Jacobsen gives home folks good show in Tradition

Peter Jacobsen leads the tournament he helped bring to his home state.

Jacobsen shot a 6-under 66 in the Tradition to move to 9 under, one stroke ahead of Bruce Lietzke, after two rounds of the Champions Tour’s last major of the year.

Jacobsen was instrumental in moving the Tradition to the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Ore., last year, but couldn’t play the inaugural event. At 49, he was too young.

Now a rookie on the Champions Tour, Jacobsen has already won the U.S. Senior Open in St. Louis.

“It feels right,” he said after his round. “It feels like that is what I should be doing.”

Lietzke had a 67 for an 8-under heading into the third round, where he’ll be paired with Jacobsen.

“All I can do is react to Peter, and I know what he’s like to play with on a golf course,” Lietzke said. “He’s outstanding.”

D.A. Weibring was among five players at 6 under.

Funk, Johnson share Buick lead

Fred Funk and tour rookie Zach Johnson had near perfect outings to share a one-stroke lead in the Buick Championship after two rounds in Cromwell, Conn.

Johnson shot a 5-under 65 and Funk had a 66 to move to 8-under-par (132) for the tournament, one better than Hank Kuehne (65). First-round leader Corey Pavin and Jose Coceres are two strokes back. A group of six golfers are three strokes behind the leaders.

McGill has Wachovia lead

Jill McGill shot an 8-under-par 64 to take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the Wachovia LPGA Classic in Kutztown, Pa.

McGill, a nine-year LPGA Tour veteran looking for her first victory, birdied six of seven holes from the eighth through 14th for a tournament 36-hole record 14-under 130.

Soo-Yun Kang (66) and Suzann Pettersen (63) were three strokes back at 11-under 133.

Wendy Ward, of Edwall, Wash., is tied for ninth at 8-under par and Tracy Hanson, from Rathdrum, Idaho, finished the day at 2 over, missing the cut.

Masters to have commercials

The Masters is no longer commercial free, signing up three television sponsors for the first time since Martha Burk led a corporate campaign against Augusta National.

Club chairman Hootie Johnson said the Masters would add 90 minutes of TV coverage and go back to its four minutes of advertising every hour.

Johnson dropped the Masters’ only three TV sponsors — IBM, Coca-Cola and Citigroup — two years ago as Burk and her National Council of Women’s Organizations began to attack the companies for supporting an all-male club despite its corporate commitment to diversity.