* Seeks maiden PGA Tour title

(Adds Overton quotes, detail)

NEW YORK, July 30 (Reuters) – American Jeff Overton,bidding for his maiden PGA Tour title, charged into acommanding four-shot lead in the second round of the GreenbrierClassic at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on Friday.

A stroke off the pace overnight, Overton fired a flawlesseight-under-par 62 to post a 14-under total of 126 on the OldWhite Course at The Greenbrier.

Helped by a run of four consecutive birdies around theturn, the 27-year-old ended a day of low scoring four ahead ofcompatriot and double PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley (63).

Double heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton, co-leaderovernight, carded a 68 to lie five shots off the pace withfellow American Jimmy Walker (64).

Overton, who has recorded three top-three finishes in hislast six PGA Tour starts, made a sizzling start with twobirdies in the first three holes after teeing off at thepar-four 10th.

He picked up further shots on 16, 17 and 18 to reach theturn in five-under 31 before stretching further ahead of thefield with birdies at the first, fourth and fifth.

“I’m playing well, I don’t really know the last time I wasplaying with this much confidence,” Overton told reporters.“I’m also feeling very comfortable.

COMFORT LEVEL

“I’ve always been a pretty confident golfer—you have tobe to get to this level—but I just feel more and morecomfortable the more I’m out here … and seeing my name on theleaderboard.”

Asked how anxious he was to claim his first PGA Tour titleafter finishing second on three previous occasions, he replied:“I would love to win a golf tournament. You just never knowwhen it’s your time. You just got to continue to play everyshot, take it for what it’s worth, and live in the moment.”

U.S. Ryder Cup player Weekley, who has struggled for formthis season due to a shoulder injury, held the early lead at 10under before being eclipsed by Overton late in the day.

“I’m actually feeling pretty good,” Weekley said aftercarding a blemish-free round featuring seven birdies. “At theJohn Deere (Classic), I started feeling a little better aboutmy game.

“I’ve lost about 20 pounds of weight and kind of got myshoulder feeling a little better. I’m excited to play again. Itfeels like I can actually come out and compete and I don’t haveto take a bunch of Advil.”

World number five Jim Furyk, bidding for his third PGA Tourvictory of the year, returned a 65 to end the day in a nine-waytie for ninth place at seven under—seven off the lead.

The cut fell at two-under 138 with former major winnersTrevor Immelman of South Africa and Americans David Toms, ToddHamilton and Lee Janzen among those missing out.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing bySteve Ginsburg; To query or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Overton, winless in five years on the PGA TOUR, shot the low round of the tournament, using wedges on all but one approach shot during a bogey-free round on the Old White course. He was 14 under.

Second-round coverage SWING STATE: Aaron Baddeley finally seems to have re-discovered his swing. Story

Boo Weekley, finally healthy after tearing a labrum in his left shoulder a year ago, was 10 under after a 63.

Jimmy Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton (68) were 9 under. Compton, the first-round co-leader, is playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

Aaron Baddeley (65), Briny Baird (65), Chris Stroud (63) and Charles Howell III (67) were six strokes back at 5 under.

Old White’s length and lack of deep rough have led to an assault on the pins, and rains that softened the greens earlier in the week have made solid scoring even more possible.

The 27-year-old Overton, a former Big Ten player of the year at Indiana, hit 15 of 18 greens and needed just 26 putts in his best round of the year. He topped his previous low of 7-under 63 at Colonial.

Starting on the back nine, Overton came to the par-4 seventh needing to close with three birdies for a 59. His approach from 85 yards landed 18 feet from the pin and he slid his putt to the right. He finished with three straight pars but wasn’t disappointed.

The Bloomington, Ind., resident is having his best season since joining the TOUR in 2006 with four top-5 finishes, including three in his last six events. Overton finished second by two strokes each at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Projected points The 2010 PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup starts in late August. To find out where the players in this week’s field are currently projected to finish, click here.

