Lehman, Funk share 1st at Insperity Championship

The Woodlands, TX – Tom Lehman and Fred Funk used late birdies Saturday to emerge from the field and take the lead after two rounds of the Insperity Championship.

Lehman's birdie came at the 17th, right after a bogey, and moved him to minus- nine. Funk, his playing partner, then birdied the 18th to grab a share of first place at The Woodlands Country Club.

Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion and a five-time winner on the Champions Tour, posted a two-under 70. Funk, who owns six Champions titles, was one better with a 69.

They finished 36 holes at nine-under par 135, one stroke ahead of Mike Goodes (67) and Brad Bryant (68), who both were atop the leaderboard late during Saturday's round. But mistakes knocked them back down, and they are tied for second place at eight-under 136.

Another shot behind in fifth place are Bobby Clampett (67) and Michael Allen (68), at minus-seven. Allen has won the last two events on the Champions Tour schedule.

Lehman, who was the first-round leader, birdied one and three to quickly reach minus-nine. He stayed at that score around the turn after parring six in a row, but his score was rarely static on the back nine. A birdie at 10 was negated by a bogey at 11, and he followed a birdie at 13 with a bogey at 14.

Goodes took the opportunity to move up the leaderboard with a run of five birdies in six holes. He drained his first at 11, parred the 12th, then made four birdies in a row to get to 10-under.

He was alone in front at that point, but couldn't hold onto first. A double bogey at the 18th dropped Goodes back to minus-eight, and left Lehman and Bryant atop the leaderboard.

Bryant had birdied 15 and 17 to reach nine-under and join Lehman. But both were soon back at minus-eight -- Lehman bogeyed his 16th, while Bryant stumbled to a bogey at his last.

However, Lehman moved back into first at his next hole and was soon joined by Funk, who had been among the contenders all afternoon. He birdied his first two holes, and another at the sixth got him to nine-under. But a bogey and 10 pars over his next 11 holes left him lagging just behind.

NOTES: Defending champion Brad Faxon shot a two-under 70 and is tied for 11th at four-under. He won this title in October of last year...On Saturday, there was an exhibition with golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino, among others. Nicklaus, Palmer and Player were the winning threesome, at 11-under.