Choi, Appleby lead AT&T National by three at halfway point  BETHESDA, Md. (AP) -- Stuart Appleby and K.J. Choi shared the lead at the AT&T National, both having somewhat tamed the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club with rounds of 66 and 67 on Tursday and Friday for a 7-under total of 133 heading into the weekend.  K.J. Choi is looking to win Tiger Woods' event after already claiming Jack Nicklaus' Memorial this year. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
Tournament host Tiger Woods also shot his way back into contention, carding a 66 Friday to move up to a tie for 12th place, seven shots off the pace. The rest of the field was taking notice, too. Appleby, who made a 16-foot putt to save par at No. 18 and has only two bogeys in the tournament, isn't about to concede that he has a comfortable lead over the world's No. 1 golfer. "You always expect him to be there, so it becomes pretty much standard practice," Appleby said. "It's like playing the British Open, expecting it to blow every day. You don't have to look up and know it's windy; you don't have to look up and know Tiger is going to be there. "You can look at it one way or the other and say, 'Well, Tiger Woods is chasing somebody or chasing us down or chasing me down.' Or you can turn around and go, 'Well, I expected him to and that's just the way it is' -- and that makes you concentrate more on your own game." Choi, who won Jack Nicklaus' Memorial tournament two weeks ago, is going for the big-name-host double after two solid rounds. The highlight of Choi's round Friday was an 11-foot birdie putt at No. 16 that took a full lap around the lip of the cup before falling in. "When I saw it fall in, I was momentarily shocked," Choi said. "But I hope to see more putts like that over the weekend." The course is expected to play tougher over the weekend as the temperature settles into the 90s, firming up the fairways and greens. It was already tough enough for top-five players Phil Mickelson (147) and Adam Scott (148), both on the wrong side of the 4-over 144 cut line. Mickelson, rusty after a layoff due to a wrist injury, was doomed by a 7 at the par-5 16th, where he had to call in a rules official after back-to-back shots: one that landed against a tree and a chain-link fence, and another that landed by a golf cart tire. Carts were aplenty on the hole as part of the Secret Service contingent following Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice, who took up golf about two years ago, said she wasn't in danger of being hit by one of Mickelson's wayward shots. "It was fine," she told THE GOLF CHANNEL. "But I recognized that wicked hook from my own game." Woods still has a lot of work still to do in his inaugural event as a tournament host. "I'm back in the tournament," Woods said. "And hopefully I can shoot another round in the 60s tomorrow and move my way up the board." Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
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