Porter takes two shot advantage

Lee Porter is doing his best to prove he belongs on the PGA Tour.

The 34-year-old journeyman took a two-stroke lead in the weather-delayed Tucson Open on today, shooting a 7-under-par 65 in the second round at Tucson National.

Even making the cut was a departure for the 34-year-old veteran of the Japanese, European, Asian, South American, Canadian and Buy.com tours who has finished in the money only 44 times in 123 previous PGA Tour events.

''I've never led on this tour,'' Porter said. ''I've led in events around the world -- I've played just about everywhere there is to play -- and I think I was in second place at the U.S. Open one year going into the third round. [Editor's note: Porter was in fourth place after two rounds of the 1998 U.S. Open at Olympic.] It's a new position for me, but you've got to be there sometime.''

Porter, who had a 10-under 134 total, didn't leave himself much room for error, with 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones and 1994 Tucson winner Andrew Magee at 136.

Jones and Magee shot 66s -- the best scores of the tournament at The Gallery, a long, hillside course in Marana where snow fell Friday when a storm forced postponement of the round.

''That's a good spot to be in,'' Magee said. ''I'm playing good, and I know Tucson National, and I'm excited about my play early in the year. I didn't expect to be going this good.''

Mark Wiebe, also at 136, had a 67 at The Gallery.

Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, and Mark Hensby were three shots back, with Kaname Yokoo, Jeff Maggert and Carl Paulson at 138.

''I feel fairly good,'' Langer said. ''I've got to work on my driving a little bit. I wasn't totally happy with my driver; that's why I hit a number of 3-woods.''

Geoff Ogilvy and Kevin Sutherland, two of six first-round leaders at 5-under, landed in a 10-player group at 139.

Ogilvy had an uneven round - he was the only player besides Porter who reached 9-under, getting there by the 13th hole of his back-nine start at the Gallery.

Then the 23-year-old Australian rookie took a triple bogey-8 on No. 6, the 15th hole of his round, and bogey on No. 7 for his 72.

But at least he got to play the weekend, along with 82 others who shot 144 or better.

Among them were Tim Clark (140), Willie Wood (142), Glen Day (143) and Tim Herron (143), who shared the first-round lead. Fred Couples was at 140 and John Daly at 142.

Former U.S. Open champions Curtis Strange (145) and Fuzzy Zoeller (152), who will be eligible for the Senior PGA Tour in November, were among prominent players who missed the cut.

So was Casey Martin, whose suit against the PGA Tour over its ban on cart-riding pro golfers begins Wednesday, Jan. 17 in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Martin finished 179th on last year's money list, lost his tour card and needed a sponsor's exemption to play in Tucson. He shot 76 at National to go with his 74 Thursday at the Gallery, but refused to blame his score on the rare circulatory disability in his right leg -- or his legal battle.

''I didn't have much trouble getting around, and the court case hasn't been weighing on my mind too much,'' he said.

Martin played his best golf last year in Tucson, which is sponsored by Touchstone Energy.

Porter may remember Tucson that way, too. He birdied the first hole Friday before play was halted.

''I was glad they stopped,'' said Porter, who used Buy.com earnings to get on the big tour in 1997 and went to qualifying school last year after losing his playing privileges. ''I getting ready to hit a shot over water, and I hadn't made contact with the ball yet.

He added two more birdies before the turn after the restart, and caught up with Ogilvy on the leaderboard with a superb stretch of starting on National's 12th hole, where he sank a 30-foot birdie putt to go 7-under.

On the next hole, Porter left himself an 18-foot putt after reaching the green in regulation with a pitching wedge. He made that and another birdie putt on No. 14.

He finished with a flourish that belied his inexperience, rolling a 25-foot birdie up over a knoll and into the cup on the 18th hole

Jones, who set the Phoenix Open record in 1997 with the second-lowest 72-hole PGA Tour score ever (258), got hot after bogeying two of the first five holes and finished with eight birdies -- the last two in succession.

Magee had a six-birdie round with no mistakes.

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