Pooley tops crowded leaderboard

Don Pooley seems to be recovering nicely from his shoulder surgery.

Pooley shot a 4-under-par 67 Saturday to emerge with a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Allianz Championship, which is poised for a wild finish Sunday.

Six challengers were within two strokes of Pooley, who had surgery for a torn ligament in his left shoulder on Jan. 3 and could not play for five months. But he has been solid in two days at Glen Oaks, topping the field at 9-under 133.

"Am I comfortable? I don't know," Pooley said. "There are too many players who have won too many tournaments right behind me. I love being in the lead, but I wish I was ahead by 10 instead of by one."

First-round leader Bruce Lietzke was part of a trio at 8 under after a 69. Bogeys on the last two holes prevented him from keeping the lead.

Bruce Fleisher and 2001 winner Jim Thorpe also were 8 under, Fleisher shooting a 64 for the best score of the day and Thorpe posting his second straight 67.

Former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden (66), Morris Hatalsky (67) and Allen Doyle (68) were 7 under as Glen Oaks proved ideal for scoring on a day that was breezy at times but comfortably warm.

Forty-four of the 81 golfers will start the final round under par. With 14 players at 5 under or better, Sunday should be a scramble.

"I like it when it's tough," said Thorpe, who beat Bob Gilder by one stroke to win the Long Island Classic last weekend. "I'd like to come down to 18 one shot ahead or tied for the lead and test the nerves."

Pooley was strong with his irons to the green and only one of his five birdie putts was from more than 10 feet. He went to 10 under after sinking a 6-footer on No. 11 but bogeyed the 13th after hitting his second shot into a bunker.

"It made it harder with the way the wind was today," Pooley said. "But the course is in great shape. If you hit good golf shots, you'll have putts you can make."

Lietzke was alone in first at 10 under after a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 16. But he bogeyed the 17th when his approach shot landed short of the green and he flew his approach on 18 left of the green for another bogey.

Fleisher missed tying the tournament record of 63 by 2 inches -- the distance his birdie putt stopped short of the hole on 18. With his tap-in, Fleisher matched his second-best round of the year.

"I haven't played with a lot of confidence of late, so we tried to go out there with a different attitude today," Fleisher said. "Put less pressure on myself, not be so concerned about what other people think and try to bring some fun back into this game for me."

Mission accomplished.

"I had a lot of fun out there," he said with a smile.

Fleisher reeled off four straight birdies starting at No. 8 and went to 9 under with a birdie on the 15th after knocking a pitching wedge to 5 feet. He gave a shot back with a bogey on 17 after driving into a bunker left of the fairway and hitting his second shot into the rough in front of a grandstand.

Rhoden, a big winner on the celebrity tour, had seven birdies for the second day in a row, including three straight after bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12. He sank a 40-foot putt on the 13th and followed that with a 25-footer on 14.

"I putted well and hit my driver well," Rhoden said. "Usually when you do that, you can get away with some bad shots."

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