Second round: Oberholser reigns at home with a 64
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Arron Oberholser is making the most of his home-field advantage.
He estimates he has played the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club 75 times, and his last two rounds were among his best.
Oberholser shot a 6-under 64 on Friday for an 11-under 129 total and a one-stroke lead halfway through the Frys.com Open, the fifth of seven stops on the PGA TOUR's Fall Series.
"This was my practice facility in 2002 when I first moved down here," he said. "... I've played this golf course so many times and I've been in every spot imaginable, so I'm very comfortable around it, and I really have no fear of any golf shot out here."
Australian Steve Allan, who also lives in Scottsdale, shot a 63 and was one shot behind at 10 under on the sun-baked 7,125-yard desert layout.
Brad Elder and George McNeill were 9 under after 63s.
Paul Goydos -- the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii champion -- sank a 47-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to highlight an 8-under 62. Goydos was tied with Aussie Mathew Goggin, first-round co-leader John Mallinger and Robert Garrigus at 8 under.
Billy Mayfair and Steve Elkington were among five players at 7 under.
Like Oberholser, Allan, Goggin, Garrigus and Mayfair live in Scottsdale.
Kevin Stadler shot a tournament-best 61, but still missed the cut after opening with an 81.
Oberholser, a top 10 finisher 18 times on the PGA TOUR heading in to this year, is playing his second tournament after coming back from two surgeries on his left wrist in a span of nine months. He said the forced time off may did him some good.
"I made a decision to change teachers, and the good thing was that I hadn't been playing so I hadn't been working on any bad habits," he said.
| 20 | Shot difference between Kevin Stadler's first round (81) and his second (61). |
| 2 | Number of players who have shot 61 at Grayhawk. Mark Hensby (2007) is the other. |
The winner of the 2006 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Oberholser says he had developed many bad habits while compensating for the severe pain he had felt in the wrist. He said the first surgery didn't fix the problem, but the second one -- to remove bone spurs -- did.
"It's actually been a blessing in disguise," he said, "because now I'm coming out here with a fresh look and a fresh start."
Allan ranks 139th on the PGA TOUR earnings list. A move up to the top 125 would give him full exempt status for next year.
"It's nice to be playing well," he said. "There's a lot on the line at this time of year, and I'm really trying hard not to think about it and just enjoy the fact that I'm hitting the ball good."
Doug LaBelle II, who shared the first-round lead, shot a 72 and was six back at 5-under 135.
Also at 5-under was Richard Johnson, the Nationwide Tour's leading money winner a year ago. Playing the back nine first, Johnson hit the water twice on the par-4, 515-yard 18th for a triple-bogey, then had a double-bogey on the par-4 second. He sprinkled in four birdies for a second round score of 1-over 71.
Defending champion Mike Weir followed his first-round 66 with a 68 for a 6-under 134.
Davis Love III had an eagle on the fourth hole, the course's only par-5. He was at 4-under 166.
Vaughn Taylor had a hole-in-one with a 5-iron on the par-3, 209-yard second hole but still missed the cut.
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| Friday's Best |
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The par-4, 332-yard 15th was the easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 3.519.
The par-3, 203-yard fifth was the toughest with a Thursday scoring average of 3.217.
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Vaughan Taylor banked his tee shot at the par-3 13th right into the hole during the second round. 
As hard as it is to believe, Kevin Stadler missed the cut after following up his first-round 81 and a 61 in the second round. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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NO. 501 HAS A NICE RING TO IT
Steve Elkington's 500th PGA TOUR start passed with a disappointing missed cut last week in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
This week has been ten times better for the Australian, who is looking for his first win since 1999. Elk shot 66-67 to go into the weekend at the Frys.com Open just four shots back of leader Arron Oberholser. Elkington always has a low round in him -- his closing 61 two weeks at the Valero Texas Open is tied for the lowest on TOUR in 2008.
Elkington already has his PGA TOUR card locked up for 2009, but he turns 46 this winter and would love a chance to earn the classic two-year exemption to draw him closer to the magical 50-year-old mark, when he can join the Champions Tour.
INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
XM Satellite Radio announcer Fred Albers offers these observations from Friday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
Your wife is always right. That is every married man's mantra and it's one that holds true for Arron Oberholser. He is married to former LPGA player Aggie Rizzo. She spotted a flaw in Arron's posture on Thursday night. He adjusted and saw the line on putts much better. Oberholser is at 11 under and is the tournament leader.
The gallery was treated to a veteran group on Friday afternoon, and the threesome played like all-stars. Paul Goydos, Davis Love III and Billy Mayfair combined to shoot -17 under par. Goydos led the charge with a 62, including a 47-foot birdie putt on the 18th green.
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys and PGA TOUR players can afford some nice toys. In the parking lot this week is Bubba Watson's lime green Lamborghini and Pat Perez' black Ferrari. That is approximately $500,000 worth of automotive engineering.
Every PGA TOUR player is a swing thought away from victory. Steve Allan received a recent lesson in which he was told to hit it "softer." Since the lesson, Allan has finished fourth at the Viking Classic, third at the Turning Stone Resort Championship and is in second place heading into the weekend at the Frys.com Open.
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THINGS TO WATCH ON SATURDAY
1. Scoring. Scores inched lower in the second round -- even the mile-long 18th didn't play near as tough as it did in the first round. This course is primed to have a player shoot 59 or 60.
2. Arron Oberholser. He's played very few rounds in tournament mode in the last year. It will be interesting to see how he holds up over the final 36 holes.
3. Steve Allan. The Australian started swinging the club instead of hitting the ball, and he's been flawless in October. He is only one back heading into Saturday.
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