Associated Press
Friday, March 24

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The TPC at Sawgrass was just a pup in 1983. So was Hal Sutton.

He was a rising star, regarded as the next Jack Nicklaus when he won The Players Championship and added his first major in the PGA Championship. Seventeen years later, the course and the player seem to be getting better with age.

	Omar Uresti's best finish in six years is a tie for third at the 1997 Bay Hill Invitational.

Sutton kept his cool in the face of adversity, building momentum from an improbable bogey and surging to another 3-under 69 on Friday that gave him a one-stroke lead over Tom Lehman and Omar Uresti after two rounds.

"I'm a lot better player than I was in 1983," said Sutton, who was at 6-under 138. "There is a lot of better players on the tour now than there was then, too. I don't take anything for granted anymore."

That's a good thing.

Sutton and Lehman were indignant over talk that Tiger Woods couldn't be beaten, and perhaps it was just a coincidence that over two tough days on the Stadium Course, they looked as though they wanted to prove their point.

Still, Woods lurked just four strokes back, despite his second double bogey in as many days, despite the fact he failed again to break 70 for the 14th straight round in The Players Championship.

"I said this earlier in the week and I'll say it again: The only person I can control is myself," Sutton said. "I'm just doing the best I can with me."

That was plenty on a sunny, breezy day on which the greens were a little more receptive, even though the course was no less punishing.

Fulton Allem had a 7-under 65, the best score since the late Payne Stewart had a 65 in the final round two years ago, to finish at 4-under 140.

Woods birdied all the par-5s, including his last one at No. 9, for a 1-under 71 that put him at 142, along with Len Mattiace (71) and two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els (69).

"Sometimes you get bad breaks," said Woods, who got just that when his drive landed in a sand-filled divot on No. 4 that led to a double bogey. "But I'm right there in the hunt, and that's where you want to be."

The course played nearly two strokes easier, evidenced by the 31 players who broke par compared with just 15 in the first round.

But it could still take a chunk out of anyone, any time. Defending champion David Duval made five birdies to go along with a triple bogey on the par-3 eighth and a watery double bogey on No. 18 for a 73. He was at 4-over 148.

The cut was at 6-over 150, the highest mark since 1983. If Sutton can win again, he might look back fondly on the 18th hole Friday.

He pulled his drive into the water, took a drop and then watched in disbelief as his ball barely climbed over the thick rough at the water's edge. Sutton chopped out to 12 feet and made the putt for bogey.

"Making that putt was a big key," he said.

Lehman had a relatively quiet 68, hitting a 4-iron into the par-5 second and 11th holes for two-putt birdies, and then a 5-iron from 207 yards into 18 feet for eagle on No. 16. Like Sutton, he saved the day with a crucial putt on No. 18.

He left his approach in the grassy mound right of the green, chipped 15 feet past the hole and made his putt for par.

"There's no reason why any number of guys can't win here," Lehman said. "I expect Tiger Woods to play great. I expect Tom Lehman to play great. I expect Ernie Els to play great. You have to give yourself enough credit to go out and do your best.

"If I didn't think I was capable of winning, I wouldn't be out here."

Several notable players won't get that chance. Phil Mickelson improved 12 strokes Friday, but since he started with an 83, he'll have to leave early. So will Sergio Garcia, who went 82-72 and also missed the cut.

Uresti and Allem were among the 21 players who failed to complete the first round Thursday because of darkness. They returned Friday morning and made bogey on their first hole, which spurred them on for the rest of the day.

But for different reasons.

Uresti's first shot of the day was on the island-green 17th, and he promptly dumped it in the water. But he hit a sand wedge from the drop area to 4 feet and made the putt for bogey.

"That kind of got my day going, at least a halfway decent direction," he said.

Uresti made just about every putt that mattered, taking only one putt on each of his first five greens of the second round. He also added a 30-foot birdie on his 15th hole, his fifth putt of 30 feet or longer this week. He had a 68.

The putter has never been the most reliable club in Allem's bag, and he was about ready to break it after a three-putt on the 18th to finish off the first round.

"I said, 'Here you are. For the last 10 years, all you've done is putt like an absolute idiot,' " Allem said.

So, he replaced the club with a collector's Ping Scottsdale that he bought for $2,500 in 1993 at Firestone Country Club. He won the World Series of Golf that week.

Where has it been all this time?

"Hey, golfers do strange things, my friend," Allem said.

The way the first two days have gone, The Players Championship is ripe for a strange weekend.