Stockton (68) Puts on Another Clinic : Golf: A nonwinner since 1976, he’s tied with Cook and Jacobsen for second-round lead in Hope tournament.

LA QUINTA —  Dave Stockton has a passion for hunting and the 48-year-old pro is still in the hunt in the $1-million Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Stockton, who shared the first-round lead Wednesday with John Cook, Fred Funk and Don Pooley, had a share of it again Thursday.

The former USC star shot a four-under-par 68 at Indian Wells for a 36-hole score of 133, 11 under, in the 90-hole tournament that ends Sunday.

Cook also retained a share of the lead by shooting a 68 at the Palmer course at PGA West, considered the most demanding layout of the four courses over which the tournament is played.

Peter Jacobsen joined Stockton and Cook atop the leader board with a six-under 66 at Indian Wells.

Mike Reid, with a 66 at Bermuda Dunes, is in contention at 134, and five players--Robert Wrenn, Jim Booros, Bob Tway, Tommy Armour III and Pooley--were grouped at 135.

It was a day that was alternately sunny and cold with a trace of rain at each of the four courses.

Stockton, a part-time player whose last victory was the PGA Championship in 1976, always reserves part of the year for hunting and fishing. He has hunted caribou in Alaska and elk in Colorado.

In July, he plans to go to Africa for some more hunting.

“Craig Stadler is going, but he wants a lion,” Stockton said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with anything that can get me.”

Earlier he said that he doesn’t care if he gets anything on his hunting trips, since he just enjoys being outdoors.

Stockton, who earns most of his money by playing in corporate outings, seems to enjoy playing with three amateur partners.

“You’re playing with some leaders of industry, and you want to make sure the amateurs are having a good time,” he said.

Nonetheless, Stockton was able to maintain his concentration. He had four birdies and saved par four times by getting up and down out of bunkers.

He started on the 10th hole, a difficult 446-yard par four, and got a birdie. He was three under par at the turn, but said that he was ragged coming in, with only one birdie on his back nine.

“My swing is as good as it has ever been in my life,” Stockton said. “My biggest fault is getting in a hurry because I’ve been giving so many clinics and playing in so many pro-ams, and I want to help the amateurs. I talk about hunting and other stuff and my mind wanders terribly. But I’ve been pleased with my patience so far.”

As well as Stockton is playing at his age, he says he has other interests now and would rather see his sons, David and Ron, play better than he does. David and Ron are members of the USC golf team.

Stockton tells the story of when he was playing in a tournament in Seattle. He said if he played in the morning, then he fished in the afternoon and vise versa.

“There was a guy fishing in a boat and he said, ‘How old do you think I am?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, late 50s.’ He said he was 68. I said that he didn’t look it. He said, ‘God doesn’t count the days you go fishing.’

“So it’s all a state of mind.”

Jacobsen was pleased with his round of seven birdies and only one bogey.

“The strongest part of my game at this point is my putting,” he said. “It used to be the most inconsistent part.

“I started watching the good putters--Curtis Strange, Tom Kite, Tom Watson and Don Pooley. I’m a mimic at heart and we all steal a little bit from each other.”

Even though Cook shot a 65 Wednesday, he said he’d felt so bad because of the flu that he wasn’t sure he could play.

“I feel a heck of a lot better than I did yesterday,” said Cook, who had hand surgery last year and was inactive for several months. “I hit almost every fairway and missed only two greens.”

Cook said that any score under par--or under 70--is a big bonus at the Palmer course that he doesn’t have to visit again until the final round on Sunday.

Reid said he quickly overcame his disappointment of last year when he lost a chance to win a major tournament. He was leading after three rounds of the PGA Championship and was still in front with three holes to play.

But he hit into water on the 16th hole, then three-putted at the 17th green and wound up tied for second behind Payne Stewart.

However, Reid, who is nicknamed Radar because of his accuracy off the tee, isn’t brooding. “It wasn’t all that tough, because so many good things happened,” Reid said. “It took a couple of weeks to put it behind me. I looked back at it once and then turned the page.”

He also turned in a 66 Thursday after a shaky start. He hit his drive into water at the 10th hole at Bermuda Dunes, his starting point. However, he still managed to save par on the par-four, 414-yard hole by hitting a five-iron to within five feet of the cup after taking his drop.

Reid then got six birdies, four on his back nine.

Golf Notes

Fred Funk, who shared the first-round lead Wednesday, slumped to 140 Thursday with his 75 at the Palmer course. . . . Tour rookie Robert Gamez, who won in Tucson last week, shot a 66 at Indian Wells and trails the leaders by three. Tom Kite shot a 69 at Tamarisk and is at 139, six shots back. So is Paul Azinger, who won the Tournament of Champions at La Costa, the opening tour event. . . . Tom Watson, who had a 70 Wednesday, came back with a 73 Thursday for 143. He played at Tamarisk.