Johnson takes two shot advantage

PGA Tour rookie Zach Johnson shot a six-under-par 66 in cold and windy conditions to move into a two-stroke lead after the second round of the BellSouth Classic on Friday.

The 2003 Nationwide Tour player of the year is on nine-under 135, ahead of Tim Petrovic, Craig Bowden and defending champion Ben Crane in a tie for second.

Australian Scott Hend and Brian Gay are another shot back in joint fifth while Ireland's Padraig Harrington, runner-up at last week's Players Championship, moved into a share of seventh with 2003 PGA champion Shaun Micheel on 139 after a three-under 69.

Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, who shared the first-round lead with Roger Tambellini on 65, soared to a 77 and is tied for 17th on 142.

Tambellini could manage only a 78 and dropped down into a share of 25th place.

The chilly temperatures, which were just above freezing for the early starters, and the gusting winds played havoc with many players' scores, but none more dramatically than Australia's Adam Scott, the winner of the Players Championship.

Scott had shared sixth place after an opening-round 68, but missed the cut when he carded a seven-over 79 on Friday. His round included seven bogeys and one double bogey.

Crane, a four-stroke winner in this event a year ago, shot a 69 but said the playing conditions at the TPC at Sugarloaf were very difficult.

"When we started, it was not only extremely cold but blowing, must have been 30 miles an hour," Crane said.

"So any shot you hit was just getting eaten up. It was extremely hard. The first 10 holes it was really whipping.

"The last four holes were a tremendous difference and the wind really laid down nicely for us to have a fairly easy finish."

Crane and Johnson started their rounds in the early afternoon, while Olazabal, Tambellini and Scott were among the early starters.

Only rain, Crane said, could have made conditions worse.

"The past two days has been as tough as the place can play with the greens fast and the wind like that," he said.

"We were talking about it the other day, if we had rain that would be the only thing that would have made it impossible.

"I think if the weather gets a little better, you'll start seeing some lower scores and guys will start making some more birdies."

The forecast for Saturday predicts moderating temperatures and wind, with the afternoon temperature reaching the mid-60s Fahrenheit and the winds dropping off.

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