Lawrie trying to break losing streak
GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Paul Lawrie shot a second straight bogey-free round Friday with a 3-under 69, taking a two-stroke lead at the Johnnie Walker Championship.
Johnnie Walker Championship Leaderboard
1. Lawrie (-8)
T-2. Lafeber (-6)
T-2. Vancsik (-6)
T-2. Caldwell (-6)
T-5. Jonzon (-5)
T-5. Olazabal (-5)
*Three others tied for 5th
• Complete scores
The 1999 British Open champion has six birdies and an eagle over 36 holes. Jonathan Caldwell (66) of Northern Ireland, Maarten Lafeber (67) of the Netherlands and Daniel Vancsik (69) of Argentina trailed the leader.
Jose Maria Olazabal birdied the 18th for a 68, with birdies on five of his first six holes. He's tied with Soren Hansen (70) , Gregory Bourdy (68) and Shiv Kapur (70).
Colin Montgomerie also shot 68, rebounding from an opening 76, to avoid missing a fourth straight cut.
The 40-year-old Lawrie is trying to break a seven-year winless streak, his last victory coming at the Wales Open in 2002. He recently started working with Padraig Harrington's veteran coach Bob Torrance, who has made changes to his swing.
"I'm hitting it straighter, that's for sure," Lawrie said. "My bad shots are just a little bit of a block as opposed to a destructive hook. It's in play all the time now, which is nice."
Lawrie shot a bogey-free 67 in rainy conditions on Thursday.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
