Bill Glasson assumes two-shot lead on second day of Regions Tradition

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Bill Glasson didn't have a bogey until Friday on the 16th hole at the Regions Tradition.

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John Zenor 

Series: Champions Tour

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Bill Glasson even managed to take his first -- and, so far, only -- bogey at Shoal Creek as a positive.

He's having that kind of week.

Glasson shot a 3-under 69 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Russ Cochran -- who had a 68 -- after the second round of the Regions Tradition, the second Champions Tour major of the year.

Glasson had a 9-under 135 total at Shoal Creek, and didn't have a bogey until Friday on No. 16. He sounded almost relieved "to get that out of the way."

"I made one decent putt for par earlier on 13, and up to then I wasn't really challenged too much over the couple of days," Glasson said. "You're going to make bogeys on this course. Maybe somebody's gone two rounds without making one, but that's pretty impressive if they have.

"Sometimes it frees you up a little bit."

He does have an anecdote to back that up. Glasson recalled his first win, the 1985 Kemper Open, when a bogey on the penultimate hole "allowed me to play 18 without puking all over myself."

Glasson didn't miss any fairways Friday, went the first 33 holes without a bogey and took a four-stroke lead with his final birdie on 14. Then came the lone bogey.

This time, he said firmer greens contributed to his misfires on 13 and 16.

"The ball landed about pin high and released over the back" on 16," Glasson said. "The same thing happened on 13."

Defending champion Tom Lehman was three strokes back along with Fred Funk, Brad Bryant and Jeff Sluman. Lehman and Bryant shot 69, Funk had a 71, and Sluman a 68.

Dan Forsman, tied for the first-round lead with Glasson, had a 73 to drop four shots back.

Glasson is seeking his first victory since winning the 1997 Las Vegas Invitational for the last of his seven PGA Tour titles.

Glasson, who underwent the last of 25 surgeries late in 2009, hadn't had the solo lead after 36 holes since the 1994 Tour Championship when he wound up tying for fourth.

He's been on top since teeing off in the first pairing Thursday and posting a birdie on No. 2, giving him a little time to get acclimated to frontrunner status again.

"The lead is not going to be what causes my demise or whatever," Glasson said. "It's going to be me or not trusting my swing. I have my own demons to overcome.

"I can't help but think every hole that I play with the lead is only going to help me."

Cochran, the 2011 Senior British Open winner, had birdies on 15 and 16 to break out of a pack in second place. He was sidelined for two months this time last year with a wrist injury, missing the Regions Tradition.

He had played Shoal Creek a few times before in the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship and in a Southeastern Conference championship with Kentucky in 1978, the year after it opened.

"This just brings back great memories for me," Cochran said.

He made a 15-footer on No. 16 for his final birdie.

"When I went through, the guy said there had been only three birdies, so very difficult hole," Cochran said.

Funk overcame bogeys on the first two holes -- both par 4s.

The 2005 Players Championship winner birdied Nos. 14 and 17 and saved par with a nice up and down from the rough on the final hole.

"I really saved the round the last five holes,' said Funk, who missed the cut at the Senior PGA two weeks ago. "I was real pleased with that. I would rather start bad and finish good than the other way around.

"I held it together and kept myself in the tournament just at those last five holes."

Funk had won the Tradition in 2008 and 2010 at Sunriver in Oregon.

Forsman three-putted the 18th hole for his third bogey of the final six holes and fourth overall. He had only one on Thursday.

"Today wasn't quite as enjoyable," he said. "That's the way Shoal Creek is, it giveth and it taketh away."

He said he made a poor club choice on the 18th hole given the swirling wind.

"It was a little bit tricky out there," Forsman said. "I hit the wrong club and it was too far into the green. I misjudged the putt pretty bad. To walk out of there with a three-putt is pretty discouraging."

Rookies Ready for Kickoff

Posted Aug 5, 2008

By Mike Duffy



The Ravens' rookies aren't shying away from the opportunity to finally play at the NFL level.


The Ravens’ rookies are only days away from of their first-ever NFL action.



Not only are they making their debut in purple and black, but they are also doing it against the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots and their hostile fans.



Still, the group seems to be handling the specter of playing on such a grand stage in stride.



If anything, the chance to lay their hands on different color jersey is motivation enough to get past any fears.



“You know, it’s just the game of football, something I’ve done since I was 10 years old,” said third-round draft pick Tavares Gooden. “I’m tired of hitting the same guys. I want to take the techniques I’ve learned here to the football field.”

The rookies will have every opportunity to show their progress Thursday at Gillette Stadium (7:30 p.m., WBAL-TV, WBAL 1090), where many Ravens starters will likely be held out of action.

Running back Willis McGahee is sidelined with a knee injury, opening up a starting spot for Ray Rice, a second-rounder. Safety Ed Reed is nursing a hurt shoulder back to health, which could promote both Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura.

And, the fact that Mark Clayton (shoulder) will be limited and Demetrius Williams (leg) will not play opens a chance for a trio of rookie receivers - Marcus Smith, Justin Harper and Ernie Wheelwright - to see extended time on the field.

Much of the scrutiny will be on Rice, who has looked sensational in camp carrying the load in McGahee’s absence from camp.

The 55th-overall selection from Rutgers dazzled with his hard-nosed style coupled with a touch of breakaway speed.

Head coach John Harbaugh doesn’t think Rice will wilt under pressure, especially since the 21-year-old logged a whopping 910 attempts in three collegiate seasons, racking up 4,926 yards and 49 touchdowns.

“He’s a rookie, but gosh he’s had a lot of carries his whole career,” Harbaugh said. “As a running back, he’s a veteran. It will be new for him playing against an NFL defense, particularly that defense, and it will be interesting to see how he’ll do, but I’d be surprised if he’s not up to the task.”

Even though Kyle Boller is starting at quarterback, there will also be a lot of eyes on the Ravens’ backfield, where first-rounder Joe Flacco, who general manager Ozzie Newsome said was Baltimore’s “quarterback of the future,” will take his initial snaps.

Considering he earned his stripes as a record-setter at Delaware, of the Football Championship Subdivision, it would be natural for Flacco to feel some trepidation facing Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Not so for the 6-foot-6, 230-pound gunslinger. Flacco is eager for his chance under center.

“I’m anxious, and I think most people would be,” Flacco noted. “It’s the first time you get a chance to step on the field at an NFL level. That’s a pretty big step, and it’s a pretty big accomplishment. I’m anxious to get it going and just see what it’s like.



“My strategy is to go out there and play football the way I know how to and try to become as comfortable as possible with my teammates and with the offense.”



Count Harbaugh as another Raven ready to get started. He may have joined the Ravens with 24 years of college and professional coaching experience, but this is his first head coaching job.



Since Harbaugh was hired in January, every meeting, film session and practice has prepared him for kickoff - but even he admits his reactions on game day can’t be predicted.



“I expect not to know what to expect and how it’s going to be like,” Harbaugh said with a smile. “You talk about the rookies and how they’re going to respond. I’m interested in how I’m going to respond.



“We’ll see how it goes.”