Curtis Keeps Up The Pace

36-Hole Mark Gives Him Lead at Avenel

When Ben Curtis teed off early yesterday afternoon, there was no need for him to set a target score. He was well aware that Argentine Jose Coceres had posted his second straight 64 in the morning and was sitting atop the Booz Allen Classic leader board at 14-under-par 128. So Curtis, the first-round leader and the 2003 British Open champion, knew exactly how low he had to go.

Wearing a burgundy visor and sporting several Washington Redskins logos, Curtis drew plenty of support both for his outfit and for his 6-under 65.

Starting his round on the back nine, Curtis had a run of three straight birdies that included an improbable 45-foot putt at the 18th. He made four over his final nine, and his tournament-record total of 15-under 127 provided a one-shot edge over Coceres and a four-shot advantage over Jeff Gove (68 -- 131). Curtis surpassed the 36-hole record of 14-under 128 set by 2004 champion Adam Scott, and the 72-hole tournament record of 21 under held by three players appears in some jeopardy.

"Obviously, when [Coceres] gets to 14 under after two days, you know he's going to play well on the weekend," said Curtis, who has 16 birdies and one bogey through 36 holes and needed only 24 putts yesterday, with 12 one-putt greens. "So you want to stay as close as you can. I would have taken anything pretty much under par today. After a shaky start, I got calmed down a bit, got the putter going and that's the reason I'm sitting here."

He and the 72 other players who survived the cut of 2-under 140 may be sitting around for long stretches today. Heavy rain is in the weekend forecast, prompting tour officials to announce that the third round would begin at 7 this morning, with players going out in threesomes off the first and 10th tees in an effort to get in as much golf as conditions allow. Curtis said he welcomed the early start, if only because he won't have to wait until mid-afternoon to tee off.

"When you don't play until two, you're up at seven or whatever in the morning and you have all the time in the world to think about it," he said. "It's better to get up and go through your normal routine and not have to think about it. That will help make it easier."

Though overnight rains took away much of the roll in the fairways, greens were soft and receptive to shots yesterday. With more spectators seemingly on the premises than the opening round, a number of players took full advantage of a vulnerable course to get into position at what could be the Washington area's last spring/summer tournament on the PGA Tour schedule.

Brett Quigley, playing on a sore left knee in his eighth straight event, said he thought seriously about withdrawing earlier this week. Instead, he decided to stay, a decision that paid off when he posted the low second round, a bogey-free 63 that left him at 10-under 132, five off the lead. He was tied for fourth place with veteran John Huston, whose eagle at the 520-yard sixth hole pushed him to a 65. Long-hitting J.B. Holmes also moved into contention at 66 -- 133.

"When it's good, soft conditions on the greens, we're going to shoot low numbers," said Quigley, who played in the U.S. Open last week at Winged Foot. "At the Open, a guy wins the tournament at 5 over par, and to be honest, the greens were terrible. When we get good greens, it's like we were putting out of the rough last week and putting on a marble tile [this week]. Perfect. For guys like me, it's just free it up and let it go and you feel like you can finally make some putts."

Coceres, who hit all 14 fairways, also was making more than his share of putts in the morning session. He needed only 25, with 11 one-putt greens.

After breaking his left wrist playing soccer back home in Argentina in 2002, Coceres was forced to make swing changes, and he's one of the shortest hitters off the tee. He made up for that yesterday with some precision iron play that produced seven of his birdies with putts of 10 feet or less, and one 30-footer at the 374-yard No. 10.

"I've got a lot of confidence," said Coceres, who didn't get in the field until Friday and needs a top 10 finish here to play next week in the Buick Championship. "I want to get out of here quick so I can get a phone call [for a possible sponsor's exemption]. I'd like to play next week."

Quigley withdrew from next week's event yesterday morning to rest his ailing knee. He had an MRI exam on Thursday that revealed no torn cartilage, but scar tissue has caused him some pain. It obviously was eased by a round of six birdies and an eagle at the sixth, when his second-shot 4-iron from 227 yards in the fairway left him a 20-footer.

Quigley also said he was pushed in the afternoon by what he saw on the morning leader board. After posting 69 Thursday, he started his second round already a dozen shots behind Coceres's clubhouse lead.

"Absolutely, it kind of got me motivated," he said. "I knew I had to play a great round today to get back into it and not let him run away. I've been playing well, and it's just been kind of a continuation for me."

Gove has not been playing his best golf in recent weeks, missing the cut in his last five events. Until his first two days at Avenel, he did not have a round in the 60s since April 22, when he shot 68 in the third round of the Houston Open and finished tied for 16th.

He's also playing with some discomfort, as always, because as a young child he had three operations to correct clubfeet. One foot is now smaller than the other -- he wears a size-7 1/2 shoe on one foot and size 9 on the other -- "and they don't give me a real good base, but I'm doing the best I can."