| Bland
leads after ace and 63 John
Bland of South Africa rode a hole-in-one to the best round of his Senior Tour
career Saturday, an 8-under-par 63 that gave him a two-shot lead through 36 holes
at the Allianz Championship. One
of the most accurate hitters on the tour, Bland aced the 175-yard 16th hole during
a bogey-free day at Glen Oaks Country Club. He birdied the 18th to close a 63,
a stroke lower than his best round in seven years on the elder circuit. "There
was a lot happening out there, lots of us tightly packed," he said. "The
birdie at 18 was a great way to finish. That ace was a real bonus." Bland
has a two-round total of 11-under 131, two strokes ahead of Bob Gilder and three
better than Senior Tour star Hale Irwin and Jose Maria Canizares of Spain. Irwin,
who began the day in a tie for the lead with Graham Marsh, is aiming for his fourth
win of the season and record 36th on the Senior Tour. "The
man to watch tomorrow will be Hale Irwin," Bland said. Marsh
followed a 66 with a 3-over 74 and is tied for 32nd at 2-under 140. Bruce
Fleisher, Gil Morgan, James Mason and Dale Douglass are tied for fifth at 7-under
135. A five-time
winner on the Senior Tour, Bland is no stranger to holing out or going low. He
entered the season with 19 aces worldwide and once shot a 59 on a par-72 layout
in Johannesburg. "I
played with Blandie last week in Park City, and he's playing pretty well,"
Gilder said. Bland
had five birdies between the third and 12th holes, sinking putts ranging from
one to 12 feet. He then parred three in a row before dropping the first ace in
tournament history at the 16th. "I
told myself at 16 to just put it left of the flag," he said. "I was
just trying to get in at 8-under and it went in." Bland
finished with a 25-foot birdie putt as he aims for his first title since 1996.
He won four times that season and once during his rookie year of 1995. "I
started to play quite well over the last few weeks," said Bland, who tied
for third last week in Utah. "I had a nice break at home in July."
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