John Daly birdied the final five holes Friday in the Toshiba Classic, leaving him three strokes behind fellow senior newcomer Billy Mayfair and 62-year-old Jay Haas. Making his 14th PGA Tour Champions start since turning 50 in April, the long-hitting Daly finished with a 4-under 67 at Newport Beach Country Club after playing the front nine in even par and dropping a stroke on 13. "This course, you short-side yourself you can make some big numbers, but it's a golf course that if I keep hitting the driver straight, you can score," Daly said. "A lot of wedges into a lot of the holes." The two-time major champion has three top-20 finishes on the senior tour, the best a tie for 11th in July in New York at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open. Haas made an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 to match Mayfair at 64. "I've always played this course well," said Haas, the 2007 winner. Mayfair eagled the par-5 third and had six birdies — four on the last five holes — and one bogey. He's making his sixth start on the tour after turning 50 in August. Larry Mize, Paul Goydos and Michael Allen shot 65. Mize played the back-nine in 5-under 31. Goydos birdied four of the first five holes. Ross Cochran shot 66, and defending champion Duffy Waldorf was at 67 along with Daly, Mark Calcavecchia, Ian Woosnam, Joey Sindelar, Mark Brooks, Jay Don Blake, John Cook, Fred Funk, Billy Andrade, Jerry Smith, Doug Garwood and brothers Bart and Brad Bryant. Colin Montgomerie had a 68. He's coming off a victory two weeks ago in British Columbia. Langer, the tour leader with four victories, is taking the week off. He also tops the money list and Charles Schwab Cup points standings. Late double bogey proves costly for Pieters Thomas Pieters, the leading scorer at last week's Ryder Cup with four points from five matches, came unstuck at his penultimate hole in the Dunhill Links Championship second round Friday. The long-hitting Belgian worked his way into a good position near the top of the leaderboard before a double-bogey six at the 17th meant he had to settle for a four-under 68 and a total of 138, five strokes behind leader Ross Fisher of England (68). "It's a shame to finish with a double because I was going along nicely and making a few putts," Ryder Cup rookie Pieters told reporters at Kingsbarns, one of three courses being used at the pro-am event in Scotland. "You can't drive it in the fairway bunkers here, you just can't. I'll have to avoid those tomorrow at St Andrews as well." Former Ryder Cup player Fisher was one stroke ahead of Swede Joakim Lagergren (68). Overnight leader Alex Noren (71), also from Sweden, was in third spot on 135, one in front of South African Jbe Kruger (68).
