Greystone resident saving it for the weekend

By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

SHOAL CREEK — Tom Lehman was the center of attention following the opening round of the 2011 Regions Tradition at Shoal Creek.

Lehman, the PGA Champions Tour’s leader in the Charles Schwab Cup championship standings, immediately became the tournament favorite after posting a 5-under par 67 in the first round and leading the field after day one.

The spotlight turned away from Lehman and shined on Mark Calcavecchia, a Tequesta, Fla. native, who posted a 7-under par 65 in the second round Friday, May 5.

Calcavecchia, who sits at the top of the leaderboard with a tournament total 11-under par 133, birdied three holes on the back nine in the second round and carries a 3-shot lead into the weekend.

Calcavecchia, who was in the final pairing in the third round last year at the British Open at St. Andrew’s, said he hopes to have a better showing this weekend after posting two back-to-back rounds over par on the final two days in the Open.

“That’s where you want to be,” Calcavecchia said. “It’s always nice to be out front.”

Calcavecchia said his bogey-free round at Shoal Creek in the second round was nearly flawless.

“It was almost as good as I can play,” Calcavecchia said. “I had a really good time and enjoyed it. I had very few bad shots.”

Calcavecchia, who said he felt fatigued on the back nine in the second round, said endurance will be a factor in the final two rounds.

“If there was only one more round, I’m probably feeling a little better than I do now,” Calcavecchia said. “I better not get tired.”

Lehman, a Scottsdale, Ariz. native, dropped to a two-way tie for fifth place on the leaderboard after leading the field following the opening round. Lehman, who shot a 5-over par 77 in the second round, is tied with Tom Pernice, Jr. of Murrieta, Calif., for fourth place with a tournament total of 6-under par 138.

Kenny Perry, a Franklin, Ky. native, is currently second on the leaderboard with his two-day total of 8-under par 136. Jay Haas, a Greer, S.C., native, and Michael Allen, a Scottsdale, Ariz. native, are currently tied for third with a tournament total 7-under par 137.

Calcavecchia and Perry will be the final group to tee off in the third round Saturday, May 7 at 1:15 p.m. Haas and Allen will tee off in the second-to-last pairing at 1:06 p.m. Lehman and Pernice, Jr. will tee off at 12:57 p.m.

Greystone resident Steve Lowery moved a few spots up the leaderboard in the second round of the tournament.

Lowery, the only Alabama native in the playing field, made up two strokes through the first eight holes before giving one back on the par 4 ninth hole.

Lowery, who was tied for 14th overall in individual standings following his 1-under par 71 in the opening round, placed a nice shot out of the sand bunker on the left side of the hole just a few feet from the pin, but he missed a par attempt by inches and had to settle for a bogey as he made the turn to the back nine.

Lowery recovered nicely from the setback and birdied two of his first four holes on the back nine before finishing with a 2-under par 70 in the second round.

Lowery said he’s comfortable with his tournament total of 3-under par 141, which places him in a tie for 11th in individual standings, heading into the weekend. Lowery will tee off with playing partner David Frost in the third round at 12:30 p.m.

“I was in position today, but hopefully I’m saving it for the weekend,” Lowery said.

Lowery’s playing partner, Pernice, Jr., made one of the biggest jumps in the second round. Pernice, Jr., who shot an even par 72 in the opening round, finished with four birdies on the back nine in his second round to post a 6-under par 66.

Pernice, Jr. is tied for third heading into the weekend.

“He played really solid,” Lowery said. “His short game was sharp.”

Perry also made a big jump on the leaderboard in the second round. Perry, who had a 1-under par 71 in the opening round, birdied two of his first three holes and posted an eagle on the par 5 17th hole to finish with a 7-under par 65 in the second round.

Perry said playing with World Golf Hall of Fame members Nick Price and Tom Watson in the first two rounds made him nervous.

“I was a little tight yesterday,” Perry said. “I got off to a great start. That seemed to take the edge off.”

The first two days offered Shelby County residents a chance to see some of the best golfers on the PGA Champions Tour circuit up close in Dunnavant Valley.

A few of the professional golfers deliberated about whether or not to play in the tour’s first major championship of the 2011 season. Perry wasn’t among them.

“I was always planning on coming,” Perry said. “When I heard it was here and it was a (Jack) Nicklaus course, I was coming.”

Perry, who posted the first eagle of the tournament on the 537-yard par 5 17th hole, said Shoal Creek is proving to be one of the most challenging courses on the circuit in its first opportunity to host a PGA Champions Tour major championship.

“I love the golf course,” Perry said. “It tests every part of your game. Jack is a tactitioner. I just love his golf courses.”

Wayne Grady, an Australian native who won the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek, currently sits near the back of the field with a two-day total of 11-over par 155. Grady earned a sponsor’s exemption to participate in the Regions Tradition.

Don Pooley of Tucson, Ariz., withdrew from the tournament with a back injury after posting a 5-over par 77 in the opening round. Russ Cochran of Paducah, Ky., withdrew from the tournament shortly before it began May 5 with a hand injury.

Visit PGATour.com/s for complete individual results from the first two rounds.