Second round: Cink takes command in Cromwell
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) -- Stewart Cink moved to the top of the Travelers Championship leaderboard making two long eagle putts in a 6-under 64 that left him a stroke ahead of defending champion Hunter Mahan and two others on Friday.
Cink, the 1997 winner at TPC River Highlands, is seeking his first victory of the season after six top-10 finishes.
"I hope it's just a matter of time," Cink said. "I hope it's a matter of about two days."
It didn't look good early for Cink, who began the day at 4 under and promptly bogeyed the first two holes. He got one back with a birdie at the third before knocking in a 26-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 sixth. He bettered that shot by curling in a 49-foot right-to-left eagle putt on the 13th.
"I just kept staying down and staying focused on doing what I can do and that's just stroking the putter through the ball, almost not looking up to watch it," said Cink, who opened with a 66 on Thursday en route to a 10-under 130 total.
Mahan shot a 63, the best round of the day, to join Ken Duke and Lucas Glover at 9-under. Duke and Glover shot 66s.
Mahan has been under par in 10 of his last 11 rounds at the TPC River Highlands, where he won last year in a playoff with journeyman Jay Williamson. Mahan tied for second in 2006, and has made five consecutive cuts on the course.
"I just feel comfortable here," Mahan said. "I make a lot of free swings and I can play golf and I don't have to worry about where the ball might end up."
On Friday, the ball usually ended up in the fairway, on the green or in the hole. The 26-year-old Mahan shot a bogey-free round, with seven birdies, including four on his first seven holes. He hit 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens.
Mahan would be only the second consecutive winner in the 55-year history of the tournament. Phil Mickelson won in 2001 and 2002.
Duke and Glover followed first-round 65s with their 66s.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I just feel comfortable here. I make a lot of free swings and I can play golf and I don't have to worry about where the ball might end up." -- Defending champion Hunter Mahan after shooting a 7-under 63 in the second round of the Travelers Championship
'PATIENCE PAYS OFF' FOR ADAMONIS
By Bruce Berlet, Special to PGATOUR.COM
CROMWELL, Conn. -- Brad Adamonis didn't face an serious adversity Friday until his final hole.
Going against his better judgment, Adamonis hit a driver instead of a 3-wood on the dogleg right, par-4 ninth hole, his tee shot running through the fairway and into a bunker. Adamonis then bladed his approach over the green and under a small tree, thinking it might be out of bounds.
But Adamonis had a window to the green, hunched over and pitched a shot about 15 feet past the pin. He made the par-saver for a 2-under 68 and 36-hole total of 132 that kept him among the leaders in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
"It was a great way to end the day," Adamonis said.
The final stroke kept the PGA TOUR's oldest rookie (35) bogey-free for the day thanks in large part to a lesson and a new putter he got back last weekend from his father, Dave. It also epitomized the philosophy that his dad preaches to his Johnson & Wales golf team, which won the NAIA championship in 2005.
"Patience Pays Off" is the senior Adamonis' credo and represents what he endured the last three years while inspiring Brad, family, friends and anyone else who knows his tale.
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CINK: SUCCEED THROUGH SELF-REGULATION
By Stewart Cink, Special to PGATOUR.COM
CROMWELL, Conn. -- When it comes to mental fitness, I think one of the most important things that a lot of players out here on TOUR do without even realizing it, is the act of self regulation.
In order to perform, you have to control your body and the way your mind is going. You've heard players say they get so fast under pressure and the swing speeds up. Everything speeds the swing up. The idea is to keep yourself slowed down, and you can do that with your breathing, you can do it with your walking, you can do it with your talking, you can just slow yourself down overall.
Mentally it helps you process information the right way, because really what happens is when you get out of regulation and get thrown off a little bit -- sometimes pressure does it, the first result is bad decision making. In golf, there's a very fine line, almost imperceptible to the players sometimes, the difference between when you're feeling calm and you're thinking properly to suddenly you're a little anxious and maybe you don't consider every single possibility. So you have to stay self-regulated. Using those techniques, you just make better decisions and end up playing better.
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HUNTING ANOTHER WIN?
A successful defense of the Travelers Championship has only happened one time in the tournament's rich, 55-year history.
