Weiskopf Finds Time To Lead Senior Open

Tom Weiskopf is having a delightful time this week dabbling in his favorite hobby.

Weiskopf shot his second straight 3-under-par 69 Friday and shared the lead with Tommy Aaron after two rounds of the U.S. Senior Open. Bob Murphy, Dave Stockton and Graham Marsh shot 70s and were a stroke back.

Weiskopf started with consecutive bogeys before moving up the leaderboard. It was an impressive performance, especially for a guy who spends more time these days designing golf courses than playing on them,

“My first priority is not playing tournament golf,” said Weiskopf, who has skipped eight events on the Senior Tour this year. “It’s really more or less a hobby. I just don’t have the time to play full time.”

Aaron, who shot a 68, and Weiskopf reached the halfway point at 6-under 138. Their closest pursuers have excellent credentials: Murphy and Stockton are three-time winners on the Senior Tour this year and Marsh ranks 10th on the money list.

“You look at the leaderboard, and for the most part those are the proven players of the game. Those are the veterans,” Weiskopf noted. “That’s the fun part about it, the reason we all play this game and enjoy playing this type of championship.”

The big names extended well beyond the top five. Hale Irwin was two shots back after shooting a 68, tied with Isao Aoki, who had a 70. Lee Trevino (68 Friday), J.C. Snead (73) and Brian Barnes (72) were at 141.

Jack Nicklaus (71) and Raymond Floyd (72) were in a group at 142.

Club pro Larry Ringer, who shared the lead with Snead after shooting a bogey-free 68 in the opening round, could not pull off a proper encore. He had five bogeys, a double-bogey and a triple-bogey en route to an 80.

“What a difference a day makes,” Ringer said. “Yesterday I played as well as I could play. Today I played absolutely as badly as I could play.”