Furyk moves a shot ahead of field

For those who thrive in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, skill is almost secondary to the patience necessary to survive the six-hour rounds, the shenanigans of the amateurs, and the unpredictable weather.

So while Ty Tryon pounded his driver into the tee box and Mark O'Meara bemoaned a botched 18-inch putt, Jim Furyk was the picture of equanimity while taking the lead into the weekend.

Furyk birdied his final three holes for a 6-under 66 Friday, moving one stroke atop a leaderboard that's as crowded as the links.

"You have to be patient," Furyk said. "I know we haven't cracked 51/2 hours yet out there. You just have to be patient, get used to it and set your mind frame. I'm not going to let it bother me."

First-round leader Kevin Sutherland was among five players sitting one stroke back, with Davis Love III and five-time Pebble Beach champion O'Meara two strokes off the pace. All told, 20 players are within four strokes of Furyk.

Though the weather remained nearly perfect, Furyk's 7-under 137 total is the tournament's highest 36-hole leading score since 1990. Actually, the weather is the culprit: it has confounded most pros' usual approach to the Monterey Peninsula's three normally soggy courses.

An intermittent wind kicked up Friday, particularly for the those playing Spyglass Hill, but the firm, dry fairways and greens forced big adjustments for every competitor.

"It's just been different," said Furyk, who matched Tim Clark for the best round of the day. "I've never seen the golf courses this way in a lot of years playing here.

"I never realized how much slope there is on some of these greens. I've played here a lot when the greens were very wet, and they're usually slow. Not this year."

But an impressive round at Poppy Hills wasn't nearly as much fun as a trip behind the Steel Curtain this weekend for Furyk, who played with former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann.

Furyk grew up in Pennsylvania as a huge Steelers fan, and he still holds season tickets in Pittsburgh. He arranged his pairing with Swann several months ago -- and he fought off the urge to talk about Super Bowl triumphs instead of pars and divots.

"I wanted to be his partner if he was going to play," Furyk said. "I figure on my days off, I don't want to talk about golf, so I haven't quizzed him too much. I could probably bore him to death for hours."

Tiger Woods isn't scheduled to return from knee surgery until next week when he plays at the Buick Invitational in San Diego, but there's no shortage of competition at the pro-am. Except for Tom Lehman, Furyk's closest competitors aren't big names, with 11 combined victories among the five: Paul Stankowski, Tim Herron and Rod Pampling joined Lehman and Sutherland at 6 under.

Others succumbed to the weather and the waits. Robert Gamez, who led at the turn Friday, had four bogeys and a double-bogey on the back nine at Pebble Beach to plummet seven strokes off the pace.

Stankowski had two eagles in his round, while Herron shot his second straight 69. Lehman had a steady 70 despite playing without regular caddie Andy Martinez, who broke his ankle.

O'Meara eagled his second hole and closed with three birdies in the final five, but it's never a surprise to see O'Meara among the leaders at the tournament he has won five times since 1985. The Northern California galleries love him, and the Prince of Pebble Beach is the sentimental favorite to win his first title since his two majors in 1998.

"I've had good days and bad days, but here I have certainly had more good ones," O'Meara said.

Though he is Woods' close friend and neighbor, O'Meara enjoyed playing without the huge crowds that inevitably follow his frequent playing partner in this tournament.

Woods is home in Orlando preparing for his return to the PGA Tour, but he's following the happenings at Pebble Beach, where he missed the field for the first time since 1996.

While O'Meara was at the famous Tap Room with a couple of Irish friends on Thursday night, he sent a text phone message to Woods, joking about Phil Mickelson's recent comments about Woods' Nike equipment. O'Meara got an immediate reply.

"It said, 'Six birdies, 1-under par ..."' O'Meara said, recalling his unsatisfying Thursday round. "I can't tell you what he put under that."

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page