Ernie Els Leads in Munich

Ernie Els at the 2009 British Open. (scotchollie / Flickr)

ERNIE ELS FOLLOWED UP AN OPENING 63 at the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany, with a 3-under 69 to take the halfway lead in the European Tour event. Els, the reigning British Open champion, made six birdies but also had a double bogey and bogey on his card. The "Big Easy" has a one-shot lead on Matthew Baldwin and Alexander Levy.

"There's so much golf to be played," Els said. "If you fall out of the lead, if you're not leading after three rounds, it doesn't really mean much at all late Sunday. So you just want to stay in the race and keep trying to go forward."

Els said he lacked energy on Friday, especially on the front nine, but was still able to salvage a good score despite making an "absolute mess of two holes."

Bubba Sets Pace

Bubba Watson is the 36-hole leader at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, after rounds of 63 and 67.

"I love this place," said Watson, the 2010 champion. "I always play well here."