Patriotic environment sparks Love to 62 at Buick Challenge

PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Davis Love III was inspired by a star-spangled gallery.

With thousands of soldiers from nearby Fort Benning cheering him on, Love shot a 10-under-par 62 Friday to seize the lead midway through the Buick Challenge.

The 10-birdie round pushed him to 14-under 130, tying the 36-hole record on the Mountain View course at Callaway Gardens. He was one stroke ahead of first round co-leader Vijay Singh and Chris DiMarco.

The normally small gallery in rural west Georgia was bolstered by busloads of soldiers from Fort Benning.

Tournament officials have routinely invited military personnel to attend the second round, but the tradition took on special significance after Sept. 11.

"I've always seen them out here," Love said, "but today I really appreciated them more."

An avid hunter, Love visited Fort Benning just before the Masters to shoot with the base's renowned marksmanship unit.

"They helped me with my shooting and I tried to give them some tips on concentration," he said. "It's good to see we've still got some guys at home."

Love dominated the 7,057-yard course on a sunny yet blustery day that had fans wearing everything from overcoats and gloves to T-shirts and shorts.

He drove it long and straight off the tee, setting up pinpoint irons that led to easy birdie chances. His score could have been even better: He missed from 6 feet for an eagle at the 11th and had another birdie attempt lip out on 16.

"That's the best I have hit it all year," said Love, coming off a runner-up finish at Disney World. "I made a few putts but I also missed a bunch of putts."

He was actually disappointed after shooting a 68 Thursday, which left him four shots behind Singh and Australian Geoff Ogilvy.

"This was a big day," Love said. "I got myself back in it."

Senior Tour Championship

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Bruce Lietzke took advantage of ideal scoring conditions to shoot a 9-under 63 and move into the lead after two rounds of the Senior Tour Championship.

Lietzke's 10-under 134 total left him a stroke ahead of Bob Gilder (68). Tom Kite (68) and Gil Morgan (66) were at 136, and defending champion Tom Watson (66) was another shot back.

The 63 was Lietzke's lowest score in his rookie year on the tour and a course record on the 3-year-old Gaillardia layout. But it wasn't a great surprise, given the windless conditions and Lietzke's game -- he needed only nine events to qualify for the season-ending event open for the top 31 money winners.

World Ladies Match Play

NARITA, Japan -- Annika Sorenstam, seeking her seventh LPGA Tour victory of the year, beat Michele Redman 5 and 3 in the second round of the World Ladies Match Play Championship.

South Korea's Se Ri Pak, seeded second behind Sorenstam among the 16 LPGA Tour players, beat Scotland's Janice Moodie 2 and 1.

Sorenstam will face Scotland's Mhairi McKay in the quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to face the winner of a match between Emilee Klein and Canada's Lorie Kane.

In the lower bracket, Pak will face Australia's Rachel Teske.

Buy.com Championship

PRATTVILLE, Ala. -- Chad Campbell, already guaranteed a spot on the 2002 PGA Tour, shot an even-par 72 for a share of the second-round lead in the Buy.com Tour Championship.

Campbell, who has earned a tour-record $365,752 and an automatic PGA Tour promotion with three victories, matched Pat Bates and Australia's Rod Pampling at 1-under 143.

Bates, who locked up a PGA Tour card last week with a victory in the Shreveport Open, shot a 72.

-- From wire reports