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Justin Rose maintains 4 shot lead at Disney Funai Classic

Justin Rose was still on the course and still atop the leaderboard when the sun went down Friday.

Rose, coming off a 12-under 60 on Thursday, was 17 under through 16 holes when the second round in the Funai Classic at Disney was suspended because of darkness. Clubhouse leader Tag Ridings was second, four strokes back after a 66.

Rose also had a four-shot lead when the round started following a 70-minute fog delay. The 26-year-old Englishman shot the 60 on Thursday on the Palm Course and barely missed three putts over that final six holes that left him one stroke away from tying the PGA Tour scoring record.

He was nearly as good Friday on the much tougher Magnolia Course.

``The enjoyable thing as a pro golfer is being in that focused zone,'' Rose said. ``It doesn't come around every day or every week.''

Rose started the second round with consecutive birdies. He added four more over a five-hole stretch to extend his lead to seven strokes.

``You have to come back with a completely fresh mind-set and almost forget about the day before,'' Rose said. ``Starting birdie-birdie was a good thing and got me back on the horse.''

Rose hit nearly every fairway, was on just about every green in regulation and had no par putts longer than 3 feet over his first 12 holes. He was cruising along until the par-5 fourth hole, his 13th hole of the round.

His tee shot landed next to a tree in the rough, forcing him to lay up. From the middle of the fairway, his wedge shot flew past the pin and landed in a bunker. With little sand under his ball, his bunker shot zipped by the hole.

He had a 30-footer for par, but came up about 2 feet short. It was his first bogey of the tournament.

He rebounded with four consecutive pars before the horn sounded. Rose had a 10-footer for birdie _ a chance to move to 18 under _ on No. 8 when he called it quits for the night.

Ridings was at 13-under 131. Troy Matteson (65) was 12 under, and Robert Damron (65) and Marco Dawson (66) were another stroke behind.

Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., ended the day tied for 22nd with a 66, while Cambridge, Ont., native Ian Leggatt also finished the round 22nd with a 70 on the Magnolia Course.

Rose was among eight players on the course when played ended. The second round will be completed Saturday morning. Barring a collapse, Rose will finish his last two holes, then return to play in the final threesome of the third round with Ridings and Matteson.

Damron and Dawson will be just ahead.

``It's certainly not ideal,'' Rose said of having to finish the second round, then wait to tee off again. ``Those are the things you have to deal with.''

While Rose will be seeking his first PGA Tour victory, Ridings, Damron and Dawson might have even more to play for _ a chance to move up enough on the money list to possibly keep their tour cards and avoid qualifying school.

The top 125 on the money list retain their full cards. Ridings is ranked 150th, with Dawson (163) and Damron (167) not too far behind.

``I must need a little excitement in my life,'' Damron said. ``It's not the way I planned it. But I'm totally at peace with whatever happens. If I don't make a couple of big cheques and keep my card, I don't. I go to Q-school. ... Whatever happens, it just happens. I put a lot more pressure on myself in the middle of the year and it didn't work out.''

Damron is playing his eighth consecutive week in hopes of moving up the money list.

Dawson and Ridings, meanwhile, are each playing their ninth straight event.

Ridings said he wanted to avoid gauging his chances to move up the list.

``The key is to not think about that,'' Ridings said. ``You can think about whatever you want. So I'm going to think about one shot. If you're focusing on (the money list), you're focusing on the wrong thing.''

Notes: The projected cut was 4 under, likely leaving notables Mark O'Meara, Tom Lehman, Camilo Villegas, Paul Azinger, Ben Curtis and Justin Leonard with the weekend off. ... John Huston had four eagles in the first two rounds, but was just 4 under. ... The second round will resume at 9 a.m. ET, with the third round beginning two hours later. Players will be grouped in threesomes and start on the front and back nine.


© The Canadian Press, 2007

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End: Justin Rose maintains 4 shot lead at Disney Funai Classic
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