Live notes: Second round of Deutsche Bank Champ.

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Tim Clark
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Tim Clark flirted with a 59, but he settled for a 62 that gives him a one-shot lead at TPC Boston.
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Aug. 30, 2008

The Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, has started, and PGATOUR.COM's crew is on the scene. We'll provide updates all day during Saturday's second round, so check back often.

SECOND ROUND: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | FedExCup live projected points

61 VS. 62: How does Mike Weir's first-round 10-under 61 compare to Tim Clark's second-round 9-under 62 in key statistical categories? Here you go.

Compare the rounds
Player Fairways hit Greens in
Regulation
Putts Driving
Distance Avg.
Approach Shot
Proximity to Hole
Total Putts
Made Distance
Mike Weir (Rd. 1) 8 of 14 13 of 18 21 298.6 yards 31 feet, 2 inches 140 feet, 4 inches
Tim Clark (Rd. 2) 11 of 14 15 of 18 25 302.5 yards 27 feet, 2 inches 104 feet

By the way, Weir and Clark will go toe-to-toe in Sunday's final pariing. Click here for third-round tee times. -- Mike McAllister (7:18 p.m. ET)

EASY TPC BOSTON: Through 36 holes, the TPC Boston course has played to a scoring average of 68.817, or 2.183 strokes under par. That puts the course on pace to be the second easiest course on TOUR this season. Here are the five easiest courses through a full tournament this year. -- (7:15 p.m. ET)

Easiest courses on TOUR in 2008
Course Tournament Scoring average Under par
PGA West (Palmer) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 69.504 2.496
La Quinta Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 69.891 2.109
Plantation Course at Kapalua Mercedes-Benz Champ. 70.395 2.065
The Classic Club Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 70.379 1.621
Silver Rock Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 70.539 1.461

LOTS OF EAGLES: Tim Clark had two of them. So did Trevor Immelman. But they weren't alone in producing eagles on Saturday.

A total of 24 eagles were recorded in the second round, including eight of them on the drivable par-4 fourth hole.

Nine eagles were recorded in Friday's first round. Here's the breakdown of Saturday's eagles by hole and players: -- (7:10 p.m. ET)

A day of eagles
Hole No. of eagles Players making eagles
2 (par 5)
4 (par 4)
7 (par 5)
10 (par 4)
13 (par 4)
18 (par 5)
8
8
1
1
1
5
Tim Clark (2), Trevor Immelman (2), Hunter Mahan, Michael Allen, Bart Bryant, Ken Duke, Steve Elkington, Steve Flesch, Mathew Goggin, J.J. Henry, Richard S. Johnson, Anthony Kim, Martin Laird, Frank Lickliter II, Steve Marino, Tom Pernice Jr., Carl Pettersson, John Rollins, Kevin Sutherland, Nick Watney, Charlie Wi

CLARK WITH 36-HOLE LEAD: Tim Clark, as detailed in an earlier note, has won more money on the PGA TOUR without a victory than any other player. He will enter Sunday's third round with the 36-hole lead for the third time in his career. -- Mike McAllister (6:40 p.m. ET)

Tim Clark with 36-hole lead
Year Tournament Comment Last two rounds Finish
2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational Led Oberholser by a stroke 74-68 T12
2007 Masters Tied with Brett Wetterich for lead 80-74 T13
2008 Deutsche Bank Championship Leads Weir by a stroke ?? ??

CLARK'S RECORD DAY: Here are the tournament records Tim Clark set or tied by shooting a 9-under 62 on Saturday:

LOWEST FIRST 36 HOLES: Clark, 128 (66-62). Previous low was 131 by Vijay Singh in 2004 (68-63) and Adam Scott in 2003 (69-62).

LOWEST SECOND ROUND SCORE: Clark tied the mark of 62 held by Scott (2003) ande Marcel Siem (2005).

MOST EAGLES IN ROUND: Clark, with two (he eagled the second and fourth holes) tied the tournament high. So did Trevor Immelman, who also had two eagles on Saturday. It was the seventh and eighth time a player had achieved the feat, the last time by Justin Leonard in the final round last year.

