Golf: Sizzling Couch leads Western Open by one shot

TORONTO - American Chris Couch enjoyed a sizzling back nine to card a flawless four-under 67 as he took a one shot second round lead at the Western Open today.

Couch, who has two wins on the Nationwide Tour this season but is without a PGA Tour success, is clear of compatriots Tim Herron, Jim Furyk and Duffy Waldorf in Lemont, Illinois.

After a disappointing opening round, world number one Tiger Woods was also on the charge at the Cog Hill Country Club with a five-under 66 to move within six shots of the surprise leader.

New Zealand golfers Craig Perks and Michael Long have made the cut. Perks is on 138 after rounds of 67 and 71; Long is on 140 after shooting rounds of 71 and 69.


The cut was set at 142.


Playing on a sponsor's exemption, Couch has made the most of his opportunity carding rounds of 66 and 67 on the Dubsdread course to sit alone top the leaderboard on nine-under 133.

Couch, having spent his entire 10-year career bouncing between golf's minor leagues and the PGA Tour, has struck a rich vein of form this season with his morale-boosting Nationwide Tour wins guaranteeing him his card for next season.

That confidence was on full display as Couch reeled off nine straight pars to start his round and then caught fire after the turn with four birdies to surge into the lead.

"It's still a long tournament, I'm trying not to think too far ahead," said Couch. "I'm going to take it shot by shot and keep trying to have some fun.

"I got off to a pretty good start today with nine straight pars, hit it good all the way around the front, had some pars that lipped out on me and got it going on 10."

Herron, without a win in six years, was also an unfamiliar face among the front runners but a solid five-under 66 has left the 35-year-old well positioned to take a run at his first title since the 1999 Bay Hill Invitational.

In contrast, Furyk, who led the Barclays Classic from the start until he was overhauled by Padraig Harrington in the final five holes on Sunday, has been a fixture near the top of the leaderboard for the last two events.

Without a victory since 2003, the former US Open champion has done everything this season expect win, posting seven top 10 finishes, including three second places.

A battling one-under 70 has again left Furyk with a chance to end his drought, leaving him level with Waldorf, who had the round of they day at six-under 65, and Herron on eight-under 134.

Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, sits alone one shot further adrift at seven-under 135 after an even par 70.

Woods, making his first start since finishing second to Michael Campbell at the US Open two weeks ago, recovered from a disappointing two-over 73 opening round to move into contention for a fourth Western title with a five-under 66.

After struggling with his short irons and suffering problems with his putter on Thursday, the world number one was back on target, mixing five birdies and an eagle with two bogeys.

That left him at three-under 139 in what will be his only event ahead of the British Open.

"I played a little bit better today but more importantly I putted better," said Woods, who needs just under US$57,000 ($82,860) from this week's event to reach US$50 million in career earnings.

"It's going to be hard to shoot a low one in the afternoon. Hopefully, they won't run away from me, and I can go ahead and play a good round tomorrow and get myself back in it."

World number two Vijay Singh was not so pleased with his round, though, as he returned a one-under 70 that just got him in under the cut at even par 142.

- REUTERS