Jackson ties US Senior Open 36-hole scoring record for 2-shot lead over Funk

Jackson ties US Senior Open 36-hole scoring record

CARMEL, Ind. — Tim Jackson has tied the U.S. Senior Open 36-hole scoring record, shooting a 5-under 67 in the second round for a 11-under 133 and a two-shot lead over Fred Funk.

Jackson, an amateur, birdied No. 15 to reach 11 under for the first time on Friday, but bogeyed the next hole, his first in two rounds. He closed out his round with an 8-foot birdie at No. 18 to get back to 11 under and tie Dave Stockton and Simon Hobday.

Funk also shot 67.

The other players tied with Jackson for the lead after Thursday — Greg Norman, Dan Forsman and Joey Sindelar — had afternoon tee times.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

CARMEL, Ind. (AP) — Greg Norman reverted to his old form Thursday at the U.S. Senior Open.

Tim Jackson revived talk, at least for one round, of another improbable finish at Crooked Stick.

With Norman hitting his trademark drives and drawing the customary big crowds and Jackson, an amateur, charging hard over the last nine holes, the U.S. Senior Open became more than just a name game.

Jackson reached the top of the leader board in his tour debut, matching the course-record 66s shot earlier in the day by Norman, Joey Sindelar and Dan Forsman. All are at 6-under. Andy Bean and South Africa’s Fulton Allem both shot 67.

“If you drive as firm as it is, if you drive on the fairway, you are going to get a lot of finish on the ball,” Jackson said. “The conditions can change, obviously, but the way the course was playing, I thought it played fairly short.”

Strange, considering the 7,316-yard layout is the longest in Senior Open history.

The cool temperatures and relatively calm breeze led to low scores and a scramble at the top.

Norman in the morning, and Jackson late in the day each had a streak of four straight birdies, one short of the tourney record for most consecutive.

Jackson finished with the lowest amateur score in the Senior Open by two shots. Four players shot 68 in previous years, the most recent being Rick Cloninger on Broadmoor’s east course in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2008.

Norman and Bean were the only players to reach 7-under. Both bogeyed their next holes to drop back into a tie for the lead, and both closed the day poorly.

Bean dropped a stroke on two of the last three holes to fall two shots behind, and Norman bogeyed No. 18 after hitting into a bunker and then blasting out to the back corner of the green for a 40-foot par putt.

While the last hole tainted Norman’s otherwise meticulous day, there was a buzz in the gallery that followed the 54-year-old Aussie.

“I think they enjoy the way I play the game of golf,” Norman said. “I’m fairly aggressive, I like to play the game. I like to challenge myself and sometimes they see shots they couldn’t dream of hitting in their time.”

Norman certainly had them excited Thursday, with roars being heard around the course on each birdie he made.

Jackson, meanwhile, rekindled images of another Crooked Stick surprise: 1991 PGA champion John Daly, who qualified for that tournament as the final alternate. Jackson made it here as a qualifier.

Before Thursday, Jackson’s most noteworthy accomplishment was losing to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur quarterfinals. Now he shares the lead with a two-time British Open champion and two PGA tour winners.

One shot back is the big-hitting Bean, an 11-time winner on tour, and Allem, winner of three more PGA events. Seven players are two shots behind, including Senior British Open champ Loren Roberts and 1996 British Open winner Tom Lehman.

All took advantage of Thursday’s low-scoring conditions.

“If you’re going to shoot a low round at the U.S. Senior Open, this is the day, I think,” Forsman said. “That doesn’t mean that there won’t be great scores going forward, but this course will show it’s teeth before it’s over.”

The Shark is hoping the course doesn’t bite him the way it did on 18.

Organizers moved the tee box up 42 yards, confusing Norman about where to play his ball.

The result: He hit into the left rough, leaving him a treacherous uphill second shot. The ball landed in the front bunker, which led to a poor shot out of the sand and a long par putt that was six feet short.

“There is such a severe upslope and the grain was going straight into me,” the two-time British Open champ said. “When you’re on a keen angle on an upslope, it’s difficult to keep that accelerating through because your body wants to fall back. So you’re not getting a full rotation.”

But Norman has even bigger things planned for the weekend.

“I feel like I’m getting close,” Norman said. “Even though I played very, very well today, I feel like I’m getting close to getting it all together.”

Last year’s winner, Eduardo Romero of Argentina, shot a 73.

The suddenly rejuvenated Tom Watson delivered on his promise of playing conservatively because of an illness that limited him to just one practice round. Watson, who lost the British Open in a playoff two weeks ago, finished Thursday with a 1-under 71.