Cejka takes charge at TPC with a quiet second round

Alex Cejka began his surprising run to the lead Friday in The Players Championship with a 10-foot birdie putt in the stillness of a glorious morning.

A smattering of applause drowned out the chirping of birds.

There were 14 fans, 13 marshals.

"It felt like a Monday afternoon practice round," Cejka said after a 5-under 67 gave him a two-shot lead over Ian Poulter.

That figures to change on the weekend full of possibilities.

The Players Championship is among the more unpredictable tournaments in golf. The TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., is so devilish that small mistakes can lead to big numbers. The field is so strong that even guys who started the week as an alternate have a chance to win. Jason Dufner is proof of that, among those in a tie for third.

Tiger Woods hit a rake and a spectator and almost the wrong fairway. It all added to a 69 that put him seven shots behind and left a smile on his face.

"I got myself back in the ball game," Woods said.

Not many figured Cejka would be in the lead.

It was only two weeks ago when he couldn't feel his right arm, the product of a pinched nerve from surgery last year to replace a disk in his neck. He had an epidural last week, the numbness is almost gone, and Cejka nearly left the field in his wake.

He had six birdies in 11 holes and built a four-shot lead over the morning starters, a lead that held for most of the day until Poulter limited his mistakes and finished with a birdie for a 68.

"If you play the golf course properly, with good play you can score very well," Poulter said.

Cejka was at 11-under 133 and will be playing in the final group going into the weekend for the first time in nearly five years.

Neither of the top two players have ever won on the PGA Tour, and only one player in the 35-year history of this event has ever made this his first PGA Tour victory. An eclectic group four shots behind include Masters champion Angel Cabrera (65), former PGA champion David Toms (70) and Dufner (70), an alternate when he showed up Monday who earned a tee time through someone else's misfortune.

Cejka didn't seem overly surprised to be leading, despite his recent health issues. He had surgery to replace a disk in his neck last year and everything was going well until he couldn't feel his arm two weeks ago. He had an epidural, regained some feeling in his arms, hands and fingers, then got right back to work.

"In New Orleans, where I didn't feel anything at all, I really played from tee-to-green phenomenal," he said. "I just had no feeling, and I couldn't make putts. The feeling is better, and I can see it on the greens. So we'll see what happens the next two days."

LPGA Tour

Lorena Ochoa topped the leaderboard for the sixth straight round on the LPGA Tour, shooting a 6-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead in the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Va.

Coming off a wire-to-wire victory two weeks ago in her native Mexico, the top-ranked Ochoa had a 13-under 129 total. She's seeking her third win in seven 2009 starts.

Cristie Kerr, the 2005 winner, and Song-Hee Kim matched the course record with 63s to join In-Kyung Kim (64) at 10 under.

-- The Associated Press