Young Summerhays, veteran Johnson lead Oregon Classic  PGA TOUR Staff JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- Deep down, Daniel Summerhays knew he was making the right decision when he chose to turn professional after winning the 2007 Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational as an amateur and receiving an exemption on the Nationwide Tour through the 2008 season.  Richard Johnson birdied his final five holes Friday to move into a tie for the lead. (Jim Rogash/WireImage)
After making five of his six cuts since turning pro and shooting his second consecutive 66 on Friday to move to 12 under par and into a tie for the lead with Richard Johnson at the Oregon Classic presented by Kendall Automotive Group, Summerhays continued to show why he followed his heart. "Winning in Columbus changed my life. It was a defining moment in my life. I've learned so much out here since turning pro," said Summerhays, who put his collegiate career on hold between his freshman and sophomore seasons (2004-05) to embark on a two-year church mission to Chile. "I'm getting to know a lot of the guys. "It's such a test out here. You get to see so many great golf courses. You learn new shots," he added. "The fields are deep and week-in week-out it's a great challenge to come out here and play." Summerhays has played 36 holes without a bogey through the first two rounds. After starting the year as a senior at Brigham Young University, he said there are differences playing on the Nationwide Tour and playing on the collegiate level took some getting used to. "First of all, you have to get used to making the cut after two days. You really have to play great right from the start if you want to make it to the weekend," he said. "It also took a while to get used to seeing my name on the leaderboards out here. They don't have those in college. "I would see 'Summerhays, 3 under' on the leaderboard and start thinking about getting two or three more birdies and where that would put me," he added. "You can't get ahead of yourself like that. You have to take it a shot at a time. So all the things I am learning are starting to pay off." Johnson birdied his final five holes to shoot 8 under par on the day and move into a tie for the second-round lead. The 35-year-old graduate of Augusta State University has two runner-up finishes in his last four events. Johnson, originally from Cardiff, Wales, is No. 11 on the money list and one of the top-ranked players on Tour without a win this season behind five top-10 finishes. "It's nice to play well this year. Winning will happen if you keep playing well," said the winner of the 1999 Florida Classic and the 2000 Monterey Peninsula Classic. "I've got a pretty good consistent thing I'm doing with my golf swing. I'm working on the same things. I'm not fiddling around and I'm putting pretty well." Jason Day shot a back-nine 31 and moved to 11 under par with an afternoon 67 and is one stroke back. The 19-year-old Australian is No. 3 on the money list and approximately $60,000 behind money leader Roland Thatcher. Day became the youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR co-sanctioned event earlier this season at the Legend Financial Group Classic. He has seven top-10 finishes and has earned more than $320,000 this season. "It is fun being out there and being in the tournament with a chance to win it. There are two more days left, so there is a lot of golf still out there. But it is fun being in the final group and having a chance," Day said. "I've just got to go out there and play my game." B.J. Staten shot a course-record 10-under 62 and matched his personal best. After battling the flu early in the week, which contributed to an opening-round 74, Staten responded on Friday by besting the course record by one stroke. By moving up from a tie for 117th to start the day to a tie for seventh on Friday, the 30th-ranked player on the money list put himself in good position going into the weekend. Staten would love a good finish to move into The 25 and earn his PGA TOUR card for the 2008 season. "I played great today. It could have even been more special, but it was a good round," Staten said. "You have to have your game every week out here. You've got 50 or 60 guys out here that could easily go and win on the PGA TOUR any week. I was pleased with coming out here and shooting a round like that today." First-Round News & Notes: Sponsor's exemption Jonathan Moore, who turned pro this week after sinking the decisive eagle-putt to lead the U.S. Walker Cup team to victory on Sunday, missed the cut. ... 77 players made the cut at 2 under par, the lowest since 3 under par in 2002 and the second-lowest in tournament history. ... In the eight year history of the Oregon Classic, the second-round leader has gone on to victory twice. ... Chris Riley withdrew before the start of the second round due to illness. ... Chris Baryla was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard. ... The second-round scoring average finished at 70.955, the lowest second-round average in tournament history. |
