PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer spent 45 anxious minutes Friday night wondering if the driver that he has used the last two years would be healthy enough to make it to work Saturday.

Fortunately, a Champions Tour club technician was able to find a replacement screw for the one that busted inside the clubhead at the end of Langer’s second round at the Senior Players Championship.

The “gamer” back in his ever steady hands, Langer moved closer to his third major title on the 50-and-over circuit, overcoming a slow start to shoot a 4-under 66 in the third round and stay in front of hard-charging Kenny Perry at Fox Chapel.

“There’s always slight doubts,” Langer said. “You’re putting something together. They say it’s the same, but you’re never sure it’s the same … I was convinced it was very close to the same. You don’t want it to get into your head.”

It hardly looked like Langer was bothered while moving to 15-under 195 through 54 holes at an event where he has five top-10 finishes but no victories. The two-time Masters hit 10 of 14 fairways and shot a 4-under 31 on the back nine to regain control after briefly losing the lead to Perry.

Perry, trying to join Arnold Palmer as the only player to win the Senior Players in consecutive years, was three behind after a 65 he allowed could have been even better. Still, the deficit is hardly daunting for Perry, who trailed Fred Couples by two heading into the final round last June only to emerge with the first major of his professional career.

“Hopefully, the results will be the same,” Perry said, laughing.

Russ Cochran, Joe Durant and Bill Glasson were four back. Cochran had a 63, the low round of the day. Durant shot 67, and Glasson had a 68.

Jeff Sluman was at 10 under following a 64 as the field began to spread out behind Langer.

While Langer’s driver was just fine when he walked to the first tee on Saturday, everything else in his game looked shaky early on. The 56-year-old German three-putted the first hole for bogey and couldn’t get up and down for par from a greenside bunker on the fifth.

With Perry rocketing up the leaderboard in front of him, the unflappable Langer regained control of the tournament.

A 30-foot birdie from the back of the green on the par-4 sixth got him going and he backed it up with another birdie on the seventh to bring him back to even par, setting the stage for the strong back nine. After finding himself one shot behind Perry at the turn, Langer put on a clinic. He birdied the 12th then ran off three more birdies from Nos. 14-16, all of them on putts inside 15 feet.

Langer has been one of the most dominant players on the Champions Tour since making his debut in 2007. He has won 20 times since turning 50, including the Senior British Open and the U.S. Senior Open in 2010. He has challenged frequently at the Senior Players, where he’s never finished worse than 13th in six starts, including a tie for eighth behind Perry last June.

This time Langer finds himself in the role of leader, but he’ll have an eyeful of Perry on Sunday after the streaky Kentuckian put together another scorching round at the par 70 layout.

Perry bounced back a methodical 70 in the opening round with a 63 on Friday. He followed it with a roller-coaster 65 that included six birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.

“I need to make that a little bit better tomorrow,” Perry said. “I need to clean it up a little bit and put on a little bit of pressure.”

A birdie on No. 14 seemed to have Perry poised for his second straight 63, but he cooled over the closing stretch, bogeying the 16th after his tee shot landed against a tree. Playing into the wind on the uphill par-5 18th, he settled for par, leaving himself and the rest of the field with some work to do to catch Langer.

Not that Langer is taking anything for granted.

“I still have got to shoot under par tomorrow,” he said. “I feel Kenny Perry is going to go under par. There’s still 18 holes to play. That’s a lot of golf.”

Maybe, but Perry knows Langer isn’t going to come back to the pack. Perry estimated it would take a 63 to make things interesting on Sunday. Anything less could turn the round into a victory lap for his good friend.

“If he kicks my butt, I’ll shake his hand, give him a hug, whatever,” Perry said. “We’re going to go out and compete and see where the chips fall.”

The Canadians didn’t make up any ground Saturday. Rod Splittle dropped three spots into a tie for 60th at 3-over after a second round 71. Jim Rutledge fell nine spots into a tie for 66th at 6-over.

COLOGNE, Germany – Former champion Pablo Larrazabal made five birdies for a 5-under 67 to claim the overnight lead going into the final day of the BMW International Open on Saturday.

“I’m going shot by shot, hole by hole and trying to make as many birdies as I can,” Larrazabal said.