Overton is 12th in FedExCup points and could vault to No. 2 with a win, depending on the finishes of two players higher than him in the field, Jim Furyk at No. 5 and Matt Kuchar at No. 7.

Furyk was at 7 under in The Greenbrier Classic and Kuchar was 2 under.

Weekley equaled his lowest round of the year. He had seven birdies during a bogey-free round played in the morning.

Weekley was injured last year at TPC Sawgrass, stopped playing for more than a month and was left with a limited range of motion.

He lost 20 pounds and only started feeling better about his game three weeks ago at the John Deere Classic, when he finished 21st.

Weekley was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that beat Europe in 2008 but was ranked No. 172 in the world this week with only three top-10s in the last two years. His only two TOUR wins were at the 2007 and 2008 Heritage.

Walker was poised to overtake Weekley but had two late bogeys.

Compton couldn’t grind out the birdies that dominated his first round, when he tied Matt Every for the lead at 7 under.

Still, Compton, looking to solidify a future either on the PGA TOUR or the Nationwide Tour, put himself in good position for the weekend. His highest finish is 30th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.

Every made double bogey at the par-5 17th, shot 72 and was nine strokes back.

Carl Pettersson, last week’s RBC Canadian Open winner who barely made the cut in that tournament, shot 64 Friday and was at 5 under, three strokes above the cut line.

at The Greenbrier ClassicNotables Name Score Position Comment Saturday Tee Time (ET) Boo Weekley 10 under 2nd Weekley missed just one green in regulation and had seven birdies and no bogeys en route to a 63. 1:55 p.m. Charles Howell III 8 under T5 Howell didn’t have any bogeys, but he had just three birdies despite hitting all 18 greens. 1:28 p.m. Jim Furyk 7 under T9 Furyk was his usual accuarte self, missing just two fairways and four greens. He had four birdies, an eagle and just one bogey. 1:01 p.m. Ben Crane 7 under T9 Crane hit the same number of greens (15) and took the same number of putts (30) as his first round on his way to a 67. 12:52 p.m. Davis Love III 6 under T18 Love missed just one green in regulation and despite taking 31 putts still shot a 66. 12:34 p.m. Friday’s BestEASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE The par-5 12th hole was the easiest with a Friday scoring average of 4.716.EAGLES: 4 BIRDIES: 56 PARS: 78 BOGEYS: 15OTHERS: 2 The par-4 13th hole was the toughest with a Friday scoring average of 4.213.EAGLES: 0BIRDIES: 14PARS: 103 BOGEYS: 30OTHERS: 8

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A stroke off the pace overnight, Overton fired a flawlesseight-under-par 62 to post a 14-under total of 126 on the OldWhite Course at The Greenbrier.

Helped by a run of four consecutive birdies around theturn, the 27-year-old ended a day of low scoring four ahead ofcompatriot and double PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley (63).

Double heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton, co-leaderovernight, carded a 68 to lie five shots off the pace withfellow American Jimmy Walker (64).

Overton, who has recorded three top-three finishes in hislast six PGA Tour starts, made a sizzling start with twobirdies in the first three holes after teeing off at thepar-four 10th.

He picked up further shots on 16, 17 and 18 to reach theturn in five-under 31 before stretching further ahead of thefield with birdies at the first, fourth and fifth.

U.S. Ryder Cup player Weekley, who has struggled for formthis season due to a shoulder injury, held the early lead at 10under before being eclipsed by Overton late in the day.

“I’m actually feeling pretty good,” Weekley told reportersafter carding a blemish-free round featuring seven birdies. “Atthe John Deere (Classic), I started feeling a little betterabout my game.

“I’ve lost about 20 pounds of weight and kind of got myshoulder feeling a little better. I’m excited to play again. Itfeels like I can actually come out and compete and I don’t haveto take a bunch of Advil.”

World number five Jim Furyk, bidding for his third PGA Tourvictory of the year, returned a 65 to end the day in a nine-waytie for ninth place at seven under—seven off the lead.

