MEMPHIS -- Ben Crane's back is OK, and his putter couldn't be working much better.
The combination helped him shoot a 5-under 65 on Friday to open a six-stroke lead in the St. Jude Classic before heavy rain delayed play twice and forced the suspension of play for the day.
Crane birdied his final hole Thursday night for a 63 and rolled in a 44-footer for birdie to start the second round Friday morning. He had a 12-under 128 at TPC Southwind, matching the winning score in relation to par last year.
"I certainly didn't see this coming," Crane said. "But you know when you're putting well, I started to feel like I was a little more in control of my ball, just felt like I was tightening my draws and fades a little bit. I had access to some holes I haven't this year and so, gosh, it's been an incredible two days."
Crane has spent the past six months changing his swing to protect his back. A four-time PGA Tour winner, Crane's last victory came in 2011 at the McGladrey Classic and his best finish this year was a tie for ninth in the Humana Challenge in January. But he was in such pain he had a therapist with him for treatment during the round.
Carl Pettersson and Jason Bohn were tied for second at 6 under. Pettersson had one hole left, and Bohn had two to play. Davis Love III (70) and Billy Horschel (68) were in at 5 under.
Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen were unable to start the second round. Mickelson, winless in his past 19 events since the British Open, opened with a 67 on Thursday and Goosen had a 66.
John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 3-under 67 (139). Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) shot a 1-over 71 (141).
David Lingmerth (Razorbacks), Scott Gardiner (Farmington) and Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) did not complete their rounds because of the weather.
WEB.COM
Goggin, Curl share lead
WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Mathew Goggin shot a 9-under 62 on Friday to grab a share of the second-round lead at the Cleveland Open.
At the end of the round, he had a 9-under 133, the same as Jeff Curl, who had a 4-under 67 to add to his first round of 66.
Whee Kim (66) and Tom Gillis (67) are one stroke behind. Aaron Watkins (66) and Si Woo Kim (69) are two off the pace. At three back are Jimmy Gunn (67), Andy Pope (68), Cameron Percy (67) and Mark Hubbard (64).
Glen Day (Little Rock) had five birdies and three bogeys for a two-under 69 (141).
CHAMPIONS
Two teams in lead
RIDGEDALE, Mo. -- Russ Cochran and Kenny Perry teamed to birdie the final three holes for a share of the lead with Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk on Friday in the Champions Tour's rain-delayed Legends of Golf.
The leaders were at 10-under 61 after their better-ball rounds on the Buffalo Ridge course.
Funk and Sluman played the first nine holes in 7-under 28 and added three birdies on the back nine. In Savannah, Ga., last year, Sluman teamed with Brad Faxon to win the Champions Division.
Other players opened at Top of the Rock, the first par-3 course used in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. The teams of Tom Watson-Andy North, Nick Faldo-Eduardo Romero and Craig Stadler-Kirk Triplett had the best rounds there, finishing at 5-under 49 after nine holes of alternate shot and nine of better ball.
In the Legends Division for players 65 and older, Bruce Fleisher and Larry Nelson took the lead with a 62 at Buffalo Ridge. The teams of Jack Nicklaus-Gary Player, Lee Trevino-Mike Hill and Graham Marsh-John Bland shot 1-over 55 on the par-3 course, the site of the final rounds in each division.
In the Champions Division, the teams of Jay Haas-Peter Jacobsen and Billy Andrade-Tommy Armour III shot 62 at Buffalo Ridge, and Tom Lehman-Bernhard Langer and Corey Pavin-Duffy Waldorf followed at 63.
EUROPEAN PGA
Lundberg out in front
ATZENBRUGG, Austria -- Mikael Lundberg exploited perfect playing conditions for early starters in the second round of the Lyoness Open on Friday in a bid for his first European Tour title in six years.
In sunny and almost windless conditions, the Swede shot four consecutive birdies on the front nine on his way to a 68 and went 9 under for a one-shot lead over England's Lee Slattery and two over Paraguay's Farbrizio Zanotti (68).
Slattery carded a 6-under 66, which started with three birdies on the first four holes and was rounded off by an eagle on the par-5 16th.
England's Adam Gee, who shared the overnight lead with Lundberg, hit a 73 and dropped to 4 under for the tournament, while Sihwan Kim of South Korea improved to 6 under with a 68.
Defending champion Joost Luiten and Rhys Davies of Wales followed at 5 under.
Sports on 06/07/2014