The Spaniard, who won the tournament in a play-off with compatriot Sergio Garcia in 2011, finished strongly and holds a three-shot lead at 17-under par, with eight players tied for second on 14-under.

Larrazabal is yet to drop a shot in the tournament, but was nevertheless unhappy with his performance and he acknowledged that the wet course had been a factor.

“My game wasn’t good today. I didn’t hit the driver well. I put myself in a little bit of trouble but I knew how to handle it and to keep it going and make some birdies coming in. I can play better golf but – playing like I played, I cannot score better,” Larrazabal said.

Emiliano Grillo would be closer to the Spaniard but for a double bogey on the final hole. The Argentine is tied with former winners Thomas Bjorn (2000 and 2002), Henrik Stenson (2006) and Robert Karlsson (1997), as well as Francesco Molinari, Carlos Del Moral, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Richard Green, who catapulted himself into contention with the round of the tournament. The Australian made eight birdies and an eagle for a 10-under 62.

Green also alluded to the weather’s impact.

“The course was firm on Thursday afternoon, bouncy, and now all of a sudden it’s target practice now. So you can pretty much fly it at any pin and stop it right there,” Green said.

Former winner Danny Willett, who started in a four-way lead with Larrazabal, Grillo and playing partner Cabrera-Bello, struggled with a shoulder injury. The Englishman made two bogeys, but recovered with two of his three birdies at the final four holes for a 1-under 71 to finish in a group at 13 under.

LANCASTER, Pa – Canadians Josee Doyon and Delaney Howson have been eliminated from the Women’s Western National Amateur Championship after both advancing to Friday’s semifinals at the Lancaster Country Club.

Doyon, a Beauceville, Que., native, topped Allison Emrey of Charlotte, N.C. 1up in the round of 16. The Kent State sophomore later went on to take down Florida’s August Kim in the quarterfinals, 4 and 3. Her streak ended after losing to Mika Liu of Beverley Hills, Calif.

Howson, a recent Murray State graduate, advanced through to the round of 16 by defeating American Sierra Sims in 22 holes. The Newmarket, Ont., native then defeated Aliea Clark of Carlsbad, Calif. in the quarterfinals, 2 up. The 22-year-old also lost in the semifinals, losing 1up to Cammie Gray of Northport, Ala.

Naomi Ko, the lone remaining member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, fell in the earlier round of 16 to Cammie Gray.

Mika Liu and Cammie Gray will square off in tomorrow’s final matches, beginning at 7:30 am.

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For six grueling rounds of golf over four days at the Wyndance Golf Club, Dave Levesque had an exacting and unwavering game plan with one definitive goal in mind – win.

On a picture perfect Friday afternoon in Uxbridge, Ont., he reached that goal, capturing the 2014 PGA Championship of Canada.

“For so many years I’ve had so many close calls so this feels awesome,” the Montreal native admitted. “It was very tiring out there this afternoon and I made a few mental mistakes early on in the match, but I tried to stay patient because I knew eventually things would happen.”

In the championship’s final match, Levesque the No. 3 seed squared off against the No. 1-seeded Billy Walsh, who in 2013 won the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada and reached the finals of the PGA Championship of Canada. Walsh jumped out to an early lead, going 2-up thru the first three holes. Levesque would claw back to square the match by the eighth hole, but made bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10, falling back to 2-down with eight to play.

Birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 brought the match back to square, while three more birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 18 clinched the 2-up victory for the 40-year-old.

Levesque becomes the third PGA of Canada member from Quebec since 2011 to capture the championship. Vincent Dumouchel won in 2011 at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club in Calgary, while Eric Laporte won the following year at Country Hills Golf Club, which is also in Calgary.

“As PGA of Canada member from Quebec, I feel very proud today of Dave Levesque,” said PGA of Canada President Constant Priondolo. “I congratulate Dave on the win here today, but I also congratulate Billy on a wonderful week as well.”

And while it was the second-straight year Walsh walked away from the PGA Championship of Canada with second-place honours, narrowly winning the prestigious P.D. Ross Trophy, this time around won’t sting quite as bad.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week I’d be second place and earn the RBC Canadian Open exemption I probably would have taken that over winning,” Walsh said. “It’s really a dream come true for me and give me two good days on Thursday and Friday and let’s see where I am.”

