Stadler takes narrow advantage

Craig Stadler shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 in 30 mph wind Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tour's ACE Group Classic.

Stadler, back on the 50-and-over tour after tying for 35th last week in the PGA Tour ’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, had a 10-under 134 total on the TwinEagles course.

"It was a pretty good day of survival," Stadler said. "This couldn't be a harder golf course today ... I made a bunch of 4- and 5-footers, which in the conditions there was a pretty good chance you'd miss a couple, but I pretty much hit every one.

Stadler won the B.C. Open last year to become the first Champions Tour player to win a PGA Tour event. He also won three times on the Champions Tour after turning 50 in June.

"We had wind at Pebble, real wet conditions, so everything for four days is pretty much a knockdown," Stadler said. "After a week of doing it, you get somewhat decent at it. I hit a lot of knockdown shots today."

First-round leader Gary Koch was a stroke back after a 73. He made 15 pars, 12 of them in a row, and had one birdie -- on a 30-foot putt on No. 16.

"It was the kind of day that every time I made a par, it was kind of like, 'Whew, one less hole to play,"' Koch said.

Gil Morgan (72), a two-time winner in the event, was three shots back at 6 under, and Tom Watson (69) was another stroke behind along with Wayne Levi (71) and Morris Hatalsky (73).

After a windless first round resulted in 46 under-par rounds, the wind was gusting and slightly changing directions most of the day and there only were nine rounds under par. The course played four shots more difficult.

Lonnie Nielsen, who was one shot behind going into the day, stumbled to a 77, double-bogeying No. 15 and bogeying No. 16 to fall back to 4 under. Jack Nicklaus shot a 74 and to fall to 2 under.

J.C. Snead won the Georgia-Pacific Grand Champions for players 60-and-over. He made a 16-footer for birdie on the first hole of a playoff with Isao Aoki to win $30,000.

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