Golf Roundup : Hoch Fires 64 for Four-Shot Lead

Scott Hoch took over the record-setting role Friday at Dublin, Ohio, matching one tournament record and smashing another, as he took a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the $832,000 Memorial Tournament.

Hoch, who left his driver in his bag all day, shot a second-round 64 that, for the second day in a row, tied the 18-hole scoring record for the Muirfield Village Golf Club course that Jack Nicklaus designed and built.

The third 64 of the tournament was completed late in the day by defending champion Hal Sutton, who was seven shots back at 138.

Hoch’s 36-hole total of 131 was 13 strokes under par on one of the more respected courses on the PGA Tour. It was three strokes better than the old record 134 set by Roger Maltbie in 1982.

The continued assault on the record book marked the fourth consecutive week that golf’s touring pros, blessed with unusually good weather, have tied or broken tournament scoring records.

Hoch, who called himself “a streak player,” reeled off a string of four consecutive birdies, did not make a bogey and did not have a 5 on his card.

Curt Byrum, who set the first-round pace with another 64, could do no better than a 71 in the hot, humid weather and was second at the tournament halfway point at 135.

Tom Watson, Fred Wadsworth and Scott Simpson were tied for third at 136, eight under par. Simpson and Wadsworth each had a 68. Watson shot a 69.

Don Pooley was alone at 137 after a 67.

In addition to Sutton, the group at 138 included South African David Frost, Craig Stadler, Larry Nelson, John Cook and Jim Thorpe. Stadler shot 67, Cook and Thorpe had 68s, Nelson 69 and Frost 70.

Nicklaus had another 73 and was 15 strokes back at 146.

Pat Bradley, enjoying her best tournament start of the year, tied Kathryn Young for the lead after two rounds of a $275,000 LPGA tournament at Corning, N.Y.

Bradley, who started the day two strokes behind Young, sank six birdies in carding a four-under-par 68 for a 36-hole total of 135.

Young, seeking her first victory after nine years on the LPGA Tour, followed her 65 Thursday with a two-under 70.

Dawn Coe and Robin Walton shared third place at 136, after shooting their second consecutive 68s.

Jane Geddes, the tour’s top player this year, also shot a 68 and is tied for fifth at 137 with defending champion Laurie Rinker and surging Rosie Jones. Jones recorded the best round of the tournament with a 64, her career-best effort.

Ben Smith fired a five-under-par 67 at Castle Rock, Colo., to take a one-stroke lead over former NFL quarterback John Brodie and Bob Brue after one round of the $250,000 Champions of Golf seniors tournament.

Gay Brewer, Ken Still and Walt Zembriski were two shots off the pace after shooting 69s over the par-72, 6,700-yard Tournament Players Club at Plum Creek.

Smith, a 53-year-old former auto repairman who never played on the PGA Tour, was eight-under through 15 holes but took a double-bogey on 16 after hitting his tee shot in the water, and three-putted at 17 for another bogey to slip back to five under.