By virtue of his second-place finish and the 50-rankings points, Walsh earns an exemption into next month’s RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club as the No. 1-ranked player from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

In the third place match, Chris Barber, the No. 15 seed bested the No. 60 seed Christophe Belair.

With the championship win, Levesque not only takes home the P.D. Ross Trophy and a $15,000 winner’s cheque, he also earns 60-ranking points moves to No. 2 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings.

Past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The next PGA championship takes place July 29-31 at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont., for the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

BETHESDA, Md. – Tiger Woods never felt so good after playing so badly.

Taking two shots to escape a plugged lie in a bunker put him a hole. Four straight bogeys on the back nine Friday in the Quicken Loans National buried his chances of making it to the weekend. Over two rounds at Congressional, he missed 16 greens and managed to save par only three times.

Woods was back – just not for very long.

Playing for the first time in more than three months because of back surgery, he had a 4-over 75 on Friday and missed the cut by four shots. It was only the 10th time in his PGA Tour career that Woods missed a 36-hole cut, and the first time he didn’t sound overly distressed.

“I hate to say it, but I’m really encouraged by what happened this week,” Woods said. “I missed the cut by four shots – that’s a lot. But the fact that what I was able to do physically, and the speed I had and the distance that I was hitting the golf ball again, I had not done that in a very long time. Felt great today. Then, as I said, I made so many little mistakes … all the little things that I know I can fix. But as I said, that’s very encouraging.”

And it wasn’t all that surprising.

Woods had played only four tournaments this year while coping with an increasingly sore back, which led him to have surgery March 31 and miss the first two majors. He had hoped to return for the British Open next month. Instead, he felt strong enough to play the Quicken Loans National, primarily because it benefits his foundation and Woods figured he needed to get in a little competition before going to Royal Liverpool.

Even it if was only two rounds.

“I came back four weeks earlier than we thought I could,” Woods said. “I had no setbacks. I got my feel for playing tournament golf. I made a ton of simple, little mistakes – misjudging things and missing the ball on the wrong sides and just didn’t get up-and-down on little, simple shots. Those are the little things I can correct.”

Marc Leishman of Australia turned potential bogey into unlikely birdie when he holed out from 127 yards on the par-5 ninth hole on his way to a 5-under 66 and a four-way share of the lead going into the weekend.

Oliver Goss, another Aussie who is making his second pro start, had a bogey-free 66 and joined Leishman at 6-under 136 along with Ricky Barnes (69) and Patrick Reed (68), who already has won twice this year.

Woods was 13 shots behind at 7-over 149.

It wasn’t the largest 36-hole gap from the leaders in the previous nine times he missed the cut on the PGA Tour.

It just looked that way.

Woods took two shots to get out of a plugged lie in a bunker on the fifth hole and made double bogey. He three-putted for par on the next hole and never looked more sloppy than on the short par-4 eighth. He was in perfect position after hitting a big drive, 61 yards from the hole at the right angle. His pitch was too strong and left of the flag, leaving him a downhill chip from the collar. He hit that 7 feet by and missed the par putt.

Even so, the damage came after consecutive bogeys around the turn. His tee shot went into a hazard on No. 11, forcing him to punch out. He hit a wild hook off the tee on the 12th, and his second shot was headed for a bunker until it was suspended in the grass on the lip of the sand. He hit a poor chip from below the green on the 13th. And from the 14th fairway, he missed the green and hit another poor chip.

Four bogeys, no time to recover.

“If it were anybody else, I would say that I would expect kind of a struggle. But you just never know with Tiger,” Jordan Spieth said after his own brilliant display of a short game that allowed him to make the cut. “He just got a couple rounds under his belt. So he’s going to be a severe threat at the British – probably a favorite – and after playing these couple rounds, I think he’ll take something from it.

“He’s not that far off from being right back to where he was.”

Woods took encouragement from not feeling any pain in his back, and from swinging as hard as he wanted with his driver. That’s what concerned him about playing this week. Turns out it was the two shortest clubs in his bag – the wedge and putter – that did him in.

It was surprising to see Woods go straight from the range to the tee in both rounds. Most players give themselves a few extra minutes in the chipping area.

