Jan. 31, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff
There are three players who have not finished the second round, which was suspended due to darkness. They will complete Round 2 at 8 a.m. (local time), then the third round will begin at approximately 9 a.m. (local time).
Here's how it sets up:
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| Groups We're Watching |
12:50 p.m. (10:50 a.m. local)
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Kenny Perry, James Nitties, Cameron Beckman
A veteran (Perry), a rookie (Nitties) and a comeback kid (Beckman). Can Perry top Friday's 63?Track 'em
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| 12:20 p.m. (10:20 a.m. local) |
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David Toms, Cliff Kresge, David Berganio Jr.
Berganio needs to earn over $300,000 in the next three events to earn better status.Track 'em
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| 1:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. local) |
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Nick Watney, Charley Hoffman, Matt Kuchar
Will the winner come from this pairing? They've all won before and can handle the crowds.Track 'em |
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Mark Carnevale previews Saturday's third round:
All I can say is, "I told you so." There were some low numbers in Round 2 of the FBR Open and you know who predicted them. There were 63s by both Kenny Perry and Nick Watney, plus a ton of birdies from the rest of the field. As the slogan goes, "These guys are good."
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| Saturday's forecast |
Sunny
Temp: 76 high/44 low
There will be plenty of sunshine, with variable winds coming from the North Northeast at 9 mph. |
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In Round 2 I was out with James Nitties, who got off to a particularly difficult start. After making double bogey on his second hole of the day and a bogey on the third, Nitties was 3-over through three holes. My hat's off to the rookie from Australia. He played the final 15 holes in 6-under par, when he easily could have gone the other way. What impressed me the most was the fact that he did not appear to lose sight of his goal: making the cut. By the turn he got it back to even par and finished with a strong 2-under back nine to finish 36 holes at 8-under. Congratulations on your first cut as a rookie, James. Watch out for this young Australian this weekend, as I expect he will go for it all.
Kudos to amateur Rickie Fowler, who is playing on a sponsor's exemption. The sophomore out of Oklahoma State, who was a first team All-American as a freshman, is 4-under for his round through 16 holes, giving him a 2-under total. He will finish his round this morning, and assuredly play the weekend. I had an opportunity to play with Rickie in the Sun Bowl All American Tournament in November in El Paso, Texas. Let me tell you, this kid has game. I predict that Fowler, who was the Walker Cup teammate of Webb Simpson, will turn pro in the fall after this year's Walker Cup. With players like Webb and Rickie, the future of the PGA TOUR is in good hands.
As far as Round 3 goes, there are two players you need to watch - Zach Johnson and David Toms. These are two players who don't drive it a long way, but keep it in play. Both have gotten off to a great start in '09, with Zach winning at the Sony Open in Hawaii and David finishing as runner-up. The course is getting firm and fast. They will keep it in play and be right there when we get to the final round.
Conditions will be good again in Round 3 and no one will have an advantage as they will play off two tees between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time in Scottsdale.
| The one stat(s) you need to know |
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Avoiding one side of the golf course is a telltale sign of playing solid golf. Through two rounds, Charley Hoffman has managed to all but completely avoid the left side of the golf course from the tee. Just three of Hoffman's 11 missed fairways have found fairway bunkers on the left side of golf course. Those all came in round 1 -- the 3rd hole, 6th hole, 10th hole -- where he went on to make birdie on two out of three occasions. |
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| The Film Room |
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PGA TOUR Today
Win McMurry updates action from the second round of the 2009 FBR Open and previews what to watch for in the third round.Watch it |
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Second-round highlights
Nick Watney sits alone on top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend in Scottsdale.Watch it |
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Shot of the Day
Kevin Streelman makes eagle on the par-4 17 hole to make the cut at the 2009 FBR Open. Watch it |
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