Sat Jan 26 22:59:42 2008

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Morgan still two up at Turtle Bay

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Kahuku, Oahu, HI (Sports Network) - On a windy day at Turtle Bay, Gil Morgan managed an even-par 72 to maintain his two-stroke lead through two rounds of the Turtle Bay Championship.

Morgan completed 36 holes at seven-under-par 137.

Bernhard Langer (71) and Jim Thorpe (71) both picked up one stroke on the leader. They now share second place at five-under-par 139.

Defending champion Fred Funk posted his second straight 70 and was joined in fourth place at minus-four by Fulton Allem (72), Phil Blackmar (72) and Morris Hatalsky (73).

Morgan got off to a quick start as he birdied the first from four feet out to push his lead to three shots on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort.

As Morgan parred the next five holes, his lead dipped to two as Thorpe and Langer made birdies. That lead disappeared quickly.

After a bogey on the seventh, Morgan missed the green at the 10th and could not get up and down for par. That bogey dropped him to six-under and a share of the lead with Thorpe.

Morgan rebounded with a four-foot birdie putt on the 12th to regain the lead. He closed with six straight two-putt pars to finish two ahead.

"It was a pretty wicked day overall," said Morgan of the wind. "It was a tough day to play. Distances were hard to figure. I made a few mistakes that I shouldn't have, but offset them with a few birdies."

Thorpe dropped a shot on the fifth, but birdied three of the next four holes to get to six-under. As he parred the next three, Morgan fell back to him. Thorpe fell out of the lead with a bogey at the 13th.

After three more pars, Thorpe three-putted for bogey on the 17th to slide to minus-four. He got one of those shots back with a two-putt birdie at the last to share second.

"It was a guessing game out there today. You didn't know whether the wind will help or knock it down," Thorpe commented. "Those were maybe the hardest conditions I've ever played in on the Champions Tour. Anything around par today is solid."

Langer dropped in a five-footer for birdie on the first, but gave that shot back as he faltered to a bogey on the fourth. He birdied the seventh to move back to five-under.

The German found water at the 12th and that led to another bogey. He bounced back with a 21-foot birdie putt on 14.

Langer hit a poor tee shot on the par-three 15th and that also led to a bogey. He blasted to 10 feet from a greenside bunker at the last and sank that putt for birdie to finish in a share of second.

Scott Simpson (72), Jerry Pate (70) and Tom Kite (73) are tied for eighth at three-under-par 141. Donnie Hammond, Lonnie Nielsen, Robert Thompson and Allen Doyle are one shot further back at minus-two.

Don Pooley fired a three-under 69 to move into a share of 15th at one-under- par 143. That was the only round in the 60s on this windy day.