LEHMAN CONQUERS WIND, COURSE TO LEAD IN TULSA.

Byline: Associated Press

Tom Lehman struggled with the wind. Tiger Woods struggled with his heart. Both performed like champions in the second round of the Tour Championship in Tulsa, Okla.

Lehman played like the British Open winner that he is and shot a 67 in wind that gusted to 30 mph at Southern Hills Country Club for a 36-hole total of 7-under-par 133, four strokes better than Vijay Singh and five in front Steve Stricker.

Woods, playing just hours after his father was hospitalized with chest pains likely related to bronchitis, struggled to a 78, his worst round since turning pro.

``I didn't want to be here today,'' Woods said, ``because there are more important things in life than golf, and I love my dad to death and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to him. I just want to go see him.''

Clearly frustrated and at times angry, Woods nevertheless impressed his playing partner, John Cook.

``He showed me a lot today and it wasn't golf,'' Cook said. ``You can lose your mind out there and he didn't.''

Lehman's mind game was with nature.

``You can make 18 bogeys out there when the wind blows if you lose your head,'' Lehman said after posting the lowest round of the day. ``It can be your friend or be your enemy depending on how you deal with it.

``If I can stay comfortable tomorrow and in my rhythm, it can help me.''

Lehman, who has an outside shot to beat out Phil Mickelson and Mark Brooks in Player-of-the-Year voting if he wins, said that notion has to be pushed aside.

``That's kind of choke time when you think about stuff like that,'' Lehman said. ``So you push that out of your mind.''

Women battle in Asia: Teams from the U.S. and Japan LPGA tours each won four matches and were tied after the first round of the Nichirei International in Ami, Japan.

Australian Karrie Webb, Rookie of the Year and leading money-winner on the U.S. LPGA Tour, and teammate Michelle McGann defeated Aki Nakano and Kaori Higo by two strokes with a 7-under 65 on the Ami Golf Club course.

Three other teams from the U.S. tour beat their counterparts in the best-ball stroke-play round.

Curry no lamb: England's Paul Curry carded a 2-under-par 69 and took the lead after the second round of the $1.39 million Volvo Masters in Sotogrande, Spain.

Loot for links: Three Oakland men have been nailed in what police say was a well-organized series of smash-and-grab thefts of expensive golf clubs from stores and pro shops in nine Northern California cities. Investigators say the suspects stole at least $130,000 worth of clubs and some golf clothing from Monterey to Sacramento, and might be part of a larger ring operating throughout the area.

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Photo

Photo: Tom Lehman's 67 puts him into the Tour Championshiplead.

Associated Press