Morgan’s 64 takes Tradition lead

Gil Morgan used an eagle, six birdies and an adventurous par on the last hole Friday to take a two-stroke lead after two rounds of The Tradition in Aloha, Ore.

Morgan finished with an 8-under-par 64 for a two-round total of 11-under 133 in the final major of the year on the Champions Tour.

Tom Jenkins was two shots back at 9-under 135 after a 69. Mark McNulty had a 65 and was tied at 8 under with Loren Roberts (69).

Morgan had plenty of memorable shots in his round, but it was his effort on the final hole that provided the most excitement. His drive sailed right into bark chips at the par-5 18th, at the Reserve and Vineyards & Golf Club. He then hit into the trees trying to get out to the fairway, and clipped a tree with a shot that fell into a greenside bunker. He blasted out of the sand, landing some 3 1/2 feet from the hole and made the par putt.

“I looked like Robin Hood going through the 18,” he said, calling the hole “an adventure in itself.”

Morgan is a two-time champion in the event, winning in 1997 and ‘98 when it was played at Desert Mountain in Arizona. He has 23 victories on the Champions Tour, as well as seven titles on the PGA Tour.

His best finish this year was second at the Bayer Advantage Classic. Morgan has won at least one event per season since joining the 50-and-older tour in 1996.

“For some reason, my game hasn’t been very solid all year,” he said.

In June, Jenkins rolled in a 5-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat D.A. Weibring and win the Allianz Championship, his only victory this season.

At the 13th hole Friday, Jenkins sank a 119-yard wedge shot for an eagle.

“That landed in the bottom of the cup and stayed there,” he said. “That was a big bonus on that one. I was waiting, when I heard the sound, to see where the ball was going to fly out to.”

McNulty eagled the 16th, making a 52-foot, 7-inch putt and joked, “Those are the type of tap-ins you like to have.”

McNulty won the Bank of America Championship in June, besting Tom Purtzer on the second playoff hole. It was his fourth Champions Tour victory, following three wins last year as a rookie.

McNulty played at par following his eagle, and was especially cautious on the par-4 17th.

“Two-putted the green and got out of there, thank you very much,” he said. “That’s a bit of a swine of a hole.”

In the final round of the event at the Reserve last year, Craig Stadler closed with four straight birdies for a one-shot victory and his second win in a major on the Champions Tour. Stadler wrapped up the second round this year at 4 under after a second-round 68.

The Tradition was played 14 years in Arizona before Oregon native Peter Jacobsen lobbied to relocate it in 2003.

Jacobsen had staged the Fred Meyer Challenge, a popular pro-am, in Oregon for the 17 years before the Tradition. His sports management firm runs the tournament sponsored by Oregon window and door maker Jeld-Wen.

PGA Buick Championship

Justin Rose kept his driver in the bag for most of his round, and it turned out to be a wise choice.

The 25-year-old Englishman shot a 7-under 63 to take a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the PGA’s Buick Championship in Cromwell, Conn.

Bogey-free through 36 holes, Rose played his way into contention for his first PGA Tour win, moving to 12-under 128.

Former British Open champ and first-round co-leader Ben Curtis (68) and Kevin Sutherland (67) are tied for second at 8 under. Dean Wilson (66) and Chris Smith (67) are five strokes off the lead.

Rose teed off in the afternoon, just as the fairways were firming up on the 6,820-yard TPC at River Highlands. He opted for his 3-wood and 5-wood off the tee on the back nine.

“It got pretty hot, so the ball was going a long way,” Rose said. “I managed to pull back, leave the driver in the bag and put it in play.”

Rose, who has won four times in international play, has not finished better than third on the PGA Tour. He’s been in the last group three times in tour events heading into a Saturday, including last year’s Masters.

U.S. Amateur

Austin Eaton III won three of his last four holes and beat U.S. Walker Cup team member Anthony Kim 4 and 2 to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

In other quarterfinals, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari advanced with a 6 and 4 win over South Africa’s Dawie Van Der Walt; J.C. Deacon defeated Mark Leon 2 and 1 in an all-Canadian match; and Dillon Dougherty beat Kent State senior Ryan Yip 4 and 2 to round out today’s semifinalists.

LPGA Wendy’s Championship

Soo-Yun Kang overcame a triple-bogey to shoot her second consecutive 6-under 66 and forge a tie for the lead with defending champion Catriona Matthew in the Wendy’s Championship for Children in Dublin, Ohio.

For the second day in a row the field took advantage of soft greens to put up record low scores. The cut of 3-under 141 matched the lowest in LPGA history. Fourteen players broke par through 36 holes but won’t play on the weekend.

“Every day you’re going to see people shooting low scores,” Matthew said. “If I can keep shooting 5 or 6 under, it’s going to be tougher for them to try and catch me.”

Kang and Matthew, who also put up a second 66, were at 132, a shot ahead of Karrie Webb, who also shot 66.

Annika Sorenstam, finding her stride after a two-week layoff without golf, was four strokes back after a 67.

Rookie Paula Creamer, gunning for her third win of the year, had yet another 66 and was at 134 along with Michele Redman (67).

Cristie Kerr (67), Jeong Jang (67), Pat Hurst (68) and Amy Hung (67) were at 135. Sorenstam leads the pack at 136, which includes Wendy Ward (67) of Edwall, Wash.