This week, Hunter Mahan is hoping to make that two times. And, he's off to a fine start. The TPC River Highlands is a welcomed birdie-fest for players who -- like Mahan -- competed in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines a week ago.
Mahan, who defeated Jay Williamson in a playoff last year for his first TOUR win, was slightly disappointed with his 2-under 68 in the first round. He knew many birdie opportunities had been squandered.
On Friday, Mahan made up for that in spades with a tournament-best 7-under 63 to get to 9 under through 36 holes and prime position for the weekend.
"I think it's more of a mind-set to play Torrey Pines than here," Mahan said. "When you play Torrey and the U.S. Open, you get set up for a battle. It's going to be a tough day. And when you come here, it's a little bit more relaxed and you're not penalized for missing a shot. It's just, you don't have to change -- from Torrey, you really have to change things up and strategize hard. Out here you can play a little more free, a little more aggressive."
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STILL ON FIRE
It seems as though skipping the U.S. Open is just what Kenny Perry needed to recharge the batteries.
| 68 | As in 2 under -- Hunter Mahan's worst score in his last four rounds at TPC River Highlands. |
| 6 | The number of top-10 finishes Kenny Perry has recorded at the Travelers Championship in 20 career starts. |
| 3 | The number of TOUR events in 2008 where the cut has fallen below par, including the Travelers Championship. |
Perry, one of the hottest players on the planet lately with a win and a runner-up playoff finish in his last four starts, decided to pass on the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines for a few reasons. First and foremost, Perry wasn't a fan of the course. Secondly, he's determined to be a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team this year since the biennial matches will be held in his home state of Kentucky at Valhalla Golf Club and wanted to play where he felt he could play well -- that didn't include Torrey Pines. Finally, the 47-year-old had played seven events in a row.
After one week's rest, Perry is back in a familiar position -- near the top of the leaderboard. Through two rounds of the Travelers Championship, Perry was 7 under. He shot a 4-under 66 on Thursday and a 3-under 67 on Friday. In the first round, Perry had a double bogey on the first hole at TPC River Highlands. Friday was dramatically different -- four shots different, in fact, as he made an eagle 2.
"I had not holed a shot in a long time, and that was quite a way to open your eyes a little bit and put a big smile on your face," he said. "When that pitching wedge went in from 133 and everybody started roaring, you could not see the bottom of the flag stick up that hill. It was a good way to jump-start my round. Didn't play great today, and I could tell I've had a week off... My short game is a little off. My chipping and my putting, my feel is not quite with me. But I'm ecstatic. I'm 7 under and right there in the golf tournament, so hopefully I'm going to go work a lot in afternoon and see what we've got."
SOMETIMES LUCKY IS BETTER THAN GOOD
We all know that players on the PGA TOUR are among the most elite golfers in the world. However, even they get a little lucky sometimes.
Just ask Ken Duke. On the fourth hole on Friday, Duke made a 60-foot putt for birdie.
"It was just perfect, and I just didn't know if it was going to go in," he said. "It looked good the whole way, perfect speed, and it fell right in."
That was just one of five birdies for Duke -- who also had one bogey -- in the second round on his way to a 4-under 66. Along with Thursday's 5-under 65, Duke is right in the thick of things as he'll start the weekend at 9 under.
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THREE THINGS TO WATCH ON SATURDAY
1. Stewart Cink. The TOUR veteran has four wins in his career, and has been knocking on the door many times this season with nothing to show for it. Expect to see an aggressive Cink on Saturday as he tries to grab his first win since 2004.
2. Hunter Mahan. It will be interesting to see how Mahan backs up Friday's 7-under 63 from Friday. It's been said that one of the toughest things to do on TOUR is back up one great round with another great round. If Mahan can pull it off, he'll be in an excellent position to defend his lone TOUR win.
3. A big move from someone in the back of the pack. Saturday is moving day on the PGA TOUR. With a course as susceptible to birdies as TPC River Highlands is, don't be the least bit surprised to see someone with an early tee time post a great number that shoots them up the leaderboard and into contention for Sunday. This is the same tournament where Brad Faxon won in 2005 after making the cut on the number. Faxon positioned himself for the playoff win with weekend rounds of 65-61 -- or, a 14 under weekend.
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