“The short game was off,” Woods said. “I’ve been practicing on Bermuda grass, and I grew the grass up at my house and it was Bermuda. But come out here and play rye, it’s totally different. And it showed. I was off. I probably shout have spent more time chipping over on the chipping green than I did. But that’s the way it goes.”

His last act as tournament host is to present the trophy, and that could be anyone.

Ten players were separated by only two shots going into the weekend, and there was only a nine-shot differential from first to last place. Former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose had 65 to get within three shots of the lead.

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer’s game is in splendid shape. His driver? Not so much.

Whether the two-time Masters champion can lock down his first Senior Players Championship could depend on how he deals with a backup.

Langer shot a 6-under 64 on Friday to take the lead at the halfway point of the third major on the Champions Tour, birdieing No. 18 to take a two-shot lead over Bill Glasson and Doug Garwood. Langer was at 11-under 129 as he searches for his first victory at the Senior Players after five top-10 finishes.

Rather than cruising, however, the 56-year-old Langer is wary after noticing the driver he has had in his bag for the last two years had started to rattle after teeing off on 18.

“I’m going ‘Wow, what’s the rattling for?”’ said Langer, a two-time winner this season. “And I grabbed the head, it was loose. So something broke inside the screw that holds the shaft in, I think it’s broken.”

It was one of the few things that went wrong for Langer on a day vulnerable Fox Chapel barely put up a fight. Doug Garwood, tied for the first-round lead, and Bill Glasson were two strokes back. Garwood birdied two of the last three holes, and Glasson had a 64.

Joe Durant, also tied for the first-round lead, was 8 under along with Michael Allen, John Riegger and Mark McNulty. Defending champion Kenny Perry moved into contention at 7 under with a 63, the low round of the tournament so far.

After being allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls during the opening round following several days of rain, players were forced to play it down everywhere but the 14th hole at the 6,710-yard layout.

It did little to affect the deluge of low scores. More than half the 81-player field was at even par or better.

Through two rounds, nobody was lower than Langer. He opened with a 65 and used a little bit of luck to jump start his round Friday. He attempted to drive the green on the uphill 295-yard par-4 seventh only to watch his ball sail into the left rough. His pitch from 25 yards bounded onto the green and into the cup for an unlikely eagle.

“I didn’t have much of a shot,” Langer said. “I short-sided myself and landed the pitch just perfect and it rolled right in. That was a bonus.”

The attack kept coming. He added four more birdies – all from inside 12 feet – including tricky left-to-right putt from 8 feet on the par-5 18th that gave Langer a two-shot cushion. Langer’s two-round score of 129 is the second-lowest at the midway point in a tournament that dates to 1983.

Yet Langer isn’t exactly blowing away the competition. There are some bold-faced names behind him, and some unfamiliar ones too.

Garwood is a journeyman who spent most of his prime selling insurance when he wasn’t playing on mini-tours. Yet he has gaining confidence with each passing week on the 50-and-over circuit. He nearly won at the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa last month before falling in a playoff.

The 51-year-old joked after the first round he wanted to lower expectations heading into the third major tournament of his Champions career, figuring if they’re low enough he’ll have no trouble surpassing them. Consider it done.

“Every day is like Disneyland for me,” Garwood said.

He opened with back-to-back birdies before giving both shots right back with consecutive bogeys. Undaunted, he kept firing at the slow, damp greens that have turned the tournament into so much target practice. He ended his round by birdieing the 18th for the second straight day.

Garwood was later joined by Glasson at 9 under after Glasson shot one of four 64s on a course that doesn’t look like it will firm up anytime soon.

That could turn the weekend into a shootout, which fits Perry just fine. A year ago he began the march to his first major title by shooting a 63 in the second round. He did the same Friday, though he could have gone even lower. He missed a 6-footer for birdie on No. 15 and appeared stunned when his 4-footer on No. 17 slid left of the hole.

Those are two putts the perpetually streaky Perry would like to have back. He spent the first two days playing alongside Langer. Now he’ll spend the next two chasing the meticulous German who already has two Champions Tour majors to his credit.

“He’s playing flawless golf,” Perry said of Langer. “He’s hitting it perfect, so he’s going to be a hard man to catch.”

Canada’s Rod Spittle (69-73) and Jim Rutledge (72-70) hold a share of 57th spot at 2-over 142.