The cut fell at two-under 138 with former major winnersTrevor Immelman of South Africa and Americans David Toms, ToddHamilton and Lee Janzen among those missing out.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing bySteve Ginsburg; To query or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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The Greenbrier Classic Tee #3TimePlayers1:55 pmJeff OvertonBoo Weekley1:46 pmJimmy WalkerErik Compton1:37 pmAaron BaddeleyBriny Baird1:28 pmChris StroudCharles Howell III1:19 pmScott PiercyScott McCarron1:10 pmRichard S. JohnsonChris Couch1:01 pmJim FurykBrendon de Jonge12:52 pmSpencer LevinBen Crane12:43 pmPat PerezMatt Bettencourt12:34 pmJohn RollinsDavis Love III12:25 pmPaul StankowskiBob Estes12:16 pmStuart ApplebyD.A. Points12:07 pmTroy MattesonJonathan Byrd11:58 amBrett WetterichSteve Flesch11:49 amSergio GarciaTom Gillis11:40 amJohn SendenSkip Kendall11:31 amRoger TambelliniMatt Every11:22 amTim HerronWoody Austin11:13 amStephen AmesCarl Pettersson11:04 amJustin LeonardBen Curtis10:55 amChad CollinsCharley Hoffman10:46 amMichael BradleyChris DiMarco10:37 amJohn HustonCharlie Wi10:28 amKevin SutherlandKevin Na10:19 amArjun AtwalBrian Stuard10:10 amBill LundeBrandt Snedeker10:01 amMarc LeishmanTroy Merritt9:52 amDean WilsonMathew Goggin9:43 amJeev Milkha SinghAron Price9:34 amMichael LetzigGraham DeLaet9:25 amJohn DalyCameron Percy9:16 amBrent DelahoussayeJoe Ogilvie9:07 amCharles WarrenGreg Chalmers8:58 amChris RileyJay Williamson8:49 amGarrett WillisRicky Barnes8:40 amRoland ThatcherJoe Durant8:31 amCraig BowdenJ.J. Henry8:22 amJ.B. HolmesRocco Mediate8:13 amJonathan BartlettJerod Turner8:04 amNicholas ThompsonJeff Quinney7:55 amCameron BeckmanMatt Kuchar7:46 amDerek LamelyBlake Adams7:37 amBrenden Pappas

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The little-known Roth shot a 4-under 66 in the second round of the U.S.Senior Open on Friday, vaulting himself into contention.

Roth hit 15 greens in regulation and took advantage with his strong putting.

He had six birdies despite the firm conditions, including a pair of 35-footputts that fell on the ninth and 18th holes. His putt on 18 broke hard fromright to left and just sneaked in the side of the hole to cap his round and gethim back into red figures headed to the weekend.

“It was great,” Roth said. “I played well all day. The round just kind ofdeveloped. I knew I had something special going when I made birdie on number9.”

“Then I birdied 11 and was thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’ve got somethingreally good going.”’

He followed it up with a 10-footer to save par on 12.

This the second USGA tournament Roth has played in. The other was the 1975U.S. Junior Amateur.

“I think the way USGA sets up the golf course it really is good for me,because I’m just one of those guys that grinds it out,” Roth said. “I can makeas good a par as anybody, and that’s usually a pretty good score.”

Roth has won several tournaments in Michigan, where he worked as a clubprofessional at Flint Country Club. After playing on the Champions Tour for acouple years, he was unable to find another job in Michigan and decided to moveto Farmington, N.M., and take the job at San Juan Country Club.

Despite never winning and only notching a couple top-25 finishes during hisshort time on the Champions Tour, the experience of playing against some of thetop players on the tour and his experience winning tournaments in Michigan havehelped climb the leaderboards.

“If you’ve never won golf tournaments before, then you don’t know what thepressure is like,” Roth said. “And there’s always pressure with winning golftournaments. I’ve won plenty of golf tournaments. I’m just going to play. I’mjust going to play, that’s all.”

