PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —James Driscoll birdied the final two holes Friday at Spyglass Hill for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over three players in the Pebble Beach Invitational.
Driscoll, playing through a stomach illness, had a 7-under 137 total in the exhibition event. He played the past two seasons on the Web.com Tour after nearly a decade on the PGA Tour.
''I don't know what it is,'' said Driscoll, who has two runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour. ''I was up at 4 in the morning and I was sick again just before today's round. But I had a lot of good ups-and-downs and anytime you have a bogey-free round it's a good day.''
Andrew Putnam, a one-time winner on the PGA Tour, was tied for second with Champions Tour player Joe Durant and the Web.com Tour's Jeff Gove. Durant had a 70 at Pebble Beach, and Gove shot 69 at Spyglass.
''I had a solid round and overall I played OK,'' said Driscoll, who had only one top-25 finish this year.
Champions Tour player Kevin Sutherland, the 2000 winner, had a 71 at Pebble Beach to join Arron Oberholer and Ryan Armour at 5 under.
Oberholser, the 2006 winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am who has no tour status, shot a 70 at Spanish Bay. Armour of the PGA Tour had a 67 at Pebble Beach.
First-round leader Kim Welch had a 75 at Spanish Bay to drop into a tie for sixth at 2 under. Juli Inkster is the only woman to win the event, accomplishing the feat in 1990.
Following the third round, the top 40 and ties in the field of 81 will advance to the final round of Sunday at Pebble Beach. The winner will earn $60,000 from the $300,000 purse.