Here's a wrapup of Clark's eagles and birdies. -- (6:10 p.m. ET)

Details of Clark's eagles and birdies
Hole Par Comment
10 4 Driver, 7-iron to 20 feet, 2 inches. Birdie putt
11 3 Hybrid 3-iron to 14 feet, 7 inches. Birdie putt
14 4 Driver, 5 wood to 17 feet, 6 inches. Birdie putt
17 4 3-wood, 7-iron to 2 feet, 5 inches. Birdie putt
18 5 Driver, 5-wood to back of green. Two-putt for birdie
1 4 3-wood, 9-iron to 8 feet, 4 inches. Birdie putt
2 4 Driver, Hybrid 3-iron to 8 feet, 3 inches. Eagle putt
4 4 Driver to 22 feet, 4 inches on 298-yard hole. Eagle putt
7 5 Driver, 5 wood, wedge to 3 feet, 5 inches. Birdie putt

CLARK AND 59: Tim Clark, who just finished his news conference, said he was definitely thinking about shooting 59, but he doesn't think his focus on that number caused him to tighten up down the stretch.

Clark dropped two shots in his last two holes to finish with a 62, one off the course record that was tied by Mike Weir in Friday's first round.

"It wasn't like I was shaking or nervous," Clark said.

And he said he's not that disappointed about not shooting 59. After all ...

"I started the day just looking to make the cut," Clark said.

No problems there. Now he's leading the tournament after 36 holes and seeking his first win on the PGA TOUR. -- Mike McAllister (5:47 p.m ET)

CATCHING UP: While we focused on Tim Clark's bid for a course record -- he came up one stroke short, shooting a 9-under 62 -- here are some other notes of interest:

Ben Curtis is maintaining his hot play -- he's 5 under on his round thus far and 11 under for the tournament.

Ditto for Kevin Streelman, who is 5 under on his round and 10 under for the tournament with one hole to play.

Oh, and Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia are also in the mix. Each are 10 under for the tournament with a few holes left.

Padraig Harrington has a sterling round going in his bid to make the cut. He's currently at 6-under for his round and 2 under for the tournament with three holes to play. He's needs to shave one more stroke to reach the projected cut of 3 under.

Tim Herron was pumped when he made a 11-foot birdie putt on the 18th, as that got him to the cut line. But he'll need to make up more ground the next two days if he wants to advance to the BMW Championship.

Meanwhile, Ian Poulter missed the cut in shooting 3 over today and may have done damage to his Ryder Cup aspirations.-- Mike McAllister (5:17 p.m. ET)

CLARK DOWN THE STRETCH: Keep it here as we provide hole-by-hole updates of Tim Clark down the stretch as he bids for a PGA TOUR-tying record 59. (Note: Clark started his round on the 10th hole):

5TH HOLE: Clark's bid for birdie from 19 feet away slides just left of the hole. He settle for par.
6TH HOLE: After a poor drive that landed in the "native area," Clark saves par with a nice up-and-down out of the bunker.
7TH HOLE: On this par-5 hole, Clark is on the green in three, and he easily rolls in a 3-1/2 foot putt for birdie. He's on pace for a course record and needs one more birdie in his last two holes for 59.
8TH HOLE: A poor tee shot on the par-3 hole finds the primary rough. His chip stops eight feet from the pin. He misses the putt on the left side, his first miss in 14 putts in this round inside 15 feet. His bogey essentially eliminates his chance for a 59 but he can still set the course record of 60 with a birdie on his final hole.
9TH HOLE: Looks like he won't get the course record. After driving into the primary rough, he sailed his second shot through the green and on the back fringe, 74 feet away from birdie and a round of 60. Does he have one more miracle left in him? No, he sends his chip 9-1/2 feet past the hole. Now he needs that just to tie the course record.His putt lips out and he "settles" for a 9-under 62 and a one stroke lead over Mike Weir.

Click here to replay Clark's round on Shot Tracker. -- (5:10 p.m. ET)

CLARK ... WOW: So now it's Tim Clark who has a chance to shoot -- gulp! -- 59.

