There are some surprises on the leaderboard at the Honda Classic. Jesper Parnevik isn't one of them.
Using some home cooking and a little luck, Parnevik built a three-shot lead over a trio of players during yesterday’s windy second round at the 3.2 million-dollar event.
A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, Parnevik hasn't cracked the top 10 since June. But the Swede who lives just an hour from the TPC at Heron Bay has taken advantage of sleeping in hisown bed, like Dudley Hart did en route to the 2000 title.
"I don't know if it's an advantage, but it's always nice to sleep in your own bed," he said. "I can relate to playing in Sweden in my hometown there. I get a lot of support."
The Swede was just one-under par on the back nine - his front - but sank a 60-foot putt and buried a chip over his final five holes to reach 12-under 132. That has him three shots ahead of Mark Calcavecchia, John Huston and Chris Smith.
Brad Faxon, John Daly and Joel Edwards are all tied on 136. Of the three, only Faxon has won since 1995.
A two-time major winner, Daly has not claimed a title since the 1995 British Open. But he has stopped drinking and kept off the weight and already has one top-10 finish this season.
Faxon is having the best year of those on the leaderboard. He won the Sony Open for his eighth career title and has two other top-five finishes.
Calcavecchia also is seeking his second title of the year, having set a 72-hole PGA Tour scoring record at the Phoenix Open.
Despite winning this event in 1987 and 1998, Calcavecchia also is a bit of a surprise, having undergone knee surgery since finishing third at the Bob Hope Classic two weeks ago.
Seeking his seventh career win, Huston had six birdies to offset an early bogey and finish at 67. He missed the cut and tied for 50th in his previous two starts but credited a return to Florida for his improved play. -AFP-