Six players tied at top in Houston Open

Jason Gore got a boost from the Rocket in the Houston Open.

Wearing a black Houston Astros cap that Roger Clemens gave him, Gore shot a 4-under-par 68 Friday to join a six-player logjam at the top in Humble, Texas.

Defending champion Stuart Appleby, Bubba Watson, D.J. Brigman, Bob Estes and Jeff Maggert also were 6 under after two rounds, and Hunter Mahan, Tommy Armour III and Tom Byrum were one shot back.

Gore, who has a Boston Red Sox jersey at home that Clemens once autographed, first formally met his boyhood idol two years ago at the ADT Skills Challenge and the two became friends.

Watson’s 67 was the lowest round of the day.

LPGA

Lorena Ochoa and Paula Creamer finished tied at 4-under 140 in the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Ranch Mirage, Calif.

Ochoa recovered from a double bogey that could have been worse with back-to-back birdies and Creamer shot a bogey-free round of 67.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., is tied for 51st place at 1-over 145 and Rathdrum’s Tracy Hanson is tied for 57th at 4-over 148.

Champions Tour

Raymond Floyd, 64, flirted with shooting his age before settling for a 4-under 68 at the Ginn Championship in Palm Coast, Fla.

Floyd briefly shared the lead before bogeying his final two holes to finish one shot behind leaders Brad Bryant and Keith Fergus.