THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 9, 1994 TAG: 9407090355
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Bob Lohr couldn't match Thursday's round, but he couldn't complain.
For the second consecutive day, Lohr rewrote the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic record book and is perched well above the rest of the field at Kingsmill.
On a day when the wind whipped up and took the leaders' scores up as well, Lohr shot a 68 for a 13-under-par 129 and a three-stroke lead over Glen Day. The only other players within six strokes of the lead are John Wilson at 8 under and Tom Purtzer at 7 under.
Lohr's two-round total is the lowest midway-point score in the Anheuser-Busch's 14-year run at Kingsmill, beating Ian Baker-Finch's 62-68-130 in 1991. Lohr's total is also just a stroke off the best two-round score on tour this season.
``Yesterday was a tough act to follow . . . It's always hard to come back after a good round,'' said Lohr, who opened with a tournament-record 61. ``It's hard to think about a pitcher throwing back-to-back no-hitters.''
Put Lohr down for a one-hitter. The only delivery that got away from him came on the 10th hole, when he drove into the rough, then found a bunker, pitched out to 8 feet and missed the par putt.
Besides that, Lohr followed Thursday's spectacular play with a solid day. He made birdies on Nos. 3, 7, 11 and 18 and got up and down for pars on several occasions when he missed greens.
Seventy-two players made the cut, which fell at even-par 142. Among those who won't be playing this weekend are former A-B champs Lanny Wadkins, David Peoples, Tom Sieckmann and Mike Donald. Williamsburg's Mark Carnevale and crowd favorite Roger Maltbie also missed the cut.
Kingsmill touring pro Curtis Strange shot a 69 Friday after an opening 70 to stand at 3-under 139. Ben Crenshaw's 67 lifted him to 4 under for the tournament. Defending champion Jim Gallagher shot an even-par 71 to remain at 2 under.
Kingsmill's River Course yielded seven rounds of 66 or better on Thursday, but with stiffer winds providing a bigger challenge Friday, Brad Lardon's lone 66 was the day's best.
Lohr is the rabbit everyone else will be chasing around the Kingsmill track the next two days. Wilson, one of the few in a position to catch Lohr, isn't sure anyone will.
``Bob's a good player,'' Wilson said. ``He doesn't hit it real long, but he always keeps it in play and he's one of the better putters on tour. If Bob Lohr plays Bob Lohr's game, I can't see anyone beating Bob Lohr. I think Bob Lohr is sitting in the driver's seat, and he's ready to shift it into third gear.''
Wilson would be in the passenger's seat next to Lohr were it if not for his troubles on the par-5 seventh. He hit out of bounds twice - first off the tee and then on his approach shot to the green - and took a triple-bogey 8.
``For 17 holes it was pretty solid,'' Wilson said of his 70. ``I can go a month without hitting it out of bounds, but all of a sudden I do it twice in one hole.''
Lohr's closest pursuer, Day, followed his opening-round 64 with a 68 Friday. But Day isn't 100 percent positive he will be around all weekend.
Day's wife is 8 1/2 months pregnant with the couple's first child. He said he's calling home to Arkansas five or six times a day to make sure everything is OK.
So what happens if Day, a 1993 qualifying school graduate, vaults into the lead after three rounds and then gets a call from his wife with stork news?
``Odds are I'm gone,'' Day said. ``But I don't think she'll call if I'm playing real good. We just bought a house and she wants to pay for that house.''
Lohr, who has one career win, is in the best position to contemplate acquiring real estate. But he said it's too early to think about a victory or even protecting a lead.
``I don't think I'm in a position to even think about the lead at this point,'' Lohr said. ``I know better. I'm in my 10th year out here and you get to where you've seen it all.'' ILLUSTRATION: "Yesterday was a tough act to follow."
[Color Photo] PAUL AIKEN/Staff
After two rounds, Bob Lohr has the lowest midway score in the
Anheuseri-Busch's 14-year run at Kingsmill. His total is just a
stroke off the tour's best two-round score this year.
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Glen Day and his caddie line up a putt. Day shot a 68 and is in
second place, three shots behind leader Bob Lohr, after 36 holes.
CHART
SECOND ROUND-LEADERS
[For a copy of the chart, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB