Rice, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, won this event with Bob Hullender in 1997 and 1999. Earsley, from Hobe Sound, FL, is coming off a playoff win in the Palm Beach Senior Classic earlier this week.
Sitting two shots back after consecutive 68's is the team of Larry Thomas and Chip Stewart, who won this event four straight times from 2000-2003. Three teams are another shot back at 137--Cole and Stewart after a 71, William Sumner and Gary Kirwan with a 70, and Dan Alpha and Doug Baker who moved into contention with a 6-under 66.
No other team managed to break 140 for the two rounds, so any team outside the top five will need to make a big charge to give themselves a chance to win. Jerry Hudgins and Bill Wiley shot the low round of the day with a 65 for a 140 total, and sit tied for 6th with Ford Cartwright and Mike Hopson.
Among other past champions, Todd Lusk/Andy Wall (2004) shot a 68 to sit tied for 9th at 142, while Charles Hill, Jr./Bob Sine (2005) sit tied for 20th at 147.
Crown Colony continues to demonstrate its excellence as a championship venue. It has long been one of the highest-rated courses in the state of Texas, and has an impressive championship pedigree. In addition to annually hosting the Temple Cup and Temple Cup Senior, Crown Colony was the site of the Southern Amateur in 1987 and 2001, and the Texas State Amateur in 1982 and 1998.
The 54-hole, best-ball tournament concludes with the final round on Saturday.
Second-round results from the Temple Cup Senior, played at Crown Colony Country
Club in Lufkin, TX, April 6-8, 2006:
| 1 | Steve Earsley | Mike Rice | 67 | 67 | 134 |
| 2 | Larry Thomas | Chip Stewart | 68 | 68 | 136 |
| T3 | Dan Alpha | Doug Baker | 71 | 66 | 137 |
| T3 | William Sumner | Gary Kirwan | 67 | 71 | 137 |
| T3 | Henry Cole | Van Stewart | 66 | 71 | 137 |
| T6 | Bill Wiley | Jerry Hudgins | 75 | 65 | 140 |
| T6 | Ford Cartwright | Mike Hopson | 70 | 70 | 140 |
| 8 | John Goode | John Pigg | 71 | 70 | 141 |
| T9 | Andy Wall | Todd Lusk | 74 | 68 | 142 |
| T9 | Joe Cadle | Tom Miller | 74 | 68 | 142 |
| T9 | Bob Vidricksen | Frank Roth | 73 | 69 | 142 |
| T9 | Gary Seaman | Don Seaman | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| T9 | Bob Abbott | Jim Martin | 71 | 71 | 142 |
| T9 | David Moore | Steve Bueltel | 68 | 74 | 142 |
| 15 | Howard Knowles | Bert Rogers | 74 | 69 | 143 |
| 16 | Pat Trowbridge | Ed Heffern | 74 | 70 | 144 |
| T17 | Mike Morgan | Johnson Ramsey | 75 | 70 | 145 |
| T17 | Dakin Cramer | Corky Nelson | 72 | 73 | 145 |
| 19 | Harvey McCraw | Mike Atnip | 74 | 72 | 146 |
| T20 | Charles Hill, Jr. | Bob Sine | 73 | 74 | 147 |
| T20 | Carey Schulten | Curt Wagner | 73 | 74 | 147 |
| T20 | Henry Ellis | Jerry Gatti | 71 | 76 | 147 |
| T23 | Joe Battson | Robert Scardino | 76 | 72 | 148 |
| T23 | Mike Busch | Wes Duperier | 76 | 72 | 148 |
| T23 | Richard Cozby | Mike O'Brien | 73 | 75 | 148 |
| T26 | Frank Pickens | Bob Bishop | 78 | 71 | 149 |
| T26 | Jay Gasper | Bob Wands | 78 | 71 | 149 |
| T26 | Bill Davis | Skip Warren | 75 | 74 | 149 |
| T26 | Bob Boeger | Ralph Foltz | 72 | 77 | 149 |
| T30 | Bob Twaddell | Terry Bigham | 77 | 73 | 150 |
| T30 | John Steineker | Jim Thigpen | 76 | 74 | 150 |
| T30 | Carl Ahrens | Tommy Cruse | 74 | 76 | 150 |
| T33 | Buddy Hurst | Pat Hodges | 77 | 74 | 151 |
| T33 | Max Haney | Bill Slaughter | 77 | 74 | 151 |
| T33 | Bill Rogers | George Hunter | 76 | 75 | 151 |
| T33 | Richard Mosman | Bob Mosman | 75 | 76 | 151 |
| T33 | Rex Covert | Rick Rogers | 74 | 77 | 151 |
| 38 | W. Dick Davis | Don Addington | 78 | 74 | 152 |
| T39 | Craig Carlisle | Ron Montgomery | 79 | 74 | 153 |
| T39 | Gene Ross | Bob Duboise | 77 | 76 | 153 |
| T39 | Jim Pope | Kent Herndon | 74 | 79 | 153 |
| T42 | Mace Brindley | Scott Jones | 78 | 76 | 154 |
| T42 | Larry Augsburger | Henry Hair | 76 | 78 | 154 |
| T44 | B.J. Shaw | Gary Mellema | 80 | 75 | 155 |
| T44 | Tripp Owen | Joel Broussard | 77 | 78 | 155 |
| T46 | John McDonald | Jim Rath | 79 | 78 | 157 |
| T46 | Dick Martin | Fred Hansen | 79 | 78 | 157 |
| T46 | Bobby Gray | Rod Simmons | 78 | 79 | 157 |
| 49 | Jack Bailey | Mike Arrington | 81 | 81 | 162 |
| 50 | Norman Brady | Don Campbell | 95 | 88 | 183 |
