Lietzke among leaders

Jenkins, Darcy tied atop MasterCard Classic leaderboard

? Bruce Lietzke made seven birdies Saturday before bogeying the 18th hole to fall into a three-way tie for the lead with Tom Jenkins and Eamonn Darcy at the end of the second round of the MasterCard Classic.

Lietzke finished with a 4-under 68 to tie Jenkins and Darcy at 9-under in the $2 million tournament.

“I played 17 holes like Tiger Woods, and the 18th hole like my grandmother,” Lietzke said.

Tom Kite shot a 65 to move 7 under for the tournament — two shots in back of the leaders.

“Yesterday was all ups and downs,” Kite said. “In this high altitude, the balls can fly extremely far.”

Isao Aoki is tied with Kite in fourth place after shooting a 69 Saturday.

American Jim Thorpe withdrew from the tournament after being mugged at gun point in a Mexico City restaurant late Friday night.

Golfers Rodger Davis, Bob Gilder, Walter Hall, Butch Sheehan and Bobby Walzel were also robbed in the restaurant. No one was injured in the attack.

“This kind of thing can happen in anywhere in the world,” Kite said. “It shouldn’t reflect badly on the tournament or on Mexico.”

Tournament director Ricardo Ampudia said he was deeply troubled by the incident, but said the organizers can’t guarantee the security of players on evening trips into the city. He said he did not expect the robbery to affect the future of the tournament.