Putting tips put Lehman on top

HILTON HEAD ISLAND (SOUTH CAROLINA), APRIL 14. Better late than never was Tom Lehman's reaction upon receiving a putting tip that came after the Masters but has him atop the leaderboard at the Worldcom Classic.

Utilising the tip, Lehman needed just 26 putts on his way to a second consecutive 66 that took him to 10-under 132 and a one- stroke lead over Vijay Singh (68), Billy Andrade (67) and Billy Mayfair (68) after two rounds here on Friday.

``'My dad and my brother both gave me the same tip independently of each other at the end of the Masters,'' said Lehman, who finished tied for 18th at Augusta.

``It kind of bothered me that they waited until after the fourth round to do it but they both said exactly the same thing, that I was standing too far from the ball,'' he said. ``I moved the ball about two inches closer and I feel I am stroking the ball much better as a result.''

Lehman could only speculate as to exactly why his brother and father waited until after the Masters to offer their advice. ``Probably because if I putted worse than I was already putting, they didn't want to be responsible,'' he said.

``They watched me play for four days. The first day I putted decently, the second day I was terrible, the third day I was terrible and the fourth day I was terrible.''

Singh, meanwhile, was furious that his group was timed for slow play late in his round. ``I got a little rushed by the official on the last two or three holes. It messed up my rhythm,'' Singh said after bogeying the final hole.

Singh is not a slow player, but it was his misfortune to be paired with two of the game's notorious snails, Bernhard Langer and Glen Day. ``We got behind on the very first hole,'' Singh said. ``It was a bit unfortunate for me that (the rules official) turned up when we were way behind, instead of sooner. ``I am a fast player but if I get any quicker I get rushed. I wasn't in a very good frame of mind when playing the shot on 18, because I felt I was on the run,'' Singh said. ``I shouldn't feel that way, but because I am a fast player, I don't like to be harassed.''

Singh, a winner twice on the European Tour this year, is still in the hunt for his first U.S. PGA Tour title of 2001, despite being in contention nearly every time he's played.

He relishes his chance to break through this week, especially in the absence of Tiger Woods, who is taking four- weeks off after three successive wins.

``The way I am putting, I think I have a very good chance of shooting another low round tomorrow,'' he said. ``You cannot make mistakes down the stretch, and I have been making one or two. I have always been catching up to the leaders, but I am in a better position now than I have been in any other tournament.''

Andrade, who is angry that he was not exempt for last week's Masters despite winning on the Tour last year, took out his frustration with five birdies in a row mid-round.

He gave back a shot at his 13th hole, the par-three fourth, where he put his eight-iron into the water, but a birdie at the par- five fifth got him back on track.

``A year ago this time, I didn't know where I was going,'' said Andrade, who has revamped his swing with coach Billy Harmon.

``I went 17 months playing horrible golf. I had to learn the game a different way. The changes I have made are still a work-in- progress, but I am getting there,'' Andrade said.

Seventy-five players made the cut, which fell at even- par 142. Spaniard Sergio Garcia bogeyed his final three holes to miss out by a shot.

- Reuters

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