Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic
Forest Oaks Country Club
North Carolina
23rd - 26th April 1998

Par 72 Prize Money $2.2 million

Second Round Report

Second Round Scores
First Round Report
First Round Scores

New putter helps Estes to 12-under par and a tie for the lead

Associated Press

Greensboro, N.C. 24th April 1998 -  The right irons and the right putter put Bob Estes right where he wanted to be midway through the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic -- tied for the lead.

Playing with clubs he's had less than five weeks and a putter he started using Tuesday, the 32-year-old Texan fired a 7-under-par 65 Friday at soggy Forest Oaks Country Club to tie Hal Sutton for the lead.

Sutton, the first-round leader, also is breaking in a new set of clubs. He shot a 67 Friday to match Estes at 12-under-par.

Estes started the day at 5-under, two shots behind Sutton, but took advantage of calm conditions and soft fairways and greens that came with his early-morning tee time. Starting on the back nine, he made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole to get within one stroke of Sutton, who teed off in the afternoon when a warm breeze picked up.

Estes parred 11 and 12, then sank short birdie putts at Nos. 13-15 to take the lead. He added birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 6 to complete his lowest round of the year.

Estes didn't miss a fairway off the tee, hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and had only 26 putts during his bogey-free round.

"I did everything fairly well," he said. "With the rough as high as it is, you've got to drive the ball well, and I did drive it really well. I also hit the irons well, got some balls up and down and made some putts."

Estes said he has been tinkering with his game since shortly after his only tour victory, the 1994 Texas Open. He's been through several sets of irons, finally picking a set of Cleveland Classics before this year's Bay Hill Invitational, in which he finished second.

Estes wasn't pleased with his putting in the Heritage Classic last week and experimented with several putters on the practice green at Forest Oaks before settling on a heel-shafted blade putter.

"I've been working on improvements with my game and at the same time, I've been getting better equipment, so it's all building and coming together," Estes said. "Hopefully, I'll continue to play like this and shoot more scores like this one over the course of the year."

Sutton has also been aided by an equipment change. The 1983 PGA champion switched to a set of Hogan irons three weeks ago.

He said putting was the key to his round Friday.

"I'm really happy with how I'm putting," Sutton said. "I feel like if I can get the ball there, I'm going to give myself a real good chance of making the putt."

Defending champion Frank Nobilo, who also teed off in the morning Friday, matched Estes' 65 and was four off the pace heading into the third round. Nobilo had six birdies and an eagle in his second round but said rain earlier in the week have made the 7,062-yard course ripe for low scores.

Players were allowed to lift, clean and place in the fairway and the fringe for the second day.

"At the moment, the fairways are playing very generously because they're so soft," said Nobilo, who beat Brad Faxon in a playoff to win last year. "It's too bad because this course plays very well when it's firmer."

Dudley Hart and Lennie Clements both matched their first-round 68s to join Nobilo at 8-under. Neal Lancaster was at 7-under after a 67.