USPGA TOUR:The cream rose to the top as Adam Scott used a hot start to take the clubhouse lead during the second round at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.
Scott birdied his first four holes, but struggled a little after that in gusty winds, shooting a three under par 67 at the Four Seasons TPC.
He posted a five under par halfway total of 135, one stroke ahead of fellow Australian Mark Hensby (67) with half the field back in the clubhouse.
Ryan Moore, Justin Leonard and Parker McLachlin were two shots behind.
World number 10 Scott, the highest ranked player in a field sadly lacking in star power, said: "It was a fast start, but after that it was a bit of a battle. The conditions were tricky. It was hard to hit fairways and hard to hit greens."
CHALLENGE TOUR: Michael Hoey is three shots behind Sweden's Andreas Högberg at the top of a packed leaderboard going into the final day the AGF-Allianz Open Côtes d'Armor Bretagne on the European Challenge Tour.
Hoey fired a third round of 71 for a one-under-par total of 209. Three over after fives holes, Hoey birdied the sixth and seventh in an outward half of 36. A bogey at the 13th was cancelled out with a birdie three at the 18th in a back nine of 35.
Scotland's David Drysdale joined Englishmen Andrew Butterfield, Stuart Davis, David Horsey, Robert Rock and former Ryder Cup star Joakim Haeggman just one shot back on 207.
Högberg, the latest youngster off the production of Swedish golfing talent, was on course to establish a comfortable lead, until his charge was derailed when a hooked drive led to a lost ball and a triple bogey eight at the 14th hole.
Gareth Maybin shot 70 for 210, Colm Moriarty a 69 for 211 and Stephen Browne added a 68 for 212.
CHAMPIONS TOUR:Tom Watson and his partner Andy North shot a bogey free 13-under-par 59 to take a three-shot lead in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa in Georgia yesterday.
Eight birdies in a first nine of 28 was followed by a back nine of 31. Des Smyth and Denis Watson are on five-under-par 67.
AMATEUR: Irish international Shane Lowry found the going tough at Valderrama yesterday - but Europe still established an opening day lead as they began their Bonallack Trophy defence against Asia-Pacific.
Lowry, from Esker Hills, lined out in both the morning fourballs and afternoon foursomes with Nigel Edwards, the Walker Cup player from Cardiff but they managed only a half point during the day although Europe were 6-4 ahead overnight.
Lowry and Edwards were involved in tight games first against Thailand's Varut Chonchalam and Anthony Fernando from the Philippines and then against the Australian pair of Rohan Blizzard and Tim Steward.
In the morning they had their noses in front early on but were caught on the homeward stretch and had to be content with a share of the spoils and then after lunch it was neck and neck all the way but they were just pipped at the post.
ILGU:Niamh Kitching, winner of the Munster Championship last week, continued her good early season form when shooting a five-under-par 70 in the opening round of the Helen Holm Scottish women's open amateur strokeplay championship over the Troon Portland links yesterday.
Kitching from the Claremorris club, is two shot behind the leader, Curtis Cup reserve Sahra Hassan from South Wales.
The 20-year-old former Welsh girls champion from Bridgend and a member at Vale of Glamorgan Golf Club shot a bogey-free round of seven-under-par 68, which represented very good golf in squally conditions of wind, rain - and the coldness of a Scottish spring.
