ALOHA, Ore. -- Tom Watson says the secret to leading a tournament is simple -- no bogeys.
Watson was a tournament-record 14-under 130 after 36 holes at the Jeld-Wen Tradition, the final major on the Champions Tour this year.
"I'm on a good roll right now with 36 holes and no bogeys," Watson said following the second round Friday. "If I can continue that, I might have a chance."
Watson certainly had plenty of birdies -- five on the front nine, then five more on the back, good for a 10-under 62 and a four-stroke lead going into the third round Saturday at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club.
The last time he can remember shooting a 62 was three years ago at the Bank One Championship. Even the few shots that appeared to go awry for Watson somehow went right.
On the par-4 17th, Watson missed the fairway on his tee shot, found some wood chips in the trees and then came to rest on an artificial turf putting green used as a promotion, leaving him an open shot to the green.
"Bruce said, 'You want to drop?' " Watson said, referring to caddie Bruce Edwards. "I said, 'Heck no, I've got the perfect lie.' "
Watson saved par on the hole and went on to birdie No. 18 with a delicate chip shot that had to have just the right amount of speed for the dangerously sloping green.
"If I'd pushed that sand wedge just a couple more feet, I would have gone downhill on that green and probably bogeyed," said Watson, the winner last month of the British Senior Open. "These rounds are few and far between."
Jim Ahern, the first-round co-leader with Fuzzy Zoeller, shot a 68 and was at 134 with Hale Irwin, who despite continued back trouble, had five straight birdies on the back nine in a 67.
"My round really was contained in the last five holes," Irwin said.
Zoeller shot a 70, dropping to 8 under in hot and nearly windless conditions on the suburban course west of Portland. He was joined by Tom Kite and Morris Hatalsky, who shot 68s, at 136.
Ahern has been pushing himself to finish in the top 30 on the Champions Tour money list this year after winning the Music City Championship in June, only the third title of his pro career. But he had slipped from 24th to 35th over the past two months.
"I don't know if I was better or worse than yesterday, but I played pretty good today," Ahern said.
Watson has five Champions Tour victories to go with his 39 PGA Tour wins. He has six top-five finishes on the senior tour this year.
The galleries greeted Watson and Edwards with warm applause. Earlier this year, Edwards was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable and fatal illness known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Watson said he would like another victory with Edwards at his side.
"Obviously it would mean a great deal, because he's my friend and he's in trouble," Watson said.
Irwin, the winningest senior with 37 tour victories, said he was plagued with back spasms again, but still managed to put together a second bogey-free round.
"I feel a little like I'm going out there with half the clubs in my bag," Irwin said.
The Tradition moved to Oregon this season after 14 years in Arizona. It's the first time the tour has been to the state since the 1982 U.S. Senior Open at Portland Golf Club.
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