Clark is at 10 under on his round with five holes to play, including the par-5 seventh. He needs two more birdies to join the 59 club and tie for the lowest round in PGA TOUR history. At 15 under for the tournament, Clark is now the tournament leader, two strokes ahead of Mike Weir (13 under).

Clark has two eagles in his last three holes as he goes to the fifth hole. And just like Weir did on Friday when he flirted briefly with a 59 until finishing with a 10-under course-record tying 61, Clark is yielding a red-hot putter. Here are the length of his eagle and birdie putts thus far: -- Mike McAllister (3:45 p.m. ET)

Tim Clark's second-round eagle/birdie putts
Hole Par Comment
10 4 20 feet, 2 inches for birdie
11 3 14 feet, 7 inches for birdie
14 4 17 feet, 6 inches for birdie
17 4 2 feet, 5 inches for birdie
18 5 Two putted from the fringe from 34 feet, 1 inch for birdie
1 4 8 feet, 4 inches for birdie
2 5 8 feet, 3 inches for eagle
4 4 22 feet, 4 inches for eagle (on drivable par 4)

KIM ON RYDER CHOICES: Anthony Kim has already made the U.S. Ryder Cup team -- finishing fifth in the standings and earning one of the eight automatic spots to play at Valhalla next month.

Kim-mug.jpg
Kim

Now Kim is as interested as anyone else to find out the identity of the four players Captain Paul Azinger plans to announce as his Captain's Picks on Tuesday morning.

"I don't want to be in his shoes for sure," Kim said. "I think it would be easier if he just had two picks. But obviously I think you need to pick a couple veterans, Steve Stricker or Scott Verplank, those guys come to mind, and guys like Hunter Mahan -- a couple younger guys and a couple veterans."

Kim was quick to point out he was just throwing out names. He empathizes with Azinger, who lobbied for the change from two to four wild card picks in order to have the flexibility to complete his team with players who are hot entering the biennail matches.

"If the guys play well, you're a genius; if they don't, you made a huge mistake," Kim said. " It's a tough decision."

Kim is happy he doesn't have to sweat out the process and rely on a nod from Azinger. He's thrilled to be playing in his first Ryder Cup.

"I really can't put it into words," he said. "I can't explain it. When I made the Walker Cup team as an amateur, I thought that was the greatest thing I could do. Obviously this is one step ahead of that.

"I know when I lace my shoes up and will be representing the USA, I'm going to be very proud and excited to be on that first tee." -- Helen Ross (3:20 p.m.)

FEDEXCUP UPDATE: Players to watch this afternoon ...

Aaron Baddeley, at 2 under, needs to find one more birdie on the way in to remain in the Playoffs.

Paul Casey (2 under) could be in the BMW Championship even with a missed cut, but it would be very close.

Rocco Mediate (3 under) can't afford to drop a shot. A missed cut and he's out of the playoffs.

Chez Reavie, who has a shot at Rookie of the Year, and Adam Scott, are each at 3 under and must make the cut to stay in the Playoffs. -- Steve Dennis (3:15 p.m. ET)

PHIL TURNS IT AROUND: Defending champion Phil Mickelson was 4 over on his round through seven holes Saturday and speeding rapidly past the wrong side of the cut line.

Mickelson-mug.jpg
Mickelson

But Mickelson, who teed off on the 10th hole Saturday, played the remaining 11 holes at 5 under to finish with a 1-under 70. At 3 under for the tournament, he's currently on the cut line.

"It was a great day to score," Mickelson said. "The course couldn't be playing any better, and I got off to a poor start ... So I had to fight to get back just to make the cut."

Starting with his birdie on the par-4 17th, Mickelson one-putted eight of the last 11 greens, eventually finishing with just 25 putts for his round. He finished off the round with a 14-foot putt for birdie on his last hole, the ninth.