ONE SHORT: Before second-round play began, Olin Browne found himself alittle short-handed.

Browne’s pitching wedge broke while on the driving range before his morningtee time and he was forced to play with just 13 clubs in his bag.

It didn’t phase Browne and he shot an even par 70 to remain at 3-over par.

Browne was on the range when the epoxy holding the shaft and clubheadtogether came loose and broke apart. The staff at Sahalee tried to repair theclub before the round began but were unsuccessful.

Browne said that he took a little off his tee shots to leave himself longershots into the greens that he could use a 9-iron instead. He said there is abouta 15-yard gap in his clubs without the pitching wedge in his arsenal.

“I played around it actually on a couple holes and when I needed it Iplayed my sand wedge back in my stance and just slugged it and I made birdietwice with it, so it worked out,” Browne said.

“This course is so hard, you’re probably not shooting at more than four orfive pins today anyway.”

Browne was going to attempt to get the club repaired for the third round,but said that if he couldn’t get it fixed he would play without it again onSaturday.

IN A FUNK: No one appears destined to match Fred Funk’s winning total of 20under at Crooked Stick last year.

Least of which is Funk.

The defending champ rebounded from a poor first round to shoot an even-par70 on Friday. He’ll be around for the weekend, but is well out of contention.

“Well I wanted to be around for the weekend. My teacher and I worked onsome stuff last night and it really hit the last five or six holes,” Funk said.

Funk said his focus after Thursday’s opening round 76 was finding someconsistency in the mechanics of his swing. He was still searching early, makinga pair of bogeys on his first nine, before rallying with a pair of birdiescoming in.

INFIRMARY: Peter Jacobsen withdrew midway through Friday’s second round witha left leg injury. Jacobsen was 7 over through nine holes and 11 over for thetournament when he pulled out. D.A. Weibring withdrew with an unknown injurybefore starting his second round and Wayne Levi pulled out with an elbow injury.

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SOUTHPORT, England, July 30 (Reuters) – A pep talk fromgolfing great Annika Sorenstam spurred Taiwan’s Yani Tseng tograb a commanding four-shot lead in the second round of thewomen’s British Open on Friday.

The 21-year-old Florida resident, who bought former worldnumber one Sorenstam’s house in Orlando, carded a secondstraight 68 before Royal Birkdale was deluged by rain.

“I asked her (Annika) how I could become the world numberone and she taught me a lot,” fifth-ranked Tseng told reporters.“She knows that I am a very aggressive player but she told methat I had to play smarter.”

Tseng took on board the Swede’s advice and sunk five birdiesin the second round.

She pulled off a great escape at the par-five 15th, whereshe carved her first tee shot into the rough and hit an evenwilder provisional. But fortune was again on her side as shefound the first ball and rescued a par.

DETERMINED TSENG

After reaching the halfway point on eight-under-136, she isdetermined to stay in front of the chasing pack.

“I’ve never led a major in the early rounds before. I’mgoing to try and lead all the way this week,” the twice majorwinner told reporters.

South Korea’s Amy Yang (71) along with Americans CristieKerr (67) and Brittany Lincicome (71) shared second place onfour under.

World number one Shin Jiyai, who carded a 71 in the worst ofthe weather, was also still in the hunt on two under.

U.S. Open champion Paula Creamer aggravated a thumb injuryhitting out of the rough at the 17th but survived the cut by ashot after a 74 took her to four over par.

But there was no lucky escape for holder Catriona Matthew.The Scot’s challenge ended before the weekend after she ran upan embarassing 10 at the par-four 13th.

After driving into a bramble bush, she hit a third shot intodeep rough and attempted three hacks before taking a penaltydrop and making a chip and two putts.

“Having a 10 and missing the cut is not the way I wanted todefend the title,” said the 40-year-old Scot. “I was playing sowell on the range but couldn’t take the same game on to thecourse.”

