Former US Open and Colonial champion Corey Pavin blitzed the Colonial Country Club yesterday with a six-under 64 to grab a one shot lead at the halfway stage of the $4-million tournament.
Pavin, the 1985 and 1996 Colonial winner and U.S. Open champion in 1995, began the day three shots off the lead but charged up the leaderboard with birdies on the first three holes.
He followed with another trio of birdies from the ninth and birdied the 16th for good measure against just one bogey, taken at the final hole, to finish with an eight-under-par 132 total.
First round leader Phil Mickelson shared second place with Brett Quigley 133 while Rocco Mediate was next after firing an eight-under 62 for 134. Tom Lehman shared fifth place with Blaine McAllister, Scott McCarron, Kirk Triplett, Jeff Sluman and Brian Gay after a 68.
LEADING SCORES: 132 - C Pavin 68 64; 133 - P Mickelson 65 68, B Quigley 69 64; 134 - R Mediate 72 62; 135 - B McAllister 71 64, S McCarron 68 67, T Lehman 67 68, K Triplett 68 67, J Sluman 71 64, B Gay 66 69; 136 - J Leonard 69 67, J Kaye 71 65, J Furyk 65 71; 137 - S Maruyama 72 65, B Geigberger 68 69, D Duval 69 68, B Chamblee 71 66, S Kendall 69 68, J Coceres 70 67, V Singh 69 68, D Toms 67 70, M Sposa 71 65, P U Johansson 69 68.
Richard McEvoy, amateur golf's man of the moment, continues to blast his way through the game's top events.
Having won the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham and the Irish Open Amateur Championship at Royal Dublin in the past fortnight, McEvoy stamped his class when the Brabazon Trophy got underway at windy Royal Birkdale.
McEvoy shot a 70 to trail Scotland's Steven O'Hara by two shots. Noel Fox was best of the Irish on 73 while Michael Hoey - beaten in a play-off by McEvoy at Royal Dublin - was next best on 75.
LEADING SCORES: 68 - S O'Hara (Colville Park); 70 - R McEvoy (Thorpe Hall); 72 - S Bell (Northcliffe), S Mackenzie (West Linton), C Watson (East Renfrewshire), R Walker (Walton Hall); 73 - N Fox (Portmarnock). 75 - M Hoey (Shandon Park).
