Choi pulls clear of field

K.J. Choi pushed his lead to five strokes in the Tampa Bay Classic on Saturday, shooting his second straight 3-under-par 68.

Choi, who won the Compaq Classic in May to became the first South Korean winner on the PGA Tour, opened with a course-record 63 en route to his 14-under 199 total.

He missed a chance to take an even bigger lead, dropping two strokes with a double bogey on the par-3 15th.

"I just wanted to start the day off carefully and play my game," he said through a translator. "I birdied the first hole and got a boost from the get-go. I'm disappointed to three-putt for a double bogey, but I shot 3 under and, all in all, that's a satisfying day."

Pat Perez was second after a 71 that included two eagles and two double bogeys on the Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead course.

"I just gave away too many shots to give myself a real chance," Perez said. "It's not even worth being mad about. Everything made up for everything. It was either 100 percent or zero percent. I missed a 5-inch putt at No. 10. I don't know how you can do that."

He also doubled after finding water off the tee on the par-4 16th immediately after Choi's double at 15.

"It was too up and down," Perez said. "It was upsetting and frustrating and fun all in one."

Glen Day (70), and Donnie Hammond (69) were six strokes back at 8 under.

"Sure, he can be caught but it's his tournament to win, obviously," Day said. "He's got a five-shot lead and a nine-shot lead over sixth place. He's obviously making more putts than the rest of us."

Ty Tryon, the 18-year-old star playing his first PGA Tour event since recovering from mononucleosis, followed his second-round 65 with a 72 to move into a tie for 20th at 3 under.

Granted a medical exemption for 2003, he missed the cut two weeks ago in the Buy.com Tour's Utah Classic, and last played on the PGA Tour in March, missing the cut in the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando.

Hal Sutton and Stewart Cink, the only U.S. Ryder Cup players who failed to qualify for the World Golf Championships event this week in Ireland, had moderate success. Sutton shot a 68, including a back-nine 5-under 30, to get to 2 under. Cink (72) was 2 over

"I could have shot 62 or 63," Sutton said. "I hit the ball great. I went out and hit the ball just like I wanted to. I walked in with a 68 instead of as 65."

The Ryder Cup is next week at The Belfry in England.

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