| Cromwell,
Conn, 3rd July 1998 -
Scott Gump tied the course record with a second-round eight-under-par
62 at the TPC at River Highlands on Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the
weekend at the Greater Hartford Open. Gump
stood at 10 under par for the tournament, one ahead of Omar Uresti, who shot 64,
and former Masters winner Larry Mize, who had a 63. Gump's
62 was just the best of many low rounds including a 65 by David Duval, who moved
into the top 10 at seven under par despite playing with a sore throat and a fever.
The 62, highlighted
by a 4-wood fairway bunker shot to four feet on 18 that set up one of his eight
birdies, was a career low for Gump. A non-winner in seven years on tour, Gump
has also never led this late in a tournament. "I
don't think I've ever led, though I finished second once [at the 1991 International].
I may have led a first round somewhere, but one round doesn't count," said
Gump. The most
notable thing about Gump's career thus far has been the amiable heckling he has
gotten ever since the release of the movie "Forrest Gump." "It's
gone down a bit. It was pretty bad for a while. Everybody screams at you, 'run,
Forrest, run.' The first 100 times it's almost funny," said Gump. Uresti
has a movie connection as well, with his mother's decision to name him after her
favorite actor Omar Sharif. Unlike
Gump though, Uresti has led and contended in tournaments, notably at Bay Hill
last year, where he led after three rounds and was in contention until Phil Mickelson
came on in the closing holes. Mize
has won tournaments, most famously the 1987 Masters, but hasn't won in five years.
"It's been frustrating. I just continue to push myself to be patient. I haven't
gotten myself in this position for a while, which is what is exciting about this,"
said Mize after his round. First-round
leader Pete Morgan, a 10-year veteran of various mini-tours who qualified on Monday,
followed up his opening-round 64 with a one-over-par 71, making the cut at five
under and heading to the weekend in 17th place. Casey
Martin, who went to court to become the first player to ride a cart in a regular
PGA Tour event, missed the cut by five strokes, shooting a second-round 73 for
a four-over-par total. | 
