Jones Comes Back to Phoenix Field

There was no runaway Friday in the Phoenix Open.

Kelly Gibson and Brent Geiberger saw to it. In another sense, so did Steve Jones.

“I made sure of that,� Jones said after ruining what could have been a sensational round with four bogeys in the last eight holes for a 69 and a two-round total of 134. “I fell asleep. I was awake on the front and asleep on the back.�

Gibson shot a five-under-par 66, improving by one stroke on his opening round, to lead the $2.5-million tournament at nine-under 133.

The hard-working pro has played in 203 tournaments in six years, including a PGA Tour-high 36 last season. But the closest he has come to winning was a tie for third in Las Vegas in 1996.

Geiberger was nine under after 33 holes when play was suspended because of darkness. He and 12 others will complete the second round today.

Because frost delayed the start, no cut was made. The requirement is the 70 lowest scores, and 66 players were at 142 or lower.

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Wendy Ward was assessed a two-stroke penalty for riding in a golf cart, changing her six-under-par 66 to a 68, but it didn’t change her spot atop the leader board in the LPGA Office Depot tournament at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Ward took a ride in an unauthorized shuttle from the 18th green to the first tee on the Heritage course at Ibis Country Club. Her excuse was a misunderstanding of the rules.

The ride almost cost Ward her spot in the tournament. A rules official got to her before she could sign her scorecard. Signing for a 66 would have disqualified her.

Ward’s 36-hole total is 137, two strokes ahead of Tina Barrett and Helen Alfreddson.

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Ernie Els shot a 65 and his 12-under-par 132 after two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic is three strokes better than Alexander Cejka.

Tiger Woods was 11 shots behind after a frustrating, windy day that had his temper flaring in Phuket, Thailand.

Woods, who shot a 71, is at 143. He birdied the first hole, but after a birdie putt on the third hole missed on the left side, Woods began whipping his leg with his putter shaft like a jockey trying to beat a better performance out of his thoroughbred.

The wind, which whipped up unpredictably, also got to him, and his inability to find his game had him beating his club into the ground in disgust.

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Raymond Floyd will seek his fifth consecutive victory in the Senior Skins Game, facing Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer this weekend at the Mauna Lani Resort in Hawaii.

Golf Notes

Jack Nicklaus’ string of consecutive major championships played will end with the Masters after the U.S. Golf Assn. declined to offer him a special exemption for the 1998 U.S. Open. Nicklaus has played in 145 majors in a row. . . . The USGA gave special exemptions for 1998 to Pat Bradley and Beth Daniel in the Women’s Open and Peter Oosterhuis in the Senior Open.