Joel Edwards Grabs Lead At Nike Florida Classic

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Joel Edwards fired an 6-under-par 65 Friday to take a one-shot lead after 36 holes of the $225,000 Nike Florida Classic at Gainesville Country Club.

Edwards, who has made over $1.1 million on the PGA Tour, stands at 10-under-par 132 at the midway point -- one stroke better than Richard Johnson. Johnson matched Edwards' 65 on Friday.

“I played really solid this afternoon,” said Edwards, who had 10 three-footers for par. “I made some mistakes, but you are going to do that.

“I made a lot of birdies from close range. It is nice to be playing well. It has been a long time.”

Johnson, a 1995 graduate of Augusta (Ga.) College, is a Nike Tour rookie.

“It was not pretty, but it was good enough to be in second,” said Johnson. “I have been struggling the last few weeks.”

Playing in the afternoon, Shane Supple carded a 4-under-par 67 and is alone in third place at 8 under.

“I played very scratchy,” said Supple, who chipped in from off the green twice Friday. “The course played great today. The greens are very smooth.”

Three players are tied for fourth place with a 7-under-par total of 135 -- Jim Estes (67), Roger Rowland (69) and Brian Bateman (66).

Five other players are only four shots out of the lead at 6-under-par 136. Casey Martin (69), Joe Daley (71), Ashley Chinner (70), Mark Mielke (66) and John Wilson (70) are all tied for seventh place.

Gary Nicklaus, a 29-year-old rookie on the Nike Tour, matched his age on the front nine with six birdies en route to a 65. It was the lowest nine-hole score of the 1999 Nike Tour season.

It took two rounds with a total of 1-under-par 141 or better to make the cut, which included 62 of the 144 players who started on Thursday.


Ryan Howison, winner of the last Nike Tour tournament, the Nike Lakeland Classic, has a two-day total of 4-under-par 138 and is tied for 17th place with nine other golfers. The winner of the 1999 Nike South Florida Classic will earn $40,500 of the $225,000 purse.