Zoeller ties for lead after record round

Fuzzy Zoeller had a lot easier time tying the course record than explaining how he did it.

Overcoming swing problems, Zoeller shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday, matching the course record set by Tom Kite for a share of the second-round lead in the MasterCard Championship.

``When you play golf you try to hit every shot solid and (Friday) I hit every shot solid and shot 4-under par,'' Zoeller said. ``Today I couldn't put it on the clubface starting out and, heck, I didn't even know I was shooting a course record. But that's the way golf is. One of those days.''

Zoeller had an eagle and four straight birdies on the back nine at Hualalai Golf Club to tie Larry Nelson and first-round co-leader Dana Quigley at 13-under 131 in the season-opening senior event. The three matched the tournament 36-hole record set by Gil Morgan in 1998 and matched by Nelson on his way to victory in 2001.

Nelson, winless last year, shot a bogey-free 64, while Quigley birdied No. 18 for the second day in a row as part of three straight closing birdies to card a 65.

Fourteen of the 36 players were within six shots of the lead heading into the final round. All but three players shot par or better and 26 players broke 70 on a calm, sunny day at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hualalai layout.

Hale Irwin, last year's money leader and player of the year, was one of the 10 who didn't break 70. The first-round co-leader struggled with his putter and shot 71 to drop into 14th place at 137. Steve Veriato, who also had a share of the first-round lead, shot 68 for 134, tied for sixth with Stewart Ginn.

Bruce Lietzke had three eagles in a round of 65, just the fourth time that's happened in senior golf and the first time since Rocky Thompson in the 1992 Kaanapali Classic in Maui. Lietzke was tied for fourth with Bruce Fleisher, who went without a bogey in shooting 65.

``When you think of 65, you think of knocking it dead and playing great,'' Lietzke said. ``I had three good holes, but the rest was a little bit of a struggle.''

Zoeller had a lot of good holes even if his ball-striking was less than perfect. He chipped in from 35 feet at the second hole to get rolling. He made the turn in 32 and eagled the 556-yard par-5 10th hole after a 4-iron to 12 feet. He bogeyed 11, but birdied holes 14-17 with a putt no longer than 15 feet.

``It was one of those days where I didn't start out hitting the ball very well,'' Zoeller said. ``I drove the ball well, but my iron shots were a little bit skinny. The good news was when I did miss, I was missing in spots where I could play.''

Nelson, who had one of six bogey-free rounds, switched from cross-handed to a conventional putting grip after the first hole and didn't have a 5 on his scorecard. He converted six birdies and eagled the par-5 10th with a 30-foot putt.

``It's always nice when you don't have any 5s on your scorecard and no bogeys,'' said Nelson, who hit every fairway and all but one green. ``With no wind scores are bound to be low.''

Tom Watson, 3-over through nine holes Friday, like Nelson didn't have a 5 on his card and shot a 66. He was at 8-under with four others, including Kite, the defending champion, who had a 67.

Gary Player, 67, didn't make a bogey and matched his age one day after 73-year-old Arnold Palmer accomplished the feat. Player joined Irwin and three others at 7-under 137.

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