Others in contention included Tom Lehman (11 under par) and José Maria Olazabal (10 under).
But many players were still in contention, including David Duval, the defending champion.
Other candidates said to remain in contention include George J. Terwilliger III, a former deputy attorney general under Mr. Bush's father.
A host of players will begin the weekend in contention, including five players tied at six under: Bob Estes, Brad Faxon, Joe Oglivie, Scott Verplank and Mark Wilson.
But all of that bonhomie could not paper over points of contention, including the issue of NATO expansion.
Areas in contention include parts of the Tarkine, Bruny Island, the north-east highlands including Blue Tier, and Wielangta forest in the south-east.
In recent days, several prominent college coaches publicly withdrew their names from contention, including Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Rick Neuheisel of Washington.
Other potential free agents on teams that could soon drop out of contention include Houston's Shawn Chacon, the Dodgers' Derek Lowe and San Diego's Randy Wolf.
Paramount's other "for your consideration" pitches for Oscar contention include Noah, Hercules, Men, Women and Children, Interstellar, The Gambler and Selma.
(Points of contention include the character of Petrovsky. In response to some writers' concerns, next week's episode, "The Ick Factor," deals straightforwardly with Mr. Baryshnikov's age).
