The Starter: Rd. 2, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

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The first group will soon tee off in today's second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   1:00 pm ET (10:00 am local) Phil Mickelson, Parker McLachlin (Poppy Hills, No. 10) Fan favorite Mickelson still hasn't gotten into gear this year. He'll need to hit it straight at Poppy Hills today. Track 'em 11:00 am ET (8:00 am local) Brett Quigley, Robert Garrigus (Poppy Hills, No. 1) How successfully will big-hitting co-leader Garrigus navigate the tree-lined fairways at Poppy Hills? Track 'em 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am local) Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley (Pebble Beach, No. 1) Today's forecast is for Irish weather. Can these two Irish stars take advantage of the wet and windy conditions? Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Mark Carnevale gives his observations on Thursday's first round and looks ahead to Friday's second round:

Who's got the edge?: With the weather forecast bleak for the next two days, I would have to say the advantage goes to those players who played at Pebble Beach in Round 1. If you look at the top 12 players on the overall leaderboard, seven were at Pebble, three at Spyglass Hill and two at Poppy Hills.

Friday's forecast

Partly cloudy Temp: 53 high/43 low Mostly cloudy with morning showers. Winds of 10-20 mph will come out of the south-southwest.

Friday the 13th: The forecast for the next two days is for temperatures to be in the high 40s to low 50s, rain and a little wind. Pebble Beach takes the brunt of the bad weather when it comes, so don't look for the same number of good scores in Round 2 there. Now, don't get me wrong -- these guys can play. But they will contend with much shakier conditions than on Thursday. Throw in the fact that it's Friday the 13th and Jason is lurking, and I would not want to be at Pebble in Round 2. I'm just sayin'. Not that PGA TOUR pros are superstitious, but in reality we are.

Advantage, veterans: So who makes a move on Friday? I would continue to look at the veterans. Since 1992 on, three players have made the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am their first PGA TOUR win: Brett Ogle in 1993, Matt Gogel in 2002 and Aaron Oberholser in 2006. With bad weather predicted for the remainder of the event, it's just my opinion that those who have walked these fairways many times have a better sense of how to be successful under these conditions.

Why are we here?: So, despite the predictions of poor weather, why does everyone keep coming back to play in this event? As Davis Love III said when I interviewed him after shooting 69 on Thursday at Pebble Beach, "It is the last two days," meaning Wednesday and Thursday, when the weather was perfect. I know that's the reason I have come back three years in a row to broadcast the event for the PGA TOUR Network. Life is good!

FEDEXCUP NOTES
• There are five of the top 10 and 14 of the top 30 players in the FedExCup rankings teeing it up this week.

Chopra

• All 14 players entering in the top 30 could move to the top of the FedExCup standings with a victory. The five players in the top 10 could move to the top with a second-place finish.

• Three players could move into the top 10 with a third-place finish. Kenny Perry could move into first place in the standings with a top-25 finish.

• After winning the first event of the season in 2008, Chopra was in the top five entering the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. This year, he ranks 107th entering the event.

• Chopra finished the 2008 season ranked first on the PGA TOUR in total putting, third in one-putt percentage and second in three-putt avoidance.

-- Mike Vitti, PGA TOUR Staff

The Film Room

PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the first round of the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and previews what to watch for in the second round. Watch it Shot of the day Davis Love III sinks a 45-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole at Pebble Beach during Thursday's opening round. Watch it Dissecting Dustin's day Dustin Johnson carded a 7-under 65 Thursday at Pebble Beach to share the lead, then discussed his round with the media. Watch it

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