Puerto Rico Open: Second-Round Notebook

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RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico -- A total of 81 players made the 36-hole cut, which came at even-par 144 on Friday. Weekend play will be in threesomes off the first and 10th tees both Saturday and Sunday with an expected finish time each day around 3:45 pm.

Matt Kuchar encountered a little tree trouble on the fifth hole Friday. (Ehrmann/WireImage)

Inside the Numbers

36-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Bo Van Pelt 132 -12 2. Jerry Kelly 133 -11 3. Ted Purdy 134 -10 T4. Greg Kraft 135 -9 T4. Briny Baird 135 -9 T4. Ryan Blaum 135 -9 7. Brenden Pappas 136 -8 T8. Marco Dawson 137 -7 T8. Jin Park 137 -7 T10. N. Thompson 138 -6 T10. K. Thompson 138 -6 T10. Tim Wilkinson 138 -6 T10. John Merrick 138 -6

• With 81 players (80 professionals) making the cut, the field will be subjected to a 54-hole cut on Saturday, with the nearest number of players to 70 making it to the final day.

• Second-round leader Bo Van Pelt has held a 36-hole one time previously in his PGA TOUR career, at the 2006 Wachovia Championship. He led by three at that point, and finished in a tie for sixth.

• Bo Van Pelt's 132 total matches his career-best opening 36 holes on the PGA TOUR, but it is his career-best in relation to par. He was 10-under 132 at the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open, and was at 133 (7 under) at the 2004 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, (11 under) at the 2006 Buick Open and (10 under) at the 2006 Frys.com Open.

• Through the first two rounds, tournament leader Bo Van Pelt has made 15 birdies on 13 different holes. The only holes he has birdied each of the first two days are Nos. 2 (par 5) and 11 (par 3).

• Jerry Kelly is making his ninth start in 2008. He has made four cuts this year with a third-place finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Kelly is No. 37 in the current FedExCup points standings and ranks No. 41 on the money list.

• Ryan Blaum shot a 6-under 66 Friday morning to finish 36 holes at 9-under 135. Blaum earned a spot in this week's field through the open Monday qualifier. This is only his second career start on the PGA TOUR. He finished 82nd at the 2007 Wyndham Championship. Blaum is a 24-year old graduate of Duke University (2006), where he was a first team All-America and a two-time Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Blaum has made the cut in three of seven career starts on the Nationwide Tour. His best finish a tie for 12th at the 2007 Chitimacha Louisiana Open, which comes up next week in Lafayette, La.

• Veteran Greg Kraft moved into contention with a 6-under 66 and stands at 9-under 135 through 36 holes. Kraft is making his 379th career start on the PGA TOUR. He won the 1993 Deposit Guaranty Classic when it was an unofficial event by making a birdie at the 72nd hole to beat Morris Hatalsky and Tad Rhyan by one stroke. He also captured the 2005 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic on the Nationwide Tour.

• Joey Sindelar, who turns 50 on March 30, is making his final start on the PGA TOUR this week before moving to the Champions Tour. He will make his debut on that Tour at the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic April 4-6. Sindelar carded rounds of 70-75 and missed the cut.

• Four players from Puerto Rico received sponsor exemptions this week. Max Alverio missed the cut, but amateur Rafael Campos is tied for 69th at 72-72--144 and professionals Wilfredo Morales is tied for 34th at 72-69--141 and Miguel Suarez is tied for 22nd at 68-72--140.

• The best rounds of the day on Friday were 66s from Ryan Blaum, Greg Kraft and Jerry Kelly and 67 from Tommy Armour III and Tim Wilkinson. Robert Damron (68) and Steve Allan (70) had the only bogey-free rounds on Friday.

• Jin Park was the last player in the field to make a bogey this week. Park was bogey-free in the opening round and went 14 holes before suffering a double bogey on his 15th hole (par 3, No. 6).