Price returns from Egypt with game intact

LUTZ, Fla. -- So much for Nick Price's contention that, coming off a 12-day vacation in Egypt, he probably wouldn't be sharp in the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at TPC Tampa Bay. "I would be very surprised if I contended this week, to be honest," Price said Thursday. "This course is very penal - you have to have your long game in good shape."

But Price, who won the tournament last year for his first Champions Tour victory, played better as the day wore on Friday, shooting a five-under 66 to be in a tie for second place, one behind Mark O'Meara, among the morning starters. "The last five or six holes, I hit the ball really well. I think I worked out my jet lag a little bit," said Price, who flew back from the Middle East on Monday.

Playing with O'Meara, who shot a back-nine 29, didn't hurt. "It's always nice to see a guy you're playing with making birdies," Price said. "We had a nice vibe going out there today."

Price's journey to Egypt with his wife and children fulfilled a lifelong dream. "The one thing I enjoyed the most, that I think we all did, was cruising the Nile," he said. "When I was a young whippersnapper growing up in Rhodesia, I dreamt and read books about all the African adventurers going up the Nile trying the find [its] source. That was something that was extremely special to me."

-- Bill Fields