GOLF Kevin Stadler upstages the field

Craig Stadler's son fired a 64 for a one-shot lead in the Buick Invitational.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO -- Tiger Woods was finishing his pedestrian round of 71 in the Buick Invitational when he was told Kevin Stadler was leading the tournament.
"Kevin?" Woods asked. "I thought it was Craig."
Craig Stadler, long known as the "Walrus" for his size and tusk-like mustache, is a former Masters champion who won at Torrey Pines 10 years ago. Kevin was a teenager who was tagging along that day, and that 1994 Buick Invitational stands out among his father's 13 victories on the PGA Tour.
"It was the first time I had seen him win that I can remember," Kevin said. "Watching him win out here was special."
Imagine how the 24-year-old Stadler felt when he finished his round Thursday on the North course by hitting a 6-iron into a gentle breeze to within 3 feet for birdie to get within one shot of the leaders, then fired a 5-iron to within 10 feet of the flag for an eagle and an 8-under 64.
"I never would have dreamed this," he said.
Captured spotlight
Stadler stole the spotlight from Woods and Vijay Singh, taking advantage of the easier North course and finishing his day in style to build a one-stroke lead over Jesper Parnevik and Ted Purdy.
The South course played 3.8 strokes harder, not surprising since it will host a U.S. Open in 2008. Hal Sutton was the only player among the top 27 on the leader-board to play the South course.
Woods finished his round and asked where he stood.
"They said I was fourth on this golf course and 57th in the tournament," he said.
The numbers changed by the end of the day. Woods, who didn't make a putt longer than 4 feet, was in a tie for 63rd and 11 players had better scores on the South.
Singh, coming off a victory at Pebble Beach for his 12th consecutive top-10 finish, never got it going and needed a birdie on the par-5 18th to shoot 71 on the easier course.
ANZ Championship
PORT STEPHENS, Australia -- Laura Davies beat only one man in the ANZ Championship, finishing 154th after dropping 12 points in the second round today.
The Englishwoman, the first female player to compete in an event sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours, had a two-day total of minus-13 points -- 40 points behind leader Steve Webster -- under the modified Stableford scoring system.
Davies, tied for 124th at minus-1 after the first round, had a double bogey and nine bogeys on the Horizons Golf Resort course to miss the cut by 22 points.
In stroke-play figures, she had rounds of 75 and 83 in what she expects to her last men's event.
"You never say never, but no at this stage if I was invited to play at another event," said Davies, who missed the cut by four strokes in October in the men's Korean Open.