BETHESDA, Md. – The young Australian at the top of the leaderboard is so new to the PGA Tour that he couldn’t get into the clubhouse.

Playing in his second event as a professional, 20-year-old Oliver Goss shot a bogey-free, 5-under 66 Friday in the second round of the Quicken Loans National, putting him in a tie for first with Patrick Reed, Ricky Barnes and Marc Leishman at 6 under at the halfway point.

If nothing else, the performance should erase any doubt that he belongs in the building – something he had trouble proving earlier this week.

“I tried to get in the clubhouse,” Goss said, “and the security guy was like, `Hey, where’s your credential?’ I said, `I don’t have a credential, but I’m a player and I’ve got an exemption.’ He said, `Well, I can’t let you in.’ I was like, `I’m a player, though.’ Still wasn’t good enough for him, which shows just how good the security is around here.”

The former University of Tennessee player laughed off the episode, especially after solving the problem the tried and true way: He found another door.

“I just had to walk around the other side of the clubhouse,” he said. “I got a credential now, so I’m all set.”

Goss was the low amateur at the Masters in April but missed the cut at the U.S. Open. He also failed to make the weekend in his first event as a pro, last week’s Travelers Championship. He’s not only seeing the Blue Course at Congressional for the first time, but he also took a side trip into D.C. to get his first look at the nation’s monuments.

“It’s such a different experience, it’s so surreal,” he said. “They are just ginormous, those things.”

Half of the quartet of leaders is Australian. In addition to Goss, there’s Leishman, who also shot at bogey-free 66 that included an unconventional birdie at the long par-5 ninth.

Leishman put his tee shot in the left rough, where he had a bad lie and a tree in the way of his backswing. His second shot went all of 50 yards and stayed in the rough.

“Had to lay up again after my lay-up,” he said, “which is never fun.”

But his sand iron from 127 yards landed on the green and spun back into the hole, giving him some momentum for the back nine.

“It’s a pretty unlikely birdie,” he said. “But they don’t happen very often, and you have to make the most of them when they do.”

Leishman, whose only PGA Tour win came at the 2012 Travelers, will be in an all-Aussie pairing with Goss on Saturday.

“I haven’t had a whole lot to do with him,” Leishman said before learning of the pairings. “I spoke to him a little bit last week at the Travelers. We have a practice round lined up next week at the Greenbrier, so I get to spend a bit more time with him there. But, who knows, we might have a tee time on the weekend.”

Yet another player from Down Under, Stuart Appleby, was one shot off the lead.

Now that he’s a father, Patrick Reed can get back to proving he’s one of the top five players in the world.

Reed shot a 68 for the second consecutive day for a share of the lead, only the second time he’s made the cut in his last six tournaments.

Reed said he was distracted by the birth of a daughter, Windsor-Wells Reed, about a month ago.

“I wasn’t really focused on golf at the moment,” Reed said, “Anyone who was focused on golf at that point … it wouldn’t really be the right thing to do.”

The blessed event means that Reed’s wife, Justine, hasn’t been caddying for her husband recently.

“She’s going to come back,” Reed said, “just whenever she feels more comfortable, and whenever we feel like it’s the right time with the baby and everything.”

Reed caught some flak for declaring “I’m one of the top five players in the world” after winning the World Golf Championship at Doral in March, his third PGA Tour victory in seven months. He’s got some work to do to get there: He’s slipped to No. 29.

“After our last win, we’ve been itching for our little girl to come see us, and now she’s finally here,” Reed said. “So it’s been great. It’s been better for me probably than golf-wise, that’s for sure.”

Canada’s Mike Weir missed the 36-hole cut by a shot. He finished at 4-over 146.

BETHESDA, Md. – The young Australian at the top of the leaderboard is so new to the PGA Tour that he couldn’t get into the clubhouse.

Playing in his second event as a professional, 20-year-old Oliver Goss shot a bogey-free, 5-under 66 Friday in the second round of the Quicken Loans National, putting him in a tie for first with Patrick Reed, Ricky Barnes and Marc Leishman at 6 under at the halfway point.

If nothing else, the performance should erase any doubt that he belongs in the building – something he had trouble proving earlier this week.