"Stopped hitting bad shots, started hitting good ones," Mickelson said when asked how he turned his day around. "That was the biggest key, I think. There was no real magic. I just got off to a poor start and just kind of hung in there and ended up making some birdies to turn it around." -- Mike McAllister (3:05 p.m. ET)

WEIR IN 60s: The last time Mike Weir opened a tournament with two rounds in the 60s was the 2007 Fry's Electronics Open -- where he went on to record his eighth career victory on the PGA TOUR. Weir has posted rounds of 61 and 68 in the first two days here at TPC Boston. -- John Bush (2:53 p.m. ET)

LOW AFTER 36: Tournament leader Mike Weir's 13-under 129 equals the third-lowest opening 36-hole score on the PGA TOUR in 2008. -- John Bush (2:35 p.m. ET)

Lowest scores after 36 holes in '08
Score Player Tournament
125 (15 under) Carl Pettersson Wyndham Championship
128 (12 under) Garrett Willis Wyndham Championship
129 (13 under) Mike Weir Deutsche Bank Championship
129 (13 under) Will MacKenzie John Deere Classic
129 (13 under) Chez Reavie RBC Canadian Open
129 (11 under) K.J. Choi Sony Open in Hawaii
129 (11 under) Scott McCarron Wyndham Championship

CUTTING EDGE: The cut line has moved from 2 under to 3 under, and that may have claimed another victim.

Parker McLachin finished his round earlier today at 2--under. At the time, when he was still on the cut line, he was projected to move from 80th to 69th and of course, be eligible for the BMW Championship.

Now that it's 3-under and McLachin is outside of it, he is projected to drop to 100th. -- Steve Dennis (2:25 p.m. ET)

BUBBLE BOY OUT: George McNeill didn't have much hope when he finished off a round of 70. The cut was looking like it would come at 2 under, which meant the Florida State product, who has a two-day total of 1 under, was more than likely headed home to Ft. Myers, Fla.

McNeill-mug.jpg
McNeill

"That's not good enough," McNeill, said of his score. "I had it going. I had my chances today. But I just didn't capitalize on some and made some really bad mistakes and got some really bad breaks on top of all of it. Pretty much, at least the way I felt, nothing really went my way. That's golf and that's the way it is."

McNeill had started the Deutsche Bank Championship No. 70 in the FedExCup standings -- with only players inside that number advancing to next week's BMW Championship. A missed cut and the 32-year-old Floridian has no chance to make it to St. Louis.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter," McNeill said when reminded he was the week's bubble boy. " If you're the No. 55 guy this week and miss the cut, you're probably not going to get in next week. And if you're the No. 100 guy and you make the cut, you're probably gonna get in.

"So being No. 70 really means nothing. Not like last year. This year there's a lot more versatility. Last year there was a lot less room to move. So that's the difference."

McNeill said he wasn't sure how much he would play during the Fall Series. The only date that's definitely on his schedule is the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, which he will defend his first PGA TOUR title. -- Helen Ross (2:15 p.m. ET)

FURYK IN WITH 65: Jim Furyk has moved into second, two strokes behind Mike Weir, after a bogey-free 6-under 65 that included five birdies on his second nine holes (Furyk started on the 10th hole).

As it stands now, Furyk, at 11 under for the tournament, would be paired with Weir in the final group in Sunday's third round, but ...

"I don't think that will be in second place at the end of the day," Furyk said, knowing the afternoon group will also have its shot at a TPC Boston that is ripe for scoring. -- Mike McAllister (1:45 p.m. ET)

MIKE WEIR ON HIS ROUND: "This golf course was a little bit tough for me today, no question. I had lots of 7-, 8-, 9-irons and wedges yesterday (in shooting 10-under 61). Today, I had lots of 3-, 4-, 5-irons with soft conditions and early in the morning and the ball not running out.

"When the golf course gets like that, it plays tougher for me because I can't carry it as far as some of the younger guys, but I managed to get it around pretty good today." -- Mike McAllister (1:25 p.m. ET)

OVERCOMING RANGE ISSUES: Richard S. Johnson wasn't exactly sure how he would play Saturday. His warm-up session on the range had left something to be desired, but a fast start to his second round ended any lingering concerns.

