Howell, Ames hold lead; play to resume Saturday
Updated: March 18, 2005, 8:51 PM ET
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Charles Howell III and Stephen Ames got the best of both worlds Friday in the Bay Hill Invitational. They were among only 30 players to complete the second round, and they were atop the leaderboard.
On a day that felt like a marathon to some and a vacation to others, Howell ended his long day with another short birdie putt that gave him rounds of 71-68, giving him a share of the early lead.
Vijay Singh wasn't happy with his putting game in the second round at Bay Hill.
Ames also played 36 holes and posted the same scores. He birdied five of six holes in one stretch, then finished with a 5-foot par to join Howell at 5-under 139.
Vijay Singh, who can return to No. 1 in the world with a victory this week, struck the ball flawlessly but couldn't make a putt. He found a solution on the eighth hole by not having to putt -- the Fijian holed out from 152 yards with a 9-iron and wound up with rounds of 72 and 68, leaving him one shot behind.
"I just didn't make any putts all day," Singh said.
Their position won't be clear until the other 84 players finish their rounds -- 37 of them, includingTiger Woods and Ernie Els, did not tee off and could wind up playing 36 holes Saturday.
Joe Ogilvie wound up as the first-round leader, finishing with a 68 and then returning more than nine hours later to play the first three holes of his second round. He birdied No. 3 and was at 5-under.
It all was caused by rain that washed out all but three hours on Thursday, which kept Howell & Co. idle and left them quite busy on Friday. The only other time Howell recalled playing 36 holes in one day as a professional was at the Presidents Cup two years ago in South Africa. When he played at Oklahoma State, 36-hole matches were routine.
"I felt like I was in college again," Howell said. "I made the turn (after the first round), they handed me a sandwich and told me to keep going."
He lives only a mile down the street from Bay Hill, so Howell, Ames and Singh can rest until Saturday afternoon.
Pat Perez, whose bad-boy personality took another hit last week in the Honda Classic, had a 72-70 and was at 142 along with Briny Baird (69-73). NBC Sports chose not to show Perez in the final round of the Honda Classic because of obscene gestures he made after missing a putt.
Among others who finished were David Duval, who hit his first tee shot out-of-bounds and struggled mightily at times with his accuracy. He started with an 85 and ended with a 79, leaving him in last place.
But at least he finished.
Four players withdrew after one round citing injury. Dudley Hart had to stop after nine holes because of lingering back problems, finishing his day with a 10 on the 18th hole after hitting two balls into the water. Ryan Palmer was 15 over and had one hole to go when darkness suspended play. He won't bother coming back.
And then there was Mark Hensby.
He was 9 over when he hooked his tee shot out of bounds and didn't hit another shot, although the Aussie was kind enough to walk with his group to keep their score and shake hands. Marking his card in the trailer, he simply put an "X" under the 18th hole and was disqualified for not finishing the round.
The gallery didn't see much of the marquee grouping -- Woods, Els and U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. They played 11 holes in temperatures that hovered around 50 degrees, then headed to their respective country clubs for the rest of the day. Woods lives at Isleworth, Els and Goosen at Lake Nona.
Woods holed a 6-foot par putt on the 18th to avoid ending his round with three straight bogeys. He figured that at least would give him some positive vibes "going to my 7:10 tee time tonight."
Tour officials later decided that anyone whose tee time was bumped beyond 6:30 p.m. should not return until 7:15 a.m. Saturday to resume play.
Howell had seven consecutive rounds of 71 at Bay Hill, then broke that bizarre streak with solid iron play. All his birdies were inside 12 feet, including a 9-iron into 6 feet on his last hole.
"I managed to get the ball a little closer," he said.
So did Ames, who made three straight birdies to get into the hunt, then picked up more shots on the 16th and 17th holes to become the only player so far to reach 6-under.
But that could change.
Woods, Els and others who got most of the day off will have played their first two rounds in morning conditions, and the weather is supposed to be warm sunshine Saturday, which could make Bay Hill more vulnerable.
"Guys coming up tomorrow morning with good weather, they're probably going to shoot lights out," Singh said. "I'm in good position. Two days to go."
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press
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