Bruce
Fleisher put together another solid round today, a 4-under 67, and retained his
one-stroke lead in the $1 million Kaanapali Classic on the island of Maui.
Bidding to his win seventh
Senior PGA Tour tournament of the year, Fleisher had a 36-hole total of 132. One
stroke back after a second-round 66 was Tom Jenkins, a first-time winner this
year at the Bell Atlantic Classic.
Hale Irwin, who started the round one stroke behind Fleisher, double-bogeyed No.
1 and finished with a 71. He is five strokes behind Fleisher in their personal
duel for the money title as they sit 1-2 on the list with three tournaments to
go.
Ideal conditions
-- meaning gentler breezes in contrast to the capricious winds in the opening
round -- rendered the 6,590-yard Kaanapali North Course defenseless.
Leading the birdie brigade was John Jacobs, whose 8-under 63 was the day's best
round. His low round of the season put him at 136 along with Bob Murphy, who had
a 69.
Allen Doyle,
third on the money list, posted a 64 and moved within two shots of Fleisher to
be alone in third place.
"I
got off to a good start with Hale getting a double-bogey," said Fleisher, who
opened with a birdie as they played in the same threesome.
"I
felt like watching him more than myself, for whatever reason."
Still, Fleisher has never lost after leading or being tied for the lead after
the first round.
"Let's
do it again," the senior rookie said.
Fleisher's only bogey in two rounds came at the par-4 14th when he failed to get
up and down for par after getting a lucky break on his approach shot which rolled
safely across a footbridge behind the green.
It was a bogey he gladly accepted and with birdies on the next two holes, Fleisher
tied and then passed Jenkins on the leaderboard.
"Tom's
playing great golf," said Fleisher, who will be with Jenkins and Doyle in the
last group Sunday. "I still don't count Hale out. And Doyle doesn't want to shake
loose."
"With three
weeks left, I'm trying to stay one step ahead of Irwin," said Fleisher, who leads
Irwin, the tour's leading money winner the last two years, by $216,183.
"If I make seven birdies,
I think I can win," said Jenkins. He had seven birdies to gain ground Friday,
but two three-putt bogeys from 30 feet at Nos. 8 and 11 cost him a chance to match
his career-low round of 64.
Obviously, he meant seven birdies without two bogeys.
Bogeys at the par-4 18th, the tournament's most difficult hole, were costly to
Irwin, Brian Barnes and Jim Colbert, blunting their challenge for the lead.
Barnes was alone in fourth
at 135, following a 68, while Colbert's 69 put him with Irwin and Bob Duval at
137.
"At 18, you
just try to survive," said Fleisher, who gladly took a two-putt par. He took an
8 and 6 in pro-am competition earlier in the week.
Jacobs started tied for 47th at the start of the day but moved to a tie for fifth
with his 63.
"I'm
just glad to shoot a good round. I played terribly for three months," said Jacobs,
winner of the tour's first event of the year, the MasterCard Championship on Hawaii
in January.
Gary
Player, who will be 64 on Nov. 1, recorded the event's first hole-in-one since
1990 by acing the par-3, 196-yard ninth hole with a 3-iron.
The winner of the tournament, sponsored by EMC, gets $150,000.
