Cook moves two shots clear

John Cook is 44 and has been on the PGA Tour for 23 years. He's got a 16-year-old son who can outdrive him and a neighbor by the name of Tiger Woods who is leading golf's youth movement.

But put Cook on the right course, and he'll not only play with anybody, he'll show the young guns a thing or two.

Cook made birdies on three of his last four holes Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Western Open. His 6-under 66 tied for the second-best score of the day, and he hasn't had a bogey since his first hole of the tournament.

At 133, he's 11 strokes under par.

"I do savor these days, because I know I can still be competitive," said Cook, who tied for second at The Memorial in May.

"You get a golf course like this, I've got just as good a chance as anyone to win. Unless I overload myself with too much information."

No chance of that Friday.

Stuart Appleby and Vijay Singh sat at the top of the leaderboard for much of the day, waiting for someone — anyone — to make a move. Jonathan Byrd did, chipping in for an eagle on the par-5 15th in a 68 to tie Appleby and Singh at 9-under 135.

But then Cook blew right by all of them.

"It'll be a nice challenge this weekend to see where my game really is," said Cook, who took 12 days off before coming to the Western. "Is this is a smoke screen? Or am I playing like I know how to play?"

Appleby began the day with a sizzling run, making birdies on his first six holes. He finished at 7-under 65, the low round of the day.

Singh, who had a 4:45 a.m. wakeup call so he could complete the last two holes of his rain-delayed first round, came in shortly after, matching Appleby on his second-to-last hole.

"I didn't play fantastically," said Singh, who didn't have a bogey. "I drove the ball decent, not great. Hit my iron shots OK and putted OK. The only good thing I did was I scored very well."

After missing the cut at the U.S. Open ( news - web sites) three weeks ago, Cook took some time off from golf. He and his family went on vacation, and he spent eight days fishing in Alaska.

He did play a few holes here and there with his son, but he didn't play a full round until Wednesday's pro-am.

"I came here with no expectations," Cook said. "Maybe that's the key."

Though he started off a little shaky Thursday, he's gotten better and better as the tournament's gone on. He made birdies on the last two holes of the front nine Friday, and then settled into a nice groove on the back nine.

"I had one little bobble on 11," he said, "but other than that, I really didn't miss a shot."

When he's playing like that, his score is bound to drop. He had birdies on the par-5 15th and the par-4 16th. On the par-4 18th, he placed his second shot perfectly, less than 8 feet from the pin.

The crowd gave him a loud ovation as he approached the green, and Cook tipped his cap and smiled. Then he coolly tapped in for his last birdie, drawing another round of cheers.

"The great thing about this game is anybody in their 40s can compete with the young guys," Cook said. "You can keep playing and be competitive if you keep your game sharp."

The group behind Cook is an interesting mix. Singh is a former Masters champion while Byrd is one of those "young guns" who is fresh off the Buy.com Tour.

Then there's Appleby, a steady but unspectacular player. He hasn't won since 1999, and he's been struggling to get his game right for the past year.

If Friday's birdie run was any indication, he's getting close.

"You just go out and enjoy it, I guess, or thank your lucky stars that you're making birdies that close together," Appleby said. "You look at how many times on the tour guys make six birdies in a row. Hundreds of times they'll make two or three, dozens of times they'll make four or five. But not many make six."

Divots: Appleby's birdie streak was two shy of the tour's best this year. J.P. Hayes made eight straight birdies at the Bob Hope Classic. ... The cut was 1-under 143, and 86 players made it. Among those not playing the weekend was former champion Billy Mayfair. ... First-round leader David Gossett shot a 1-over 73 and was six strokes back. ... Phil Tataurangi withdrew after finishing his first round Friday. He shot a 6-over 78.

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