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha Tee #3TimePlayers7:54 amMatt Marshall8:03 amBrandt JobeZack Miller8:12 amBrandon CrickJamie Lovemark8:21 amChris NallenColt Knost8:30 amStephen PooleFabian Gomez8:39 amJeff GallagherLuke List8:48 amJin ParkJason Enloe8:57 amPaul ClaxtonScott Gutschewski9:06 amScott DunlapDave Schultz9:15 amPeter TomasuloJoel Edwards9:24 amWilliam McGirtBubba Dickerson9:33 amMartin PillerMichael Putnam9:42 amScott SterlingBrian Bateman9:51 amKent JonesTjaart van der Walt10:00 amTy HarrisScott Brown10:10 amJhonattan VegasRobert Streb10:20 amBobby GatesHunter Haas10:30 amRoberto CastroTag Ridings10:40 amMatt DavidsonBerry Henson10:50 amAdam BlandGeoffrey Sisk11:00 amJustin SmithKen Duke11:10 amAndrew SvobodaAlistair Presnell11:20 amJon MillsBrendan Steele11:30 amTommy GaineyJason Gore11:40 amRon WhittakerJim Herman11:50 amJames VargasMorgan Hoffmann12:00 pmScott StallingsAaron Watkins12:10 pmDicky PrideRyan Armour12:20 pmScott GardinerJames Hahn12:30 pmDavid MathisA.J. Elgert12:40 pmBob MaySteven Bowditch12:50 pmKyle ThompsonKevin Chappell

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Fisher had 10 birdies in 12 holes—including six in a row—in a bogey-freeround to reach 12-under 130 at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.

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Francesco Molinari of Italy was second after shooting a 66, and nine playerswere tied for third another two shots behind.

Fisher was in position to become the first player to shoot a 59 on theEuropean Tour after reaching 10 under on the 14th hole, but then missed threelate birdie putts—one from 5 feet and another two from 15.

“Not until I got onto the 14th did I think ‘If I knock this in I’ve got achance,”’ Fisher said about the prospect of shooting a 59. “So I was a bitannoyed when I missed the putt on 15 and after the 16th. It didn’t happen, butI’ll take 61.”

Molinari also reached the turn in 6 under, but said it never crossed hismind that he could be headed for a record-breaking round.

“I didn’t even realize that I had shot 29 on the front nine until I gotinto the recorders’ hut,” Molinari said. “I was hitting the ball very well andputting very well, but it’s actually a good sign when you don’t think about howmany you are under par and what kind of score you are heading to make.”

The Italian then bogeyed the 11th and 13th hole, before a birdie on the18th.

Padraig Harrington of Ireland (67) and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (68)were among the nine players at 7 under. McIlroy wasn’t ready to give up hope ofcatching Fisher.

“I am only five back so if I get off to a fast start hopefully I can closethe gap on Ross a little bit,” McIlroy said. “But it all really depends onwhat Ross does to be honest.”

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Weekley equaled his best round of the year with a 7-under 63 on Friday onthe Old White course to vault into second place, four strokes behind leader JeffOverton, midway through the inaugural Greenbrier Classic.

Weekley hit 17 greens in regulation and had seven birdies during abogey-free morning round for a two-day total of 10 under.

“I’m excited to play again,” Weekley said. “Feels like I can actuallycome out and compete and don’t have to take a bunch of (pain relievers) ornothing where I can play.”

The Greenbrier’s policy of jackets required for its finer restaurants and$80 million underground casino might not suit Weekley’s folksy lifestyle, butthe Southerner admits feeling at home among the local fans, who consider him oneof their own.

Weekley remembers fans rallying behind him when he played in severalNationwide Tour events in Bridgeport about 3 hours to the north, although hefeels West Virginia owes him one after he lost in a playoff in 2006.

“It would be nice if my stars line up,” he said.