“I tried to get in the clubhouse,” Goss said, “and the security guy was like, `Hey, where’s your credential?’ I said, `I don’t have a credential, but I’m a player and I’ve got an exemption.’ He said, `Well, I can’t let you in.’ I was like, `I’m a player, though.’ Still wasn’t good enough for him, which shows just how good the security is around here.”

The former University of Tennessee player laughed off the episode, especially after solving the problem the tried and true way: He found another door.

“I just had to walk around the other side of the clubhouse,” he said. “I got a credential now, so I’m all set.”

Goss was the low amateur at the Masters in April but missed the cut at the U.S. Open. He also failed to make the weekend in his first event as a pro, last week’s Travelers Championship. He’s not only seeing the Blue Course at Congressional for the first time, but he also took a side trip into D.C. to get his first look at the nation’s monuments.

“It’s such a different experience, it’s so surreal,” he said. “They are just ginormous, those things.”

Half of the quartet of leaders is Australian. In addition to Goss, there’s Leishman, who also shot at bogey-free 66 that included an unconventional birdie at the long par-5 ninth.

Leishman put his tee shot in the left rough, where he had a bad lie and a tree in the way of his backswing. His second shot went all of 50 yards and stayed in the rough.

“Had to lay up again after my lay-up,” he said, “which is never fun.”

But his sand iron from 127 yards landed on the green and spun back into the hole, giving him some momentum for the back nine.

“It’s a pretty unlikely birdie,” he said. “But they don’t happen very often, and you have to make the most of them when they do.”

Leishman, whose only PGA Tour win came at the 2012 Travelers, will be in an all-Aussie pairing with Goss on Saturday.

“I haven’t had a whole lot to do with him,” Leishman said before learning of the pairings. “I spoke to him a little bit last week at the Travelers. We have a practice round lined up next week at the Greenbrier, so I get to spend a bit more time with him there. But, who knows, we might have a tee time on the weekend.”

Yet another player from Down Under, Stuart Appleby, was one shot off the lead.

Now that he’s a father, Patrick Reed can get back to proving he’s one of the top five players in the world.

Reed shot a 68 for the second consecutive day for a share of the lead, only the second time he’s made the cut in his last six tournaments.

Reed said he was distracted by the birth of a daughter, Windsor-Wells Reed, about a month ago.

“I wasn’t really focused on golf at the moment,” Reed said, “Anyone who was focused on golf at that point … it wouldn’t really be the right thing to do.”

The blessed event means that Reed’s wife, Justine, hasn’t been caddying for her husband recently.

“She’s going to come back,” Reed said, “just whenever she feels more comfortable, and whenever we feel like it’s the right time with the baby and everything.”

Reed caught some flak for declaring “I’m one of the top five players in the world” after winning the World Golf Championship at Doral in March, his third PGA Tour victory in seven months. He’s got some work to do to get there: He’s slipped to No. 29.

“After our last win, we’ve been itching for our little girl to come see us, and now she’s finally here,” Reed said. “So it’s been great. It’s been better for me probably than golf-wise, that’s for sure.”

Canada’s Mike Weir missed the 36-hole cut by a shot. He finished at 4-over 146.

ROGERS, Ark. – Michelle Wie didn’t let a little thing like a hectic national media tour slow the momentum following her U.S. Women’s Open victory last week at Pinehurst.

The former prodigy continued her resurgence on the LPGA Tour on Friday, shooting a 5-under 66 to finish a stroke behind leader Alena Sharp after the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship.

Wie spent much of her week leading into the tournament busy on the national morning television circuit, only arriving at Pinnacle Country Club on Thursday.

Following a practice round and 12 hours of much-needed sleep, the most recognizable name on the LPGA Tour shot a bogey-free 66 on the 6,375 yard layout – closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th and upstaging local favorite Stacy Lewis.

“Definitely running on fumes right now,” Wie said. “… I think it definitely struck me on the back nine, a little bit tired, but I just was really excited to get out here and start playing again. New York was fun, but it’s just fun to get back to playing golf.”

Sharp, the Canadian ranked 234th in the world, had only 27 putts in her opening 65, while Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza matched Wie with a bogey-free 66.

The top-ranked Stacy Lewis, who played at the nearby University of Arkansas, was 2 over after four holes before recovering to finish with a 70.

