Furyk's long putt on 18th gives him lead at Heritage

He made a 56-boot birdie putt and has a two-shot lead at Harbour Town.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) -- Jim Furyk added his own touch to Harbour Town's famous 18th hole Friday, rolling in a 56-foot birdie putt for a two-shot lead in the Verizon Heritage hours after Aaron Baddeley's unlikely eagle there.
Putting from the back fringe, Furyk had simply hoped for a good lag and an easy par on the final hole. Instead, he watched his ball strike the flagstick and fall in. His 4-under 67 left him at 11 under, two strokes in front of Baddeley (67), Brian Gay (67), Duffy Waldorf (68) and first-round leader Vaughn Taylor (70).
Furyk's long birdie also added to the Friday fireworks near the lighthouse hole.
Baddeley capped a late charge -- he had three birdies and the eagle in his final five holes -- at the magnificent seaside hole featuring Sea Pines' red-and-white striped lighthouse as a backdrop.
Baddeley eagles 18th
Baddeley struck a smooth 8-iron about 160 yards that hit the green and bounced into the cup. The 25-year-old Australian heard the crowd's cheers and wondered how close he'd gotten.
"When I got up there, the ball wasn't anywhere to be seen," Baddeley said.
The hole, crafted by architect Pete Dye along Calibogue Sound, has seen its share of amazing shots. Three years ago, Davis Love III chipped in a tying birdie on the 72nd hole, then struck the flag stick for a tap-in birdie during the playoff for his fifth Harbour Town title.
Tournament officials said Baddeley's was the third eagle there since 1983. Lee Janzen accomplished it during the final round in 1997, then Mike Hulbert matched it in his second round two years later.
Furyk and Baddeley had similar second rounds -- strong play early, bad mistakes in the middle and surges at the end.
Furyk starts fast
For Furyk he had birdies on four of his first seven holes to take the lead. However, bogeys on the eight and ninth holes backed him into a tie with Baddeley.
"I wanted to hit good shots and put the ball on the green and stop the bleeding at that point," Furyk said.
That's what he did, moving in front again with a birdie on the 15th hole. After getting fooled by the wind on his last hole, Furyk said he "got a little extra bonus" with the long birdie.
Long drought
Furyk has not won since last year's Western Open. However, he tied for third in The Players Championship last month and likes the way he's playing.
"I got in a little bit of a tough jam," he said. "But it was nice to fight through it and keep it going."
Baddeley moved within a shot of the lead with two birdies on his first five holes. He found problems on the par-4 eighth, knocking an approach out of bounds for a 7. A series of pars settled his nerves until his five-hole flourish at the end -- Baddeley closed 2-4-3-3-2 on the scorecard.