Bowden berates Masters move

AMERICAN Craig Bowden, early halfway leader in the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta, has slammed as "ridiculous" the fact that if he wins tomorrow he will not be playing in next week's Masters.

While overnight leader Jose Maria Olazabal crashed to a 77 and Players Championship winner Adam Scott collapsed to a 79, Bowden added a 71 to his opening 66 for a seven under par score of 137.

"I think that if anybody wins on the PGA Tour you should get an exemption into the Masters," said the 35-year-old, pointing out that the field for the first major of the season is less than 100-strong compared to the other three's 150-plus.

It used to be that Augusta National did invite all winners, but now the emphasis is more on the world rankings and Bowden is down in 386th place.

He is happy to be that high. Six years ago he nearly gave up because he was broke.

"I really considered quitting, but I don't know what the hell else I'd do.

"I could go and sell insurance with my dad or something, but I'm finally starting to play better and the money is starting to get better."

First prize this weekend is $810,000 (€667,583). Bowden, who has been on and off the Nationwide mini-tour, had career earnings on the main circuit of less than $100,000 (€82,417) going into this season.

With wind continuing to cause problems he led by a stroke from fellow Americans Brian Gay and Tim Petrovic, while Olazabal and Padraig Harrington were in joint 15th place seven strokes back on two under Harrington with 10 holes of his second round still to play.

Olazabal, only 155th on the US Tour money list this season, had not raised his hopes too high after his first day 65, but his one-word description of a round 12 strokes worse was "pathetic".

That was not all the double Masters champion said, though.

"That was terrible. I told you I wasn't lying. My irons were wonderful yesterday, but today they were all over the place. I kept missing green after green, left and right.

"And I have to say that's how I've been hitting them for over a year now.

"I missed a lot from the middle of the fairway, even with short-irons. I was only 65 yards away on one of them and didn't hit the green."

Playing partner Scott, who had to wait to see if he survived the halfway cut at three over, had a nightmare run on the back nine where he played five holes in six over par, four successive bogeys being followed by a double on the short 16th.

The front nine was still to come to try to repair some of the damage, but he ran up a six on the sixth and at the last went into the trees, hit the branches with his next and failed a save par.

"I just played terrible. I had a shocking stretch on the back nine," he said.

Harrington, runner-up to Scott last Sunday, resumed on two under and was still there after a bogey on the 11th, his second, and 22-foot birdie on the 17th.

Welshman Phillip Price was battling to stay alive in the tournament, but at five over after six needed to play the remaining holes in two under at least, while Scot Paul Lawrie appeared to have no hope of qualifying for the final two rounds at eight over with seven to go.

Little-known American Roger Tambellini was the other player to shoot 65 on Thursday and he played his first three holes in five over, double-bogeying the first two and bogeying the next.

Phil Mickelson's 72 kept him three under par and put him in a tie for ninth.