Price Keeps Balance in Wind With Par 72

Valderrama Golf Club proved again Friday that with any kind of wind, the quirky layout can take on a life of its own.

One day after blitzing the course with 11 birdies, Nick Price escaped from a windy round with a par 72 for a two-stroke lead over Hidemichi Tanaka in the American Express Championship at Sotogrande, Spain.

“It’s like walking a tightrope,” Price said. “You feel that if you fall off, it’s going to take you a long time to get back on again. It’s a strange golf course in that respect. You almost get claustrophobic on it.”

He still has breathing room.

Despite bogeys on two of the final four holes, Price was at nine-under 135 and will be paired today with Tanaka, whose 66 was the best score of the day.

Tiger Woods was the only player in the 54-man field to avoid bogey against the winds that blew about 20 mph off the Mediterranean Sea. He had a three-under 69 and was five strokes behind.

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Argentina’s Vicente Fernandez beat defending champion Larry Nelson, 2-and-1, in the first round of the Chrysler Senior Match Play Challenge at Dorado, Puerto Rico.