RichSJohnson-mug.jpg
Johnson

Johnson, who won the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee earlier this year, started on the back and made a 6-footer for birdie on the 11th hole and a 22-footer for another at No. 12. When he holed a 7-iron from 164 yards for an eagle on the lucky 13th, Johnson knew he was in complete control.

"I got off to a very good start, which really helped," Johnson said. "I played really solid all day. I didn't miss probably more than two greens, so it's just hitting the ball nicely and making some putts, so I was very happy.

"I didn't feel that great on the range, so I was kind of happy to see that I got a couple going in the beginning. I hit it close on 17, which kind of helped, and then birdied the next. So you start getting into the groove a little bit and start hitting a little nicer shots, and after that I played really nicely."

Johnson was on the outside looking in a week ago at The Barclays, where he started the week ranked 122 in the FedExCup but moved up 27 spots with his tie for 68th. He's put himself in position for another big -- and necessary -- push with Saturday's 66 that left Johnson at 9 under and four strokes off Mike Weir's lead. Only the top 70 players advance to the BMW Championship next week.

"I played really well last week, I just couldn't get a putter going," Johnson said. "I switched putters this week (from a TaylorMade to an Odyssey), so I'm kind of happy to get a couple rolling in." -- Helen Ross (1:15 p.m. ET)

BO KNOWS 67: There are plenty of guys at TPC Boston this week with work to do if they're going to get into the field of 70 at next week's BMW Championship.

One of those guys is Bo Van Pelt. He started the Deutsche Bank Championship at No. 91 in the Playoffs standings, but through 36 holes at TPC Boston, he's is in fine position to earn a spot at the BMW Championship.

Van Pelt-mug.jpg
Van Pelt

For the second-straight day, Van Pelt recorded a 4-under 67 to get to 8 under for the tournament.

"I played pretty solid on the front, missed just one green on No. 8 and made bogey," said Van Pelt, whose best finish at the Deutsche Bank was a tie for 10th in 2005. "I hit some loose shots on the back nine but was able to save some pars to keep it going. I'm pretty happy with where things stand right now."

Van Pelt said that while he's certainly trying his best to advance in the Playoffs, he's also trying not to think about it.

"A guy in my position, really, I've got nothing to lose -- last week, or this week," he said. "You know if you don't play well, you're going home for who knows how long. A month, or five weeks.

"I like this golf course and I was happy to get back here. I'm just trying to shoot as low as I can every day and the points will take care of itself. I don't really understand them, but the better you play, the more points you get.

"I know I have to play pretty darn well to make it to next week, but I'm always trying to play as good as I can every week. The other stuff I can't control, so I'm not going to think about it." -- T.J. Auclair (12:59 p.m. ET)

WEIR IN WITH 68: Tournament leader Mike Weir has finished off a 3-under 68 that puts him at 13-under.

While his second round wasn't as spectacular as his 10-under 61 in Friday's first round, he nevertheless held his poise after a rough start while maintaining the three-shot lead that he started the day with (albeit with lots of players still on the course).

Here's a comparison of key statistical categories in Weir's two rounds:. -- Mike McAllister (12:45 p.m. ET)

Mike Weir in first two rounds
Rd. Score Fairways hit Greens hit Putts 1-putt greens Distance of putts
1 61 (10 under) 8 of 14 13 of 18 21 15 140 feet, 4 inches
2 68 (3 under) 9 of 14 15 of 18 30 7 54 feet, 3 inches

MOST MONEY, 0 WINS: Briny Baird is just about to finish his round; Tim Clark is just about to start his. Both players are currently in contention -- and both players are still looking for their first victory on the PGA TOUR.

Clark finished tied for second to Phil Mickelson at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial earlier this year; that's the fifth time Clark has finished second or tied for second since joining the TOUR in 2001.

Baird has two fourth-place finishes this year, including THE PLAYERS Championship. He's knocked on the door with three second-place finishes on TOUR since turning pro in 1995.

