CIFIC LISADES, Calif. Bob Estes has the Nissan Open lead and a firm grip on reality.

Estes, whose only PGA Tour win came five years ago, fashioned a 4-under-par 67 today to go to 9-under through two rounds, good for a one-shot lead atop a jammed leaderboard.

The pack on his heels included Ernie Els and Davis Love III, a shot behind, and Tiger Woods and David Duval, four strokes off the pace.

"Leading after 36 holes doesn't really mean much,'' said Estes, a self-described realist who began the second day at Riviera Country Club tied with Duval for the lead.

"Even leading after 54 holes doesn't mean much. I remember David Duval's 59 at the Hope."

Asked if anyone in particular worried him, Estes grinned and said, "Oh, a list of about 20, 30, 40 people. There's Ernie, Tiger, David, Fred (Couples), all the usual suspects.''

Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion making his first PGA Tour appearance since last September, had a second-round 66 to move into a tie with Love, Rick Fehr and Alan Bratton at 8-under-par 134.

Love shot a 65, Fehr a 66, and Bratton, who earned the final spot in the tournament by beating a 16-year-old on a qualifying playoff hole, shot his second 67.

Defending champion Billy Mayfair was three strokes off the lead after a 67. Woods, with a 68, and Duval, looking merely mortal for a change with a 71, were in a group at 5-under.

Els was pleased with his play.

"I'm looking forward to this weekend,'' he said. "I really enjoy the course; it's a classic. You have to play a lot of different iron shots.''

Bratton is the relative stranger in the bunch near the top. When he came into the press room to face the media for the first time on the PGA Tour, he was greeted by "Who are you?''

He laughed and offered a brief but colourful bio: A former Oklahoma State player (and college player of the year in 1994), he has spent the past few years playing in India, Thailand, Singapore and Korea, in addition to some mini-tour appearances in America.

Adding to Bratton's unlikely story is the fact he barely even made it into the Nissan.

The 27-year-old Bratton, vying along with some 140 others for the two open spots in the tournament, edged, among others, high school junior James Oh, and Henry Liaw, a 13-year-old eighth-grader.

Bratton and Oh were tied at the end of regulation in qualifying, but Bratton birdied the first playoff hole and Oh's 8-foot birdie try lipped out to give Bratton the spot.

Saying he got motivated when the announcer at the first tee at Riviera mispronounced his name as "Brayton,'' Bratton was wasn't surprised that he didn't have exactly a Tiger-size gallery following him around.

"If I was out there, I wouldn't be following me, either,'' he said, grinning.

Among those missing the cut were Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Payne Stewart and Bo Van Pelt, Bratton's former Oklahoma State teammate who got the first of the two qualifier spots for the Nissan.

DIVOTS: Who's No. 1, Duval or Woods? Els thinks the two are about even, saying, "David's probably playing better golf right now, but Tiger was 17-under last weekend, so it's probably a tie right now.'' ... Bratton got a taste of what it's like to play before a huge gallery last weekend. He was in Woods's group when Woods shot a 62 Saturday on his way to winning at Torrey Pines. Bratton shot a 71 that round and wound up the tournament tied for 60th. ... Bratton, who could earn $504,000, paid by check, if he pulls a huge upset in the Nissan, recalled how prize money was handed out in Asia. "They gave everybody $100 bills, American,'' he said. "It made me nervous. We would all get on the bus after a tournament and the winner would be carrying thousands of dollars. It would have been a good bus to hold up. I had $18,000 in $100 bills once that I'd won over a few tournaments and it really made me nervous, carrying it around (in a money belt). I must have counted it 20 times.''