Morrison hits rivals for 6 at Wentworth

Having opened the batting for England at youth-team level, James Morrison could easily have been part of the senior cricket side taking on the West Indies at Trent Bridge on Friday.

Instead, at the age of 16, he switched his allegiance to golf, went from an 18 handicapper to a scratch player in 10 months and is on course this week at Wentworth to claim the biggest win of his 5 1/2-year professional career.

Morrison eagled the 18th at his local course for the second day running to shoot a 64 in his second round at the BMW PGA Championship on Friday and move to 12 under par - four strokes clear of his nearest rivals at the biggest event on the European Tour.

''Standing out in a field all day isn't as fun as eagling the last here,'' said Morrison, who is ranked No. 236. ''It's been a good decision.''

The 27-year-old Englishman, who describes himself as an ''average'' academic student, also played hockey to a county standard as a teenager but it ultimately came down to a choice between cricket and golf.

As a 14-year-old, he was playing for England alongside current internationals Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan and county cricket for Surrey for 10 years from the age of 7.

However, once he picked up a golf club, he was only going to follow one path.

''In my last game at Surrey, I made 114 not out. I called it a day after that,'' Morrison recalled. ''I wasn't enjoying it any more. But I was on a scholarship so I stuck it out until I was 18, playing both cricket and golf.''

He lost touch with Cook and the rest of his former cricket pals but struggled to make the step up to the highest level in golf after joining the European Tour in 2010, with his only tournament victory coming at the Madeira Islands Open that year.

This year may be different.

As a sufferer of Crohn's disease, he is on a strict dietary regime under his strength and conditioning coach Justin Buckthorp, who also sits on the medical advisory board of the European Tour.

''We've removed dairy, gluten, sugars and the processed stuff,'' Buckthorp told The Associated Press at the back of the 18th green. ''It always proves a challenge, eating the right things while you are away on tour. And we believe it's having the right impact.''

Morrison now says his game has turned full circle, with his drives going 20 yards further and his short game much improved. His putter his been cold all year but it has heated up on the Wentworth greens.

His eagle on No. 18 came from 25 feet, adding to the six birdies he made earlier in a bogey-free second round. It followed on from a 68 on Thursday, which culminated when he chipped in from just off the green at the last.

''Wish golf was like this every day,'' Morrison said.

He couldn't have timed his run at Wentworth better, too. His wife is due to give birth to their first child next month and Morrison is planning to take a break from golf after this tournament.

Problem is, winning the BMW PGA Championship secures automatic qualification for the U.S. Open, which is also next month at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. And he maintains that he will not change his plans even if he wins here.

''Divorce comes to mind,'' he said, laughing. ''As hard as it would be to turn down, no.''