Love (63) Plays Like a Winner

Davis Love III shook off a bogey-bogey start Friday with nine birdies that gave him a seven-under-par 63 and a four-stroke lead over John Huston, the largest 36-hole advantage in the history of the Byron Nelson Classic.

Two nearly flawless rounds put Love at 11-under 129 and gave him even more confidence that he can win for the first time in more than two years.

“I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing the last two days,” said Love, who played his second round in the tournament at Irving, Texas, at Cottonwood Valley Golf Course. “I’ve been feeling a long time that if one or two things right happen, I can get going again. I want to start moving back to the top. The only way to do that is to win. The only way to keep up with Tiger [Woods] is to win.”

Woods was the least of his worries--so far.

Love will be paired today with Huston, who had a bogey-free 65 on the TPC at Las Colinas--the other course in use--and was at 133. The group at 135 included Jesper Parnevik (65) and former PGA champion Mark Brooks (66).

Woods, in his first tournament since the Masters, flirted with missing only the second cut of his career until he holed a couple of putts on the back nine of Cottonwood Valley for a 67 that left him at even-par 140.

Phil Mickelson also had a 63 and is seven back at 136.

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Pat Hurst shot a four-under 68 in windy conditions and built her lead to six strokes after two rounds of the Electrolux USA Championship at Franklin, Tenn.

Hurst finished with an 11-under 133 total. Michele Redman and Cindy Figg-Currier are at 139.

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Mark Hayes, taking time out from a burgeoning golf-design business, fired a five-under 67 to take the first-round lead of the Senior PGA Tour’s Nationwide Championship at Alpharetta, Ga.

Included in the group at four under at the Golf Club of Georgia were Hubert Green, who has seven top-10 finishes this year, Vicente Fernandez, David Graham, John Bland and Bob Charles.