Steele Survives Tough Day to Keep Lead at Silverado

NAPA, Calif. — Brendan Steele felt no different about his game Friday than when he tied the course record with a 63 in his opening round at the Frys.com Open. The difference was seven shots. What didn't change was his position on the leaderboard.

Steele had to settle for pars on the closing three holes at Silverado that tend to produce birdies, giving him a 2-under 70 on a course that was getting firmer and featured much stronger pin positions.

All that mattered was a two-shot lead going into the weekend.

"I expected today to be tough," said Steele, who was at 11-under 133. "And it's always tough to follow up a round like yesterday with anything even under par. I think we've seen guys over the…