Published>Sat, Sep 25 10 10:02 AM
Jim Furyk buried memories of his tournament disqualification four weeks ago by charging into a share of the lead with Britain's Luke Donald in the second round of the Tour Championship on Friday.
One stroke off the pace overnight, American Furyk fired a five-under-par 65 for an eight-under total of 132 in the final event of the PGA Tour's lucrative playoff series.
With FedExCup honours also on the line this week for the elite field of 30, Furyk recorded six birdies and a lone bogey to stay in the hunt for his third tour victory of the year.
Donald, joint leader with fellow Englishman Paul Casey and Australian Geoff Ogilvy after the opening round, remained at the top by carding a second successive 66 at a sun-baked East Lake Golf Club.
Ogilvy was alone at seven under after a topsy-turvy 67 while Casey slid back into a three-way tie for fifth at three under after a bogey-bogey-bogey finish gave him a 71.
Furyk, who was disqualified from the first of the four playoff events after sleeping late and missing his tee time for the Barclays pro-am, birdied three of the last eight holes to complete the lowest round of the week at East Lake.
"I'm very happy, tied for the lead and in great position for the weekend," the world number six told reporters. "The goal is to go out there tomorrow -- try to to shoot another round in the 60s and put myself in the hunt.
"I like the position of being a front runner and being in control a little bit and trying to keep pushing, make the other guys catch you rather than being the guy in the chase."
Furyk, Donald and Ogilvy have a comfortable cushion going into the third round over fourth-placed KJ Choi of South Korea who fired a 68 to lie four strokes off the pace.
DRIVER'S SEAT
"It puts the three of us in the driver's seat," Furyk said. "There is a lot of golf to be played but if we continue to play well, it'll narrow the margin for how many guys can catch up."
On another hot and humid day at East Lake where the greens were running fast and firm, the leaderboard fluctuated wildly as players' fortunes waxed and waned.
Early in the second round, Furyk, Casey, Donald and Ogilvy held a share of the lead before Furyk and Donald took charge in the late afternoon.
Furyk edged a stroke in front at seven under when he rolled in a 10-footer to birdie the par-four 14th.
A two-putt birdie at the par-five 15th doubled the American's lead before Ogilvy and Donald, playing in the final pairing, trimmed it to one when they also birdied 15.
Donald drained a 31-foot birdie putt at the 16th to draw level with Furyk at eight under before Ogilvy followed suit by knocking in a 15-footer at the same hole.
However the Australian faltered with a bogey at the 17th, where he took two strokes to reach the putting surface from behind the green to leave Furyk and Donald in overall control.
"I'm very happy with 66," said Donald, who is bidding for his third PGA Tour title but first since 2006. "It was another good day score-wise, and I'm in a great position. It was nice to build off a solid first round and continue that."
American world number two Phil Mickelson, who won last year's Tour Championship by a commanding three shots, was nine strokes off the lead after carding a 72.
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