Pereira birdies his way to 6-shot lead at Sahalee Players Amateur

SAMMAMISH — University of Washington golfer Corey Pereira has a six stroke lead at the Sahalee Players Championship's halfway point. With players going 36-holes in the long Seattle area daylight, Pereira opened with a 1-under 35 on the front nine, then lit up the back in 30 strokes thanks to back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, 13 and 14, one more at No. 16, and a closing birdie at the par-5 18th. And Sahalee CC is no pushover -- the 6962 yard course with towering evergreens lining the fairways has hosted the PGA Championship. Pereira shot 70 on his second 18, posting five birdies (three of them on par 5s) against three bogeys. Last summer, Pereira won the Pacific Coast Amateur in Arizona with back-to-back 62s in the final rounds. He will be tough to catch, but several players are within reach including Charles Kern (73-68=141) of Mercer Island, Cheng Jin (70-71=141) of China and John Oda (71-70=141) of Hawaii. The second round will be played Tuesday; the tournament concludes on Wednesday.