Strange, Watson alarmed

The danger of lightning, which did harm to recreational golfersat Carriage Greens in Darien and Arrowhead in Wheaton last week, wasnot lost on the players on the PGA Tour.

Both Curtis Strange and Tom Watson said officials at the 71stPGA Championship were too slow in bringing players off the courseFriday when lightning was spotted at Kemper Lakes.

For Strange, the episode was particularly frightening.

"We should not have teed off on the seventh hole," he said. "Youcan stop playing whever you feel in danger, and that's what we did."

But he and playing partners Howard Twitty and Ian Woosnamdidn't do it quickly enough.

They reached the green and Twitty, with a five-foot bogey putt,decided to finish the hole.

"There was a big bolt right around us and we started running,"Strange said. "You could see the flash no matter where you werelooking. It was hailing when we came in, but I don't think theweather was that bad around the clubhouse."

Like Twitty, Strange wanted to finish the hole but the boltscared him and he was able to make a five-footer for birdie when hereturned. Play had not been suspended when they headed for safety.

"You don't want to put anybody in danger, and today we were,"Strange said. "This area is scary with all the water on the course.It's a judgement call by our officials on when to bring us in, andsometimes the players don't agree with the officials."

Players are especially fearful of lightning in Chicago becauseLee Trevino, Jerry Heard and Bobby Nichols were struck by it in the1975 Western Open at Butler National.

Mike Reid, the second-round leader, was also on the course whenthe lightning hit. He waited it out in a maintenance shed andbirdied four of his remaining 11 holes after play resumed to continuehis mastery of one of the longest courses to ever host a PGAChampionship.

Reid tacked a 67 to his first-round 66 to reach the 36-hole stopin the 71st annual championship at 11-under-par 133.

"The Cubs shouldn't be in first place in August, either, shouldthey?" Reid said.

He owned a two-stroke lead over Craig Stadler, who shot a courserecord 64 Friday, and Leonard Thompson, with Watson another shotbehind.

The 1-hour 48-minute delay caused by the lightning made itnecessary for 24 players to complete their second rounds Saturdaybefore the third round could begin.

Kemper continued to be easy pickings in the year's last majorchampionship, and Stadler - who hasn't won on the PGA circuit in fiveyears - handled it the best.

His 8-under 64 was two better than the previous record of 66set by co-first-round leaders Reid and Thompson on Thursday. Beforethe tourney, the course standard was 69 by Larry Nelson in the 1988Grand Slam of Golf, an annual exhibition. The course has rarelyhosted tournaments, with the Wilson/Illinois PGA Championship itsonly other annual big event.

Stadler posted his score thanks to only 23 putts, but just two- 25-footers at Nos. 3 and 16 - were of substantial length.

"It wasn't a phenomenal putting round," he said. "I made theones I was supposed to make."

A week ago Stadler left the PGA circuit to play in a tournamentin Sweden and he failed to make the cut. "I just had a good timeover there," he said.

He had a better one Friday playing before the weather turnedugly.

"It was a very solid round," said Stadler, who had five birdieputts of five feet or less. "It wasn't phenomenal because I didn'tknock the pin down every hole or make a bunch of 40-footers. I'vegot a lot of confidence driving the ball, which is make or break forme."

Thompson had fun, too. The highlight of his round was a40-foot eagle putt at No. 4. He also birdied from 15 and 12 feet andhad par saves from 30 and 20.

"I'm not going to sleep with my putter, but I'm not going toget far from it," Thompson said.

Watson, bidding for the only major championship he hasn't won,shot 69 and was again pleased with his improvement.

"If you had asked me two months ago if I could win, I wouldhave said no," he said. He wouldn't say no Friday after a round thathad "only one glitch" - a three-putt bogey at the par-5 15th.

Curtis Strange, the U.S. Open champion, was at 138, five behindReid, and Masters titlist Nick Faldo at 143.