ESPN.com - Golf Online - Flesch takes Disney lead away from Woods

Associated Press
Friday, October 27

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Steve Flesch has spent the last two days having fun at Disney with his family and having a blast on the golf course, so much that he tied the 36-hole scoring record Friday in the National Car Rental Classic and wasn't even aware.

That could be about to change.


	Tiger Woods did not make a bogey over the first two rounds.

If the weekend isn't enough to raise the intensity, perhaps it will come from the guy there to greet him on the first tee -- Tiger Woods, two strokes behind, but well ahead when it comes to experience in winning.

Flesch, the PGA Tour rookie of the year in 1998 but still searching for his first victory, had a 7-under 65 on another ideal afternoon for tourists and golfers. He was at 128, which tied the Disney record set by Tim Simpson in 1990.

Woods struggled with his driving and made birdie on only one of the par-5s, but still extended his streak to 87 holes without a bogey and made enough putts for a 67.

Carlos Franco and Duffy Waldorf each had a 66 and were another stroke back at 131.

It will be the first time Flesch has played with Woods, and he gladly welcomed his position.

"Usually, if you're playing with Tiger you're doing pretty good," Flesch said.

That's because Woods has won nine times in 17 tournaments, the most in one year by any player since Sam Snead in 1950. And because he has 37 consecutive rounds on the PGA Tour at par or better, dating to the first round of the Byron Nelson Classic in May.

Woods has done some homework on Flesch, knowing the left-hander from Kentucky has played well enough this year to have 12 top-10 finishes to qualify for his first Tour Championship for the top 30 on the money list.

Woods knew his own record, too.

"Twelve top-2s," he said.

Then again, he also pointed out that Saturday is merely for positioning, and not a duel between he and Flesch. After two days on the Magnolia and Palm courses, where palm trees swayed ever so gently under sunny skies, the cut was at 4-under 140. That tied with the Honda Classic for the lowest on tour this year.

Former PGA champion Jeff Sluman had a 64 and was at 132, and those still within shouting distance included Davis Love III, Masters champion Vijay Singh and Paul Azinger, all at 136.

"There's a lot of guys behind us who can shoot 7- or 10-under and get back in the ball game, if not lead," Woods said.

Or Flesch can keep having a good time in the presence of Woods and post another low number himself.

He had one decent chance to win this year, when he was one stroke out of the lead on the back nine of the Western Open. He started pressing and wound up with a 75.

"More than anything with me, it's just patience and trying to stay in there and play my own game and not worry so much what everyone else is doing," Flesch said. "I'll figure it out one of these days."

He has had an answer each of the first two days. Flesch birdied his first two holes from inside 4 feet, but then started rolling in longer birdie putts, including a 30-footer on the par-3 sixth hole.

"No bogeys today, which I think reflects I'm hitting my irons pretty well and driving pretty well," he said.

While Woods was only 1-under on the par-5s, he made up for it on the shorter holes. He changed clubs to an 8-iron on the par-3 third and hit it into 8 feet for birdie, then birdied both the par-3s on the back nine of Magnolia.

And he wasn't terribly ashamed of not taking advantage on the par-5s. He tried to reach one of them with a driver off the fairway, and on another he had to crush a 3-wood just to clear the water.

"They weren't exactly on the short side," he said.

The only thing that upset him was an errant drive on the par-5 10th, which he can reach with an iron when he's not next to a tree and forced to chip out sideways and backwards just to get to the fairway.

Woods slammed his club into the ground -- Disney isn't always the "Happiest Place on Earth." But he had few complaints at the end of the day.

He was only two strokes back, and has once again given himself a chance to win.

Divots

Rocco Mediate, who entered the week on the Tour Championship bubble at No. 30, missed the cut after a 71 left him at 1-under 143. He probably lost his spot in next week's field since No. 31 Scott Hoch and No. 32 Chris Perry both will play the weekend.

Casey Martin had a 75 and missed the cut. With only $138,518 in earnings, he will have to finish no worse than second alone next week in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic to keep his card, and at least fourth place by himself to get conditional status and advance to the final stage of Q-School.

Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange missed the cut for the first time since the U.S. Open, a stretch of five tournaments.

Pairings were clearly rigged in the first two rounds. Not only did Woods play with Bob May for the first time since their PGA playoff, Jean Van de Velde was paired with Brian Watts -- both lost British Open playoffs. Michael Clark II was paired with Kirk Triplett, whom he beat in a playoff at the John Deere. Another interesting pairing -- Gary Nicklaus and Dave Stockton Jr., sons of famous fathers.