36-hole finale awaits International field

The preliminaries are over. Next, the endurance test begins.

Cameron Beckman made five birdies and an eagle Saturday to take the lead after two rounds at the International with 23 points, one ahead of Billy Mayfair, Charles Howell and Brandt Jobe.

Up next today are rounds three and four, a grueling 36 holes amid the tall pines, thin air and steep hills at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, Colo., with a $900,000 first prize on the line.

Also in the hunt are David Toms, who scored 12 points to bring his total to 18; Retief Goosen, who scored 12 points to get to 17; and Phil Mickelson, who had a 5-footer for eagle on 17, but three-putted to wind up with par. He scored 14 points to finish with 17.

Indeed, one factor that will add to today’s challenge is that this tournament, using the modified Stableford scoring system, can change dramatically with one swing of a club.

Under the scoring system, players get eight points for a double eagle – there have been three in the 20-year history of the tournament – five for eagles, two for birdies, none for pars and lose one point for a bogey.

Beckman was in the lead heading into Sunday the last time the PGA Tour held a 36-hole finish, in September 2003 at the 84 Lumber Classic. He finished fifth.

He knows that course was an easy stroll compared to Castle Pines, a 7,619-yard layout at an elevation of 6,300 feet. Rain washed out play Thursday, forcing PGA Tour officials to try to cram four rounds into three days. To do it, they reduced the cut to 60 players and decided to play 36 holes today.

Maybe the luckiest players are the ones who finished 61st through 70th. Under PGA Tour rules, they’ll still get paid because, under normal circumstances, they would have made the cut. But they won’t have to play the 36-hole marathon and can head to New Jersey to begin preparing for next week’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

U.S. Womens Amateur

Morgan Pressel compensated for some shaky putting with a 92-yard eagle at No. 10 on her way to reaching the final at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Settindown Creek Course in Roswell, Ga.

Pressel ousted Angela Park, a 16-year-old from Torrance, Calif., 3 and 1 and will face Venezuela’s Maru Martinez.

Martinez, an Auburn senior and the only non-teenager in the semis, won 4 and 3 over Australia’s Alison Whitaker.

The finalists face 36 holes of match play. Pressel and Martinez will tee off at 8 a.m. before taking a break and beginning the second round at 1 p.m.

European LPGA

Tournament host Annika Sorenstam birdied the last two holes for a 5-under-par 67, giving her a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Scandinavian TPC in Loddekopinge, Sweden.

Sorenstam, the world’s top-ranked player, was at 4-under 212, with Norway’s Suzann Pettersen at 213 after a 69.

Natalie Gulbis, an American and the highest-ranked player in the field behind Sorenstam, shot a 69 for 215.

Champions Tour

Tom Purtzer shot a 3-under 69 to take a three-stroke after two rounds of the 3M Championship at the TPC of the Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn.

Five players are tied for second at 9-under, including Lonnie Nielsen (68), Bruce Lietzke (71), Craig Stadler (67), David Eger (68) and Hajime Meshiai (66).

Defending champion Tom Kite is in a five-player logjam at 8 under after a second-round 69.