Lehman stays hot

Victoria Sun

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 | 10:41 a.m.

For a man who hadn't played a competitive round of golf since the week of Aug. 19, Tom Lehman showed no signs of rust on Thursday.

In fact, the PGA Tour veteran said he hadn't felt this good in a long time, and it translated into another fine day.

Lehman birdied five of the last six holes at Southern Highlands en route to a career-best 10-under-par 62 for a two-day total of 125 and a two-stroke lead over Fred Couples entering today's third round at the $4.5 million Invensys Classic.

Lehman's 62 set the course record for a low round, but it didn't last long.

Chris DiMarco blistered the same course a few hours later with his own career-best round of 61, vaulting him from a share of 28th place to a tie for third with John Daly, four shots back. Couples followed his opening round of 63 at Southern Highlands with a 7-under-par 64 at the TPC at the Canyons for a total of 127.

DiMarco, who started the day on the back nine where he birdied four holes, said he never saw a leaderboard all day.

"Southern Highlands, for some reason they didn't put the tees back," DiMarco said. "The greens are really soft over there and they're not overly fast so there's so many birdies out there.

"The best players in the world are playing and it's like throwing darts out there."

Lehman's two-day total tied the PGA Tour record for lowest 36 holes, set by Tiger Woods (2000 World Golf Championships) and Mark Calcavecchia (2001 Phoenix Open). The previous 36-hole low at the Invensys Classic, 126, was set by Rick Fehr in 1996.

Lehman's total also set the tour record in relation to par.

"My expectations were high," Lehman said. "I feel like I was ready to play. I have been playing a lot of rounds of golf at home and very well. The clubs feel comfortable in my hands. I feel like my outlook on golf and my approach to golf are probably the best they've been in a while.

"To shoot those kinds of scores makes me extremely happy."

It was the second day in a row that Southern Highlands produced the lowest scores of the tournament.

On the front nine, the former British Open champion recorded his first birdie at the par-5 598-yard third hole, where he hit a 4-wood, then two-putted from about 30 feet. He hit a 2-iron, then an 8-iron to about 15 feet on No. 6 for his second birdie. Consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth holes put him at 4-under at the turn.

He started the back nine by sinking a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-4 10th hole, parred the next two and had birdies the rest of the round on all but No. 15.

"It seemed like a pretty simple day," Lehman said. "There are days when golf seems easy and some days it seems hard. Today it seemed easy.

"The last two days, everything kind of clicked. Mostly my focus and concentration have been very good."

DiMarco mastered Southern Highlands as if it were a miniature golf course.

His lone bogey, on the par-4, 423-yard 16th hole, put him at 3-under at the turn.

Two 15-foot birdie putts on Nos. 1 and 2 set up an eagle from eight feet on the par-5, 598-yard third hole.

"I was telling my caddie, Pat, that it was pretty fun just knowing I wasn't even nervous because I was hitting it so good," DiMarco said. "The course isn't that hard, but I was putting the ball right in the middle of the fairway.

"It just was very, very solid. Every shot was going pretty much right at the hole."

DiMarco's only PGA Tour victory was last year at the SEI Pennsylvania Classic.

He has come close this year, finishing second at the Buick Open in August and third at the Canon Greater Hartford Open (July) and The International Qwest (August).

DiMarco has missed only three cuts in 25 tournaments and is currently 18th on the money list at $1,744,957.

"This year has been a lot more solid than last year," DiMarco said. "I think I'm a lot more consistent player.

"I think almost every time I finish well, it's a top 20. I'm not having 40 or 50th-place finishes anymore."

Couples, who had been struggling all year with his putting, was thankful that his first round wasn't a fluke.

He had 26 putts and made seven birdies.

"I felt pretty good going into (today)," Couples said. "I think as soon as you make a birdie, you kind of relax even though you need a lot more.

"I didn't drive the ball that well, but that comes from really not knowing the course. Every hole is a tough driving hole, but there are enough of them to make you feel uneasy, but I got around and made pars."