MAMARONECK, Aug 15: John Daly, who quit in the middle of the last major championship he played, shot a record-tying four-under-par 66 yesterday to lead the PGA Championship only to watch Davis Love catch him at the end of the day.

Daly, a recovering alcoholic who walked off the course after 27 holes in the US Open in June because he had the shakes due to drinking, took advantage of perfect early playing conditions to match the winged foot gold club course record that his friend Fuzzy Zoeller set in winning the 1984 US Open.

The rejuvenated Daly then waited the rest of the day while most of the 150 professionals in the field failed to overtake him until early evening, when Love birdied the last two holes to also shoot 66 in fading light.

Their record performances outshone the `Dream Threesone' of the day -- Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Justin Leonard, the young winners of the year's first three majors, who all remained in the hunt.

Robert Allenby of Australia also made a late-day bid to overtake Daly but he bogeyed winged Foot's difficult 18th to card the day's only 67.

Love said he was delighted to be able to tame winged foot late in the day when playing conditions are usually most difficult, especially the spike-marked greens.

The 31-year-old Daly, who won the 1995 British Open in a playoff for his second major title, said Wednesday's sporadic rains had softened the greens and made them more receptive to approach shots.

Daly saved the best for last as he closed with three consecutive birdies -- with putts of five feet, four feet and one foot, after hitting two 156-yard nine irons and a 137-yard pitching wedge.

Love, one of the best players yet to win a major, burst into contention on the front nine when he went five under par in four holes starting at the second. He punctuated the spree with an eagle at the 515-yard fifth, where he drained a 20-foot putt from the fringe.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.