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| April 30, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1427 |
Durant outshines big names
NEW ORLEANS, April 29: American Joe Durant upstaged the bigger names at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Friday while overnight leader Graeme McDowell of Britain fell back.
Durant, a three-times winner on the PGA Tour, fired a flawless eight-under par 64 at a breezy English Turn Golf & Country Club to forge two strokes clear after the second round.
The 42-year-old from Pensacola, Florida rattled up four birdies on each nine for a 36-hole total of 12-under 132, with compatriot Brett Wetterich alone in second place after a 65.
The American, whose last PGA Tour victory came at the 2001 Genuity Championship, has not finished higher than joint 36th in 10 starts this season.
Twice US Open champion Retief Goosen was among a group of seven players tied for third on a tightly-bunched leaderboard.
The South African world number three shot a 69, finishing level with Britain's Ian Poulter (68), Australia's Stephen Leaney (67) and American quartet Michael Allen (67), Charley Hoffman (69), Eric Axley (65) and Ryan Hietala (68).
Australia's Aaron Baddeley, who won his maiden PGA Tour title at the Heritage Classic two weeks ago, carded a 67 to lie a further stroke back on eight-under 136, along with 2001 winner David Toms, who fired a matching 67.
Leading second round scores:
132 -- Joe Durant (US) 68, 64.
134 -- Brett Wetterich (US) 69, 65.
135 -- Michael Allen (US) 68, 67; Eric Axley (US) 70, 65; Retief Goosen (South Africa) 66, 69; Ryan Hietala (US) 67, 68; Charley Hoffman (US) 66, 69; Stephen Leaney (Australia) 68, 67; Ian Poulter (Britain) 67, 68.
136 -- Aaron Baddeley (Australia) 69, 67; Glen Day (US) 68, 68; David Toms (US) 69, 67.
137 – Stuart Appleby (Australia) 65, 72; Brian Bateman (US) 70, 67; Jeff Brehaut (US) 68, 69; Matt Hansen (US) 71, 66; J.P. Hayes (US) 68, 69; Hunter Mahan (US) 69, 68; Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) 64, 73; Jesper Parnevik (Sweden) 69, 68; John Senden (Australia) 71, 66; Wes Short (US) 68, 69; Roger Tambellini (US) 70, 67.
STORM EYES MAIDEN TITLE
SAN ROQUE (Spain): Former British Amateur champion Graeme Storm put himself in sight of a maiden European Tour title on Friday when the Englishman led the Spanish Open at the halfway stage by a stroke.
Storm birdied his last three holes to retain the top place he had shared after the first round with Portugal's Jose-Felipe Lima, carding a five-under-par 67 to move to 12-under-par 132.
Storm's playing-partner Robert Karlsson holed in one at the fourth on his way to breaking the San Roque New Course record by a shot with a 63, to be one of five men sharing second place.
Leading second round scores:
132 -- Graeme Storm (Britain) 65, 67.
133 -- John Bickerton (Britain) 68, 65; Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 70 63; Titch Moore (South Africa) 66, 67; David Griffiths (Britain) 68, 65; Carl Suneson (Spain) 69, 64.
134 -- Fredrik Widmark (Sweden) 69, 65; Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 70, 64; Jose Manuel Lara (Spain) 68, 66.
135 -- Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 67, 68; Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 70, 65.
LEE BATTLES FOR LEAD
SEOUL: Local favorite Lee Sung battled Saturday to retain his two-stroke lead at the Maekyung Open, firing a three-under-par 69 in the third round.
The 26-year-old posted a three-day total of 14-under-par 202 going into Sunday's final round, as he held off the pack led by compatriot Suk Jong-ryul, two strokes back after a third-round 68 at Lakeside Country Club.
American J.B. Holmes charged into contention with an impressive 63 for a 205 total alongside countryman Bryan Saltus, who shot a 68 on Saturday.
Leading third round scores:
202 -- Lee Sung (South Korea) 67, 66, 69.
204 -- Suk Jong-ryul (South Korea) 67, 69, 68.
205 – J.B. Holmes (US) 71, 71, 63; Bryan Saltus (US) 69, 68, 68.
206 -- Kim Dae-sub (South Korea) 68, 70, 68.
207 -- Jarrod Lyle (Australia) 71, 72, 64; Kim Sang-ki (South Korea) 70, 65, 72.—Agencies
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