Clark and Baird top the list of players with the most money won on TOUR without a victory. -- Mike McAllister (12:35 p.m. ET)

Most money won on TOUR without a win
Player Money won Rank on career money list
Tim Clark $11,140,352 73rd
Briny Baird $9,344,402 82nd
Brett Quigley $8,920,419 91st
Justin Rose $8,710,418 97th
Brian Gay $8,297,493 106th

66s ARE IN: Richard S. Johnson and Camilo Villegas just put the wraps on a pair of second-round 5-under 66s that will leave them in contention going into Sunday's third round.

Johnson is now 9 under for the tournament, while Villegas is a stroke back at 8 under.

Jason Day also shot 66 and is 6 under for the tournament. -- Mike McAllister (12:15 p.m. ET)

HELLO, FURYK: Jim Furyk has risen up the leaderboard quickly on his second nine Saturday.

Furyk, who started his round on the 10th hole, has drained three birdie putts totaling a distance of just 7 feet, 7 inches -- a 1-foot, 6-inch putt on the second; a 1-foot, 10-inch putt on the fourth; and a 4-foot, 3-inch putt on the fifth. He's now at 9 under for the tournament, four strokes off the pace set by Mike Weir.

Furyk, with a bogey-free round thus far, also drained a 13-foot, 6-inch putt on the 17th.

Click here to follow the rest of Furyk's round on Shot Tracker. -- Mike McAllister (11:55 a.m. ET)

CAMILO CLIMBING UP: Camilo Villegas, who played his way into the top 30 in the FedExCup standings during the four Playoff events last year, appears to be atoning for last week's missed cut at The Barclays.

Villegas-mug.jpg
Villegas

Villegas started on the back nine Saturday and birdied the 16th, 17th and 18th holes, then added two more at Nos. 2 and 3 to move to 8 under for the tournament. His birdie putts ranged from 30 feet to 5, and he two-putted the par-5 18th. Even after the bogey at the fifth hole, Villegas is still among the top 10 on the leaderboard.

It's no surprise that Villegas is playing well in the second round -- he's been the most productive this year in the second round, with a scoring average of 70.72 (see chart below).

The 26-year-old Colombian came into the Deutsche Bank Championship ranked 68th in the FedExCup after dropping 24 spots after last week's missed cut. Only the top 70 players advance to the third Playoff event at the BMW Championship.

Click here to follow the rest of Villegas' round on Shot Tracker. -- Helen Ross (11:30 a.m. ET)

Camilo Villegas' scoring average in 2008
First round Second round Third round Final round Overall
71.11 70.72 72.07 71.00 71.20

COUPLES & JANZEN: It appears unlikely that Fred Couples and Lee Janzen will be in St. Louis next week.

Couples entered the Deutsche Bank ranked 118th in FedExCup points; Janzen was right behind him at 119th. Both players need to make the cut today at TPC Boston, then make a big move to advance to the third round of the Playoffs.

Instead, both players are in danger of missing the cut and being eliminated from the Playoffs. Couples is 2 over for the tournament halfway through his second round while Janzen is also 2 over. With the cutline currently at 2 under, both will need to make a big push on their second nines Saturday. -- Mike McAllister (11:15 a.m. ET)

FEDEXCUP UPDATE: This week, unlike last week in New Jersey, there will be several players who make the cut but who do not earn enough points to move on to the BMW Championship.

Crane-mug.jpg
Crane

As of right now, for example, Ben Crane is tied for 28th, but projected to be 66 points out of 70th. However, with one birdie, he'd be tied for 18th, which would give him enough to move into the top 70. That will shift around all day (half the field hasn't even teed off yet), and should be fun to watch.

Phil Mickelson has been going back and forth across the cut line today. If he misses the cut, he's likely to be a little more than 11,000 points behind the leader in the points standings -- unless Vijay Singh wins the Deutsche Bank, in which case Mickelson would be more than 18,000 points behind and effectively out of contention for the Cup.

