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Friday, November 3

MADISON, Miss. -- Steve Lowery is making the best of a what could have been a disappointing weekend.

Lowery, who narrowly missed competing in the Tour Championship, followed his opening-round 64 with a 5-under 67 on Friday and holds a one-stroke lead over Jim Carter at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

	Lowery

This $2.2 million event is played on the same weekend as the prestigious Tour Championship, an event that is limited to the top 30 golfers on the money list. Lowery was 36th heading into this weekend.

But instead of wallowing in the missed opportunity, Lowery is halfway home to his first victory since 1994, when he captured the Sprint International. At 13-under 131, he leads Carter by one shot and three golfers by two strokes.

Lowery's best finish this season was a tie for second at the Kemper Open in early June. He was edged for that title by Tom Scherrer, who joined Pete Jordan and Billy Andrade at 11-under 133.

Grant Waite, Bill Glasson and Brandt Jobe also are at 11-under and had three holes to play when darkness suspended play. A total of 29 golfers must complete their rounds Saturday at 9 a.m. ET.

Scherrer, playing with John Daly and Lee Janzen, shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to move within two strokes of the lead. In a tournament that is short on marquee names, Janzen and Daly have drawn the largest galleries at Annandale Golf Club. Scherrer ended up putting on the best show for the 100 or so fans following the pair of two-time major winners.

Scherrer, in just his third season as a PGA Tour regular, enjoyed the attention, even though it wasn't always directed toward him.

Scherrer hit a 7-iron that left him 2 feet from the hole on the No. 13, leading to one of his seven birdies. The appreciative crowd responded with calls of "Good shot."

"I said 'What do you expect, we have four majors in this group, we're not a bunch of stiffs out here,' " said the soft-spoken Scherrer, who was as proud of his quick wit as he was with his impressive play.

Scherrer entered the tournament 34th on the money list, well ahead of both of his more popular playing partners. He laughed at the suggestion that he was currently the best player in the group.

"They both have had unbelievable careers and have done things I would love to do," he said.

Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship in 1995 British Open, shot a 70 and is 6-under for the tournament. Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, also shot a 70 and is 7-under.

Lowery made his first bogey of the tournament on No. 4, but made up for it with six birdies and was mostly just happy to complete the round.

"We wanted to try to get done .... so we wouldn't have to get up in the morning and finish and have a long wait for the third round," he said.

Jim Gallagher Jr. provided the shot of the day with a double-eagle on No. 5. He shot a 65 for a 135 total.

Gallagher gave the 25 friends and family members in the gallery something to remember on the par-5, 522-yard fifth hole. He punched a low 6-iron on his second shot 188 yards out of the rough that hit the stick and dropped into the cup.

"I don't think anybody saw the shot," Gallagher said. "I heard it."

He also made a 90-foot birdie putt on No. 14.

Jordan, who came in 126th in earnings, and Jobe, No. 127, set themselves up to get off the bubble with two good rounds in the tour's season finale. The top 125 on the money list receive full playing privileges for 2001.

"I'm trying not to look ahead," said Jordan, who went through Q-School last season to earn his card.

On the opposite end was Dan Forsman, who came in 125th, and will miss the cut at 2-under 142.

Twenty-nine players will complete the round Saturday. With the average score just under 70 on the 7,199-yard course, the cut is projected to be 4-under.