The avid fisherman and hunter no longer packs the tackle box along with hisclubs. Trout-stocked Howard’s Creek runs throughout The Greenbrier, including infront of the first and 18th tees, but Weekley isn’t giving in to the temptation.

“I put all my stuff up when I come to tournaments now,” Weekley said. “Ijust mostly focus on golf and do my job and be done with it.”

Weekley couldn’t focus much after tearing a labrum in his left shoulder lastyear at the TPC Sawgrass. He stopped playing for more than a month and was leftwith a limited range of motion.

“It’s been kind of aggravated like a thorn in me,” he said. “Just feellike you can’t take it back some days, and some days don’t feel like I can comethrough the ball.”

Weekley was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team that beat Europe in 2008 butwas ranked No. 172 in the world this week with only three top 10s in the lasttwo years. His only two tour wins were at the 2007 and 2008 Heritage.

After the injury he lost 20 pounds and started feeling better about his gameonly three weeks ago at the John Deere Classic, when he finished 21st.

He said his shoulder is to the point “where I feel like I can actuallyswing the club and not have the hesitation at it.”

Old White’s length and lack of deep rough have led to an assault on thepins, and rains that softened the greens earlier in the week have made solidscoring even more possible.

Overton’s 8-under 62 was the low round of the tournament and his best of theyear.

He used wedges on all but one approach shot during a bogey-free round tofinish two rounds at 14 under.

“I don’t really know the last time I was playing with this muchconfidence,” said Overton, who’s winless in five years on the PGA Tour. “I’mjust kind of getting used to the whole PGA Tour lifestyle.”

The 27-year-old Overton, a former Big Ten player of the year at Indiana,needed just 26 putts in his best round of the year. He topped his previous lowof 7-under 63 at the Colonial.

Starting on the back nine, Overton came to the par-4 seventh needing toclose with three birdies for a 59. His approach from 85 yards landed 18 feetfrom the pin and he slid his putt to the right. He finished with three straightpars but wasn’t disappointed.

The Bloomington, Ind., resident is having his best season with four top fivefinishes, including three in his last six events. Overton finished second by twostrokes each at the Zurich Classic and the Byron Nelson Championship.

Overton is 12th in FedEx Cup points and could vault to No. 2 with a win,depending on the finishes of two players higher than him in the field, Jim Furykat No. 5 and Matt Kuchar at No. 7.

“Obviously I’d take a win over a second any day of the week—over 100seconds,” Overton said. “You never know when it’s your time.”

Furyk was 7 under in the Greenbrier Classic and Kuchar was 2 under.

Jimmy Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton (68)were tied for third place at 9 under. Compton, the first-round co-leader, isplaying on a sponsor’s exemption.

Walker was poised to overtake Weekley but had two late bogeys.

Aaron Baddeley (65), Briny Baird (65), Chris Stroud (63) and Charles HowellIII (67) were six strokes back at 5 under.

Compton couldn’t grind out the birdies that dominated his first round, whenhe tied Matt Every for the lead at 7 under.

Still, Compton, looking to solidify a future either on the PGA Tour or theNationwide circuit, put himself in good position for the weekend. His highestfinish is 30th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

“I was just frustrated because three birdies out here is not acceptable,”Compton said. “I need to be a little better keeping it below the hole.”

Every made double bogey at the par-5 17th, shot 72 and was nine strokesback.

Carl Pettersson, last week’s Canadian Open winner who barely made the cut inthat tournament, shot 64 Friday and was at 5 under, three strokes above the cutline.

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Overton, winless in five years on the PGA Tour, shot the low round of thetournament, using wedges on all but one approach shot during a bogey-free roundon the Old White course. He was 14 under.

Boo Weekley, finally healthy after tearing a labrum in his left shoulder ayear ago, was 10 under after a 63.

Jimmy Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton (68)were 9 under. Compton, the first-round co-leader, is playing on a sponsor’sexemption.

Aaron Baddeley (65), Briny Baird (65), Chris Stroud (63) and Charles HowellIII (67) were six strokes back at 5 under.

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