jesper Parnevik; Phoenix Open winner Mark Calcavecchia; Ernie Els; and European Tour stars Lee Westwood and Paul Lawrie.

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