Richard S. Johnson is making a play for having a great postseason run. He started the Playoffs as the 122nd seed, and moved up to 95th with a made cut at The Barclays. He probably needs at least a top 15 finish to move on to the BMW Championship, and he's certainly got that in his sights now -- he's currently tied for 5th at Deutsche Bank, and projected at 47th going into BMW. -- Steve Dennis (10:52 a.m. ET)

PHIL UPDATE: That double bogey at the 16th hole must have fired up Phil Mickelson. He promptly answered with a 7-footer for birdie at the 17th hole, then added a 3-footer for another at the par-5 18th when his approach from 227 yards landed pin high to the right and on the fringe. -- Helen Ross (10:46 a.m. ET)

WI ON THE MOVE: Through nearly 1,400 holes this year, Charlie Wi's percentage of Greens In Regulation is 65.5 percent. That's not bad, ranking him 43rd in that category on the PGA TOUR.

Wi-mug.jpg
Wi

But through his first 29 holes this week at TPC Boston, his approach shots have been even more on target.

Thus far, Wi has hit 25 of 29 greens, a rate of 86 percent. He's made a big move so far on Saturday, hitting 9 of 11 greens and is now at 5 under for his round and 10 under for the tournament.

Click here to follow the rest of Wi's round on Shot Tracker. -- Mike McAllister (10:40 a.m. ET)

WEIR UPDATE: Well, looks like Mike Weir is back on track. He just birdied his third consecutive hole and is now at 12 under.

Weir's doing it with crisp approach shots, such as his iron from 142 yards on the first hole (his 10th of the day) that landed four feet from the pin.

On the hole before that, the par-5 18th, Weir hit a nice chip to within five feet. And as mentioned in an earlier note, Weir nearly holed out from 140 yards on the 15th. -- Mike McAllister (10:30 a.m. ET)

PHIL DROPPING BACK: Defending champion Phil Mickelson is struggling Saturday and in very real danger of missing the cut.

Mickelson started on the back and bogeyed his first two holes, and he just made a double at the par-3 16th. He hit his tee shot into the water to the left of the green, took a drop and then two-putted from nine feet.

Mickelson, who started the tournament ranked fourth in the FedExCup standings, is now 2 over for the tournament -- and the current cut line is 1 under.

Click here to follow Mickelson's round on Shot Tracker. -- Helen Ross (10:10 a.m. ET)

NEXT STEP?: Several players who came to the TPC Boston in danger of taking an early vacation are staking their claims to a spot in the BMW Championship early on Saturday. Only the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings get to play in the third event of the Playoffs.

Richard S. Johnson, who started the Deutsche Bank Championship ranked 95th, is 4 under through 10 holes and tied for fifth with Heath Slocum. Slocum, who came in No. 79, is 1 under through his first four holes.

Bo Van Pelt, who came in 91st, and Angel Cabrera, who was 93rd, are also playing well -- the former is 7 under for the tournament through 10 holes on Saturday and tied for seventh while the Argentine is 6 under at the same juncture and tied for 10th. -- Helen Ross (10:06 a.m. ET)

NOT AS HOT: After making long putt after long putt en route to his course-record tying 10-under 61 on Friday, first-round leader Mike Weir was having a tough time carrying over that magic touch early in Saturday's second round.

Weir-mug.jpg
Weir

Starting his round on the 10th hole, Weir dropped a stroke at the par-4 12th when he drove into the rough and couldn't save par when he missed on a 21-foot putt.

He dropped another stroke at the next hole, the par-4 13th, when he three-putted from 56 feet. By comparison's sake, on his back nine on Friday, Weir one-putted every green.

Weir did get the two strokes back, though, when he birdied the 15th thanks to an approach shot from 140 yards that he nearly holed for eagle, and then birdied the 17th when he rolled in a putt from just under nine feet.

That puts Weir back atop the leaderboard at 10 under, with John Merrick, Charlie Wi and Briny Baird at 9 under.

Click here to follow Weir's round on Shot Tracker. -- Mike McAllister (9:54 a.m. ET)

WEATHER UPDATE: The skies are overcase and players may be forced to deal with rainy conditions in Saturday's second round. A slight drizzle has already been felt this morning, and there's a 20 percent of thunderstorms for noon, and a 30 percent chance at 4 p.m. Winds will reach 8-15 mph this afternoon. -- Mike McAllister (8:30 a.m. ET)

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