PGA Tour

Mckinney, Texas: Now that Sam Burns has figured out how to turn an early lead into a victory, it’s already time to try again.

Burns birdied six of his last eight holes Friday for a 10-under 62 and a two-stroke lead over Alex Noren at 17 under after the second round of the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Noren shot 64 to get to 15 under, and K.H. Lee had his second 65 to reach 14 under. Doc Redman bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 67 that left him 13 under.

J.J. Spaun was 12 under, following a first-round 63 that left him tied with Jordan Spieth with a 69. Spieth shot 70, leaving the local favorite in the group at 11 under that included Matt Kuchar and Charl Schwartzel.

Scoring went up overall along with the wind a day after the new home of the Nelson, the par-72 TPC Craig Ranch north of Dallas, surrendered 94 rounds in the 60s in its debut. That number dropped considerably in the second round.

The tougher conditions didn’t affect Burns, playing for the first time since his first PGA Tour win two weeks ago at the Valspar Championship in Florida.

Before Burns won at Innisbrook, the 24-year-old Louisiana native who lives in East Texas had twice failed to convert 54-hole leads, in the Houston Open last fall and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February.

European Tour

Birmingham, England: Eddie Pepperell holed a birdie putt from 40 feet on the 18th to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the British Masters and move into position to win the event for the second time in four years.

The English golfer shot a second straight 4-under 68 at The Belfry to jump to 10 under par and emerge from a logjam at the top of the leaderboard.

Six players were one stroke off the lead — Scotland’s Robert Macintyre and Calum Hill (both 70), Italians Edoardo Molinari (64) and Guido Migliozzo (67), Poland’s Adrian Meronk (65) and South Africa’s Dean Burmester (65) — and the top 26 players were separated by five shots. Tournament host Danny Willett was three shots off the lead after a 68. Pepperell was in the world’s top 35 after winning this event at Walton Heath in 2018.