Beem joins leaders at Deutsche Bank

Rich Beem isn’t going quietly from these PGA Tour Playoffs.

One week after he narrowly avoided elimination, Beem kept alive his improbable run Saturday at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., with birdies on his last four holes for a 5-under-par 66, leaving him in a three-way tie with Mike Weir and Aaron Baddeley.

Beem cannot finish lower than second if he wants to advance to the third tournament next week, and a crowded leaderboard with 36 holes remaining includes Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, who each shot 64 to get within three of the lead.

But it was another impressive performance by Beem, who is slowly becoming the poster boy that even long shots are allowed to dream of a $10 million prize for the winner of the FedEx Cup. He went from 134th to 113th in the standings with his tie for seventh last week at The Barclays.

Weir, the former Masters champion and recent captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup, needs to finish in the top five to have any chance of moving into the top 70 in the playoff standings and advance to the BMW Championship outside Chicago.

This is the first time since a year ago at Pebble Beach that Weir has been atop the leaderboard through 36 holes, and the Canadian has gone three years without winning.

Baddeley birdied his final hole for a 66, in contention for the second straight year at the Deutsche Bank.

They were at 9-under 133, one shot clear of Mickelson, Sean O’Hair (66), Brett Wetterich (68) and Ryan Moore (69).

In round two with the Big Three, Woods, Mickelson and Vijay Singh finally delivered the golf everyone expected to see. Another large crowd chased them around the course in morning sunshine and rarely had a muted moment. There were only six holes on which no one in this glamour group made a birdie, and they were a combined 19 under par.

In the opening round, they were a combined 3 over.

Woods wound up at 6-under 136, along with playoff points leader Steve Stricker (69).

LPGA Tour

At Springfield, Ill., Sherri Steinhauer birdied three of her last six holes to hold onto the lead in the LPGA State Farm Classic, with defending champion Annika Sorenstam three strokes back with one round left.

Steinhauer, who also led after the first two rounds, had three birdies and two bogeys during an up-and-down round of 1-under 71 that left her at 12-under 204 on the Panther Creek CC course.

Australia’s Rachel Hetherington was a stroke back after a 67.

Sorenstam, defending the last of her 69 career LPGA Tour titles, had a 71. She was at 9 under along with Becky Morgan (69).

Champions Tour

At Pebble Beach, Calif., Hale Irwin shot a 7-under 65 for a share of the second-round lead with Des Smyth and Gil Morgan in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open.