Byrd answering the call at AT&T Classic
Jonathan Byrd took advantage of soft fairways and receptive greens at TPC Sugarloaf yesterday, shooting his second straight 6-under-par 66 to take a three-stroke lead in the AT&T Classic in Duluth, Ga.
Byrd, seeking his fourth PGA Tour victory, shared the lead with Kenny Perry, Ryan Palmer, and two others when the second round began.
The course was drenched with more than an inch of rain Thursday, and though no precipitation fell in the second round, overcast conditions kept the sun from drying off the fairways and greens and making the course play faster.
Perry and Palmer shot 69s to drop into a tie for second. Parker McLachlin, another first-round leader, shot a 70 to drop into a three-way tie for fourth with Charles Howell (69) and David Toms (69) at 8 under.
Defending champion Zach Johnson (70) and Sugarloaf resident Stewart Cink (71) were seven strokes back at 5 under.
Byrd, who finished sixth in 2006 and tied for ninth in '07, was in the final group two years ago when Phil Mickelson finished the tournament a staggering 28 under.
Champions - Andy Bean, who has only one win in 130 Tour events, and Monday qualifier Mike Goodes shot 7-under 65s to share the first-round lead in the Regions Charity Classic in Hoover, Ala.
Leading money winner Bernhard Langer was two strokes back on the 7,503-yard Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge course. A two-time winner this year on the 50-and-over tour, Langer tied for 15th Sunday in The Players Championship on the PGA Tour.
European - Michael Lorenzo-Vera shot a 2-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead at 6-under 138 over Marcel Siem (71) after the second round of the Irish Open in Adare.
Richard Green (74) and Pablo Larrazabal (70) were in third at 4 under. Darren Clarke (69) topped a group at 3 under. Padraig Harrington, the defending champion, is 1 under after a 71.
LPGA - Tour officials took the rare step of washing out play in the 
