The Starter: Round 2, Northern Trust Open

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Feb. 21, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first group will soon tee off in today's second round of the Northern Trust Open. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
3:12 pm ET (12:12 pm local)		Phil Mickelson, Trevor Immelman, Robert Allenby After a season-best 63, Mickelson will look to maintain his momentum with a solid second round. Track 'em
10:32 am ET (7:32 am local)		Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, Steve Stricker Singh is consistent at Riviera, but seldom spectacular. He needs a good Friday to change his pattern. Track 'em
4:25 pm ET (1:25 pm local)		Brendon de Jonge, Jin Park, Ryo Ishikawa Ishikawa revealed his nerves Thursday. Can he show off more of his potential the second time around? Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Bob Stevens looks back at Thursday's first round and previews Friday's second round:

Friday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 71 high/47 low
Sunshine is expected most of the day, with a few clouds. Winds will come out of the west-northwest at 7 mph.

Captain, my captain: There is supposedly a randomness to the draw in the first two rounds of PGA TOUR events, but you have to think somebody's influence was at work in pairing the last Ryder Cup captain (Paul Azinger) with the next one (Corey Pavin). Think they'll have an interesting chat when they play their second 18 together this morning at 8:24 local time?

Career direction: Curiously, I happened to be standing next to Captain 'Zinger on the putting green before he teed of Thursday and he wasn't sure which tee he was going off. I pulled out my trusty tee sheet and got him aimed to No. 10 and put in a plug as an organizer in case he's ever a captain of something again. He said "thanks" for the guidance, but was non-commital on any future employment opportunities.

Men and money: In another curious pairing, the winners of the last two week's PGA TOUR events, Nick Watney (even-par 71) and Dustin Johnson (5-under-par 66) are paired together (12:22 p.m. PT on the first tee Friday). DJ wouldn't divulge all that they talked about during their opening round, except to say they did discuss how they might spend some of their title cash (Question: what do rich, single guys in their mid-20s spend money on these days anyway? Answer: anything they want) and did not discuss the possibility of a "hangover" round after their big wins.

After winning in San Diego, Watney fired an opening 75 on the Monterey Peninsula before rallying to finish 22nd. Dustin still looked as fresh as closely mown kikuyu, maybe because he never had to play that Sunday round at Pebble Beach.

Older is better: Everybody thinks of Jim Furyk as an "old school " player, and with good reason. He is. Before teeing it up Thursday, he told me how much he loved Riviera with the general guideline that "if a course was built before 1960, chances are I like it more than one built after." Riviera is the oldest course still in continuous use on the PGA TOUR (built in 1926) and Furyk will tee it up today at 12:01 coming off an opening bogey-free 66.

The one stat(s) you need to know

Robert Allenby fired a 70 on Thursday and is trying to make his 27th straight cut. His last missed cut was at his first event of 2008, the Sony Open in Hawaii. Allenby is seeking to pull within one made cut of TOUR-leading Tiger Woods (29).

Thus far at Riviera

Round	Leader	Low round (par 71)	Key links
	Phil Mickelson (-8)	63: Phil Mickelson	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Tiger's Return \| Notebook

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the first round of the 2009 Northern Trust Open and previews what to watch for in the second round. Watch it
	The Bashful Prince's debut 17-year-old Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa shot a 2-over-par 73 in his PGA TOUR debut. See how he did it. Watch it
	Sterling start for Scott Scott McCarron fired a 7-under 64 in the first round. Afterward, the 43-year-old spoke to the media about his day and his health. Watch it