Overton turning his game around

Golfer shares lead at AT&T National

Jeff Overton doesn't feel like a different player than the guy who couldn't make it to the weekend on the PGA Tour over the past two months. Funny how seeing the ball go in the hole changes everything.

Overton continued his one-week turnaround Friday with a 5-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Tom Pernice Jr. in the AT&T National before storms rained on the Fourth of July atmosphere at Congressional and interrupted the second round.

Overton and Pernice, who matched the course record on a soft, still day at Congressional with a 63, were at 9-under 131.

Anthony Kim, living up to his billing as the next young threat in golf, appeared poised to catch the leaders until a 1 1/2-hour storm delay that slowed his momentum in Bethesda, Md. A bogey on the par-5 ninth gave him a 67, three shots behind with Cliff Kresge (65).

Consider how quickly Overton's prospects have changed.

He hasn't finished in the top 20 all year. He had not broken par since the last week in April. He missed the cut at the Buick Open last week, his sixth weekend off in his past seven tournaments.

He stuck around Detroit for a British Open qualifier -- Overton has never played in any major -- and was 9 under over two rounds to finish first in his field and earn a ticket to Royal Birkdale.

He showed up at Congressional and hasn't stopped.

"I've hit a lot of great shots the last few weeks. It's been frustrating lipping out a lot of putts," Overton said. "And on Monday, made a bunch of putts and saw the ball go in the hole a few times, and it opens the flood gates mentally."

Pernice did most of his damage around the turn, running off four straight birdies, starting with a 20-footer on the tough par-4 sixth hole that played 494 yards.

"I've been playing well, and you never know when a round like this is going to jump up," Pernice said.

Perhaps even more surprising is that his left hip has been sore all week. He has spent much of his time with trainer Joey Diovisalvi and the tour therapists, trying to simply get around the golf course.

ALSO FRIDAY

NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP: South Korea's Seon Hwa Lee birdied five of her final six holes for an 8-under 64 to take a two-shot lead in the LPGA Tour event in Rogers, Ark.

Lee ended with a flourish, hitting a pitching wedge from 104 yards to about 3 feet on No. 18, setting up her last birdie.

The start was delayed about five hours, bringing back memories of last September, when the inaugural event was shortened from 54 to 18 holes because of heavy rain. It rained hard early Friday morning, and the fairway below the 18th green at Pinnacle Country Club was flooded.

H.J. Choi (66) was second, a shot ahead of Ai Miyazato and Eun-Hee Ji.

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS OPEN: Joe Ozaki shot a 9-under 63, his low in three years on the Champions Tour, to gain a two-shot lead over Argentina's Eduardo Romero in Endicott, N.Y.

Joey Sindelar, Ronnie Black, and Fulton Allem were tied for third at 66, while John Harris, Des Smyth, Bobby Wadkins and Morris Hatalsky were another shot back.

Bernhard Langer, second on the Champions Tour in earnings and playing the En-Joie Golf Club course for the first time, shot a 73. R.W. Eaks, who won the first edition of this event a year ago with a 17-under total of 199, had a 75 while playing on two bum knees.

EUROPEAN OPEN: England's Ross Fisher birdied his final hole for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead over Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell after the second round of the PGA European Tour event.

Fisher had a 13-under 131 total on The London Golf Club's Heritage Course in Ash, England. He opened with a course-record 63 on Thursday.