Saturday, April 29, 2006
The Pensacola, Fla. resident is without a victory in five years.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Joe Durant was starting to panic when he made the four-hour drive to New Orleans, another stop in what was shaping up as a mediocre season of making cuts and cashing small checks.
All it took was two days at the Zurich Classic to improve his outlook.
Durant played his best golf of the year Friday with eight birdies -- four of them with a wedge in his hand -- on his way to an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead over Brett Wetterich going into the weekend.
Durant was at 12-under 132, and when told that he was more than halfway toward a 72-hole scoring record at English Turn (22 under), it was all he could do to keep from laughing.
"It's way too early to start thinking about that kind of stuff," he said. "For me, I'm happy to be playing fairly solid."
Wetterich closed with an 8-foot birdie on the ninth hole for a 65.
Goosen recovers
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen sputtered at the start and then steadily improved for a 3-under 69 that left him in a group of seven players at 9-under 135 that included three rookies (Charley Hoffman, Eric Axley and Ryan Hietala) and Ian Poulter, who had never played the course until he stepped onto the first tee Thursday.
The others at 135 were Michael Allen and Stephen Leaney of Australia.
David Toms, who won in New Orleans five years ago and has raised more than $1.5 million through his foundation to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, ran off eight birdies in a round of 67 that left him in the group at 136.
Without a victory since he won the Bob Hope Classic and Doral in consecutive starts five years ago, Durant had only eight rounds in the 60s this year, and while he has made seven out of 10 cuts, he has yet to crack the top 35.
Durant, who lives in Pensacola, Fla., and considers New Orleans the closest thing he has to a hometown event, opened with a 68 and then fired away in a warm, steady breeze Friday morning that came out of the opposite direction and made English Turn play about one shot harder than the first day.
He birdied three straight holes, one of those a 6-iron to about a foot on the par-4 fifth, and was solid with his irons except for one shot. With a 9-iron left on the 14th, he left it 40 feet away and wound up making that putt for birdie. For a guy who hasn't had much go right this year, he called this a steady round that ended up being a 64.
"I just got off to a shaky start this year," Durant said. "Most of my career, I basically relied on hitting the ball fairly well. When you don't, the panic flag can go up a little bit. I made a lot of cuts, but I haven't played particularly well. It's such a fine line out here. It can drive you nuts sometimes. You've got to work through it and keep practicing."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.