Ten players, including major champions So Yeon Ryu and Shanshan Feng, shot 67.

Sharp entered this week having missed the cut in six of her 11 LPGA Tour events this year, though she did win the Symetra Tour’s season-opening event in Arizona in February.

The Canadian entered the week 137th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 31.34 putts per round, but she credited a recently putting lesson for Friday’s improvement.

“I’m trusting it more and just trying to relax,” Sharp said. “It’s been a part of my game that hasn’t been the greatest this year. I’ve hit a lot of greens and not making a lot of birdies, so today was definitely a step in the right direction.”

While Sharp controlled the leaderboard following the morning group, Wie overcame windy conditions to post the best round of the afternoon – closing with a 4-under 31 on the back nine.

She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th and needed only 28 putts in her first round since earning her first major championship at Pinehurst.

Wie, who was 64th on the LPGA Tour money list in 2012 and 41st last year, has yet to miss a cut this year and leads the money list with nearly $1.6 million.

“I just feel comfortable out there, and I’m trying to keep improving a little bit every day and still working on a lot of things,” Wie said.

Lewis earned an unofficial win in the rain-shortened event as an amateur in 2007, but the Texas native, who finished second to Wie in the Women’s Open, struggled early on Friday – much to the dismay of her large pro-Razorbacks gallery.

She was 2 over after four holes, thanks to a missed 4-foot par putt on No. 2 and a bogey from the greenside bunker on No. 4.

Lewis recovered with three birdies to finish 1 under, but she needed 31 putts on her way to settling for a tie for 43rd.

“It’s always hard playing here,” Lewis said. “People, I don’t think they realize how hard it is. There’s a lot of pressure, and it’s hard to not put too much pressure on yourself.”

European Solheim Cup star Caroline Hedwall also was in the group at 67 along with Jennifer Rosales, Moriya Jutanugarn, Emma Jandel, Gerina Piller, Ji Young Oh, Pornanong Phatlum and Paz Echeverria.

Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. opened with a 1-under 70, while Toronto’s Rebecca Lee Bentham finished at 1-over. Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. shot 73 and Lorie Kane posted a 75.

COLOGNE, Germany – Four players share the overnight lead from the second round of the BMW International Open, while U.S. Open winner Martin Kaymer failed to make the 4-under cut on Friday.

Local favorite Kaymer had three straight bogeys and a double bogey in a 1-over 73 that included four birdies. He finished on level par 144 overall.

“(This) was a big step for me to accept that you have golf courses that don’t suit your play . so it’s OK for me,” said Kaymer, who was born in nearby Duesseldorf.

“It is how it is. I did my very best and level par was the best I could do.”

Former champion Pablo Larrazabal made nine birdies – including five in a row – for a 9-under 63, matching the best round so far. The Spaniard is on 12 under overall with overnight leaders Danny Willett of England and Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain.

“I played great today, I played great yesterday,” said Larrazabal, who won the tournament in 2011.

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina later carded his second successive 66 to join the leaders.

Cabrera-Bello double hit for his first missed shot of the week on the par-5 seventh but made five birdies while Willett, the 2012 tournament winner, stayed bogey-free to match his Spanish playing partner’s 4-under 68.

“I was a little unlucky coming down the last few holes but, overall, pleased with the minus four,” Cabrera-Bello said.

Andy Sullivan was level with the leaders with seven holes to play when play was suspended for almost 90 minutes due to a heavy storm. The Englishman dropped a shot on the par-5 No. 3 once play resumed and finished with a double bogey to finish on 9 under, three off the pace.

Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, Scotland’s Craig Lee, South Africa’s Branden Grace, Germany’s Alex Cejka, Denmark’s Andreas Harto and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson were tied in fifth place, two shots behind the leaders. Jimenez won the tournament in 2004.

Paul Waring shot seven birdies and an eagle to complete a 63. The Englishman was in an eight-way tie for 11th on 9 under.

Second-ranked Henrik Stenson, who won in 2006, again finished the round 4 under with four birdies. The Swede is among a group of 10 players sharing 19th place including two-time winner Thomas Bjorn of Denmark on 8 under overall.

Former winner John Daly of the United States shot 67 and is tied for 29th on 7 under.