Their perspectives
changed by an emotional week, Chris DiMarco and Brian Henninger set the pace early
today and shared the lead after two rounds of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
Henninger had a 6-under
66, the best round in the field today, and DiMarco had his second straight bogey-free
round, a 68 after his opening 65. Both were at 11-under 133 and had a three-stroke
lead at Annandale Golf Club.
Like The Tour Championship in Houston, the Southern Farm Bureau resumed Saturday
after taking a day off for the memorial service of U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart,
who was killed a plane accident this week.
"I've
shed tears all week long. I watched on television," Henninger said. "I think that's
helped me play and put things in perspective. This is a celebration of Payne's
life, I'm just out there playing golf. It's impacted me a lot more than I thought
it would."
Henninger
and DiMarco both played in the morning, needing just 23 putts each and avoiding
play in the afternoon when wind gusts of up to 25 mph and occasional rain made
play more difficult.
"I'm
glad I'm in," DiMarco said after finishing his round before noon. "I felt I had
a little bit of an advantage getting a good round on Thursday. I knew the conditions,
they were calling for a little wind and rain today, and to get it over with early
and sit back and let those guys play is an advantage."
First-round leader Russ Cochran, who played in the afternoon, went from an opening
64 to a 72. He was three strokes off the lead with Perry Moss, who had five birdies
and two bogeys during his morning round of 69.
"It
was definitely tougher today," said Cochran, who at No. 137 on the money list
is in a fight to keep his PGA Tour card.
John Daly was among three players at 6-under 138 after his second-round 70.
The final round of the
shortened 54-hole tournament is Sunday. The two-round cut was 1-over 145, leaving
74 players.
Bradley
Bryant, the 22-year pro retiring after this week, followed his opening 65 with
a 76. Bryant's afternoon round included six bogeys, three in a row at one stretch.
The field played to 65
over par in the morning, and was 83 strokes worse than that in the afternoon.
Henninger and DiMarco both
had their best tour finishes at Annandale in 1994. At that rain-shortened Deposit
Guaranty Golf Classic, the predecessor the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, Henninger
won a one-hole playoff for his only victory and DiMarco finished a stroke back
in a tie for third.
Mississippi's only PGA Tour event was also where Stewart won for the first time,
back in 1982 when it was the Magnolia State Classic, played in Hattiesburg and
not considered an official win.
"There
is a lot of golf going on and I'm pretty excited about my play, but it's kind
of hard to be really excited with what is going on," DiMarco said.
"Payne won out here for the
first time. I played with him a couple of times, both times he was so relaxed
and so nonchalant about his game. It's kind of relaxed me this week. It's been
a real good feeling."
Henninger moved into the lead when birdied his last two holes. He had a 15-foot
putt at the 409-yard 17th and then pitched within 6 feet at the 532-yard finishing
hole.
"I putted
brilliantly. The last two rounds, I've hit my ball solid but it hasn't been perfect,"
said Henninger, who putted just 24 times during an opening 67. "But my putter,
I've pretty much made everything that was makable and that's the name of the game
out here."
Then
there were the seemingly out-of-reach putts on the front-side par 3s, a two-putt
from 50 feet at the 213-yard second hole and a 45-foot birdie putt on the 209-yard
eighth.
DiMarco,
who had another third-place finish at the Byron Nelson Classic this year, is the
only player in the field with two bogey-free rounds.
"Every
time I put it in a bad position, I've gotten up and down. I haven't made a bogey
in two days. You do that, you are going to be in good position," DiMarco said.
"I'm making some good putts and really haven't had too many really grinding par
putts."
Aside from
a 50-foot chip-in at No. 2, DiMarco's second round was fairly routine. Two of
his birdies were on par-5s, and he made an 18-foot putt on the 408-yard 16th.
