The Daily Wrap-up, Rd. 2: THE PLAYERS
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Alex Cejka began his surprising run to the lead Friday in THE PLAYERS Championship with a 10-foot birdie putt in the stillness of a glorious morning.
A smattering of applause drowned out the chirping of birds.
There were 14 fans, 13 marshals.
"It felt like a Monday afternoon practice round," Cejka said after a 5-under 67 gave him a two-shot lead over Ian Poulter.
That figures to change on the weekend full of possibilities.
THE PLAYERS is among the more unpredictable tournaments in golf. TPC Sawgrass is so devilish that small mistakes can lead to big numbers. The field is so strong that even guys who started the week as an alternate have a chance to win. Jason Dufner is proof of that, among those in a tie for third.
Tiger Woods hit a rake and a spectator and almost the wrong fairway. From 45 yards away on a par 5, he tried to keep his chip short of the green, did just that, and made an important par. It added to a 69 that put him seven shots behind and left a smile on his face.
"I got myself back in the ball game," Woods said.
Not many figured Cejka would be in the lead.
It was only two weeks ago when he couldn't feel his right arm, the product of a pinched nerve from surgery last year to replace a disk in his neck. He had an epidural last week, the numbness is almost gone, and Cejka nearly left the field in his wake.
He had six birdies in 11 holes and built a four-shot lead over the morning starters, a lead that held for most of the day until Poulter limited his mistakes and finished with a birdie for a 68.
"If you play the golf course properly, with good play you can score very well," Poulter said.
Cejka was at 11-under 133 and will be playing in the final group going into the weekend for the first time in nearly five years.
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
HIS LIFE HAS CHANGED, BUT CABRERA REMAINS THE SAME
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- He whipped up seafood and rice Thursday night; chicken and rice the night before. And the week started with steak.
Angel Cabrera doesn't need a sports psychologist. He cooks. A full Argentine asado, in fact, at Augusta last month. Five courses of different cuts of meat and a salad. No bread. No vegetables.
But here? Well, the grill is a little too small and it's charcoal. Not a good fit for an two-or-three-hour asado for seven or eight hungry men. So tonight? He'll head to the local Publix, see what's fresh -- what catches his eye -- and whip something up.
It's the same routine he followed on the way to that Green Jacket last month -- and his second major -- so why change it? The only difference is that his coach and dishwasher -- Charlie Epps -- is back in suburban Houston working at his real job as director of golf and instruction at The Houstonian. With, of course, one eye on the TV set.
So, yes, he saw that shot into the 18th green -- from 198 yards -- that landed just inside 9 feet for birdie, a 7-under-par 65 and a spot in the top 5 midway through the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship.
"How about that?'' Epps said cell phone-to-cell phone. "How about those last two rounds? He's always had one good round there, one mediocre round. But now he's playing with a lot of confidence. He's feeling good about his game right now.''
To read the remainder of this story, click here.
| Top 5 notables at THE PLAYERS Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Friday's Best |
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The 532-yard par-5 second hole was easiest with a Friday scoring average of 4.636.
The 481-yard par-4 14th hole was toughest with a Friday scoring average of 4.307.
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Adam Scott's struggles continued this week, but he added to his career highlight reel with one eagle and one near ace. At the 17th, his tee shot landed just inches from the pin, then rolled so close to the cup that it nearly dropped in. 
The 2009 Masters champion, Angel Cabrera, fired a 7-under 65 in the second round and moved into a tie for third after 36 holes. He had eight birdies and an eagle to offset three bogeys on Friday. Can he win another big event? | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||||||||||
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Friday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
After years as a journeyman, Alex Cejka might have found the key to his golf game -- he cut his hair. He sported a long, shaggy style for years, but Cejka got a short haircut prior to The Honda Classic and finished 13th. He followed that up with another 13th place finish in Puerto Rico and now is the 36-hole leader at THE PLAYERS. Never underestimate the power of a good haircut.
Ian Poulter just looks like a confident golfer as he strides the fairways. He walks with a measured gait, with his shoulders back and his head held high. Poulter appears to be a man in charge of his game. He has been in charge this week. Poulter is 9 under for 36 holes and is two shots behind Alex Cjeka, his partner in the final group on Saturday. Playing the par 5s at 3 under in his second round helped propel him into solo second place.
Paul Goydos will not play the weekend at THE PLAYERS. He came so close to winning this championship in 2008, but as Goydos played his final nine holes on Friday it became apparent he would miss the cut. At his 17th hole, Goydos faced a 3-foot par putt and missed, making yet another bogey. However, he gave that stroke all the attention of a tournament-winning putt and was visibly irritated when it didn't go in. Goydos cares...and that is the mark of a professional.
SECOND-ROUND NOTEBOOK: THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
By Mark Williams, PGA TOUR Staff
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Alex Cejka, 66-67=133 (-11), has posted 13 birdies (and two bogeys) through two rounds, halfway to the tournament record of 26 birdies (Fuzzy Zoeller, 1994).
• Cejka has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, but he had a shot at the 2005 PLAYERS title. Fred Funk won at 9 under par. Cejka was 8 under through 14 holes, but finished double bogey, par, bogey, bogey to fall into a tie for 12th.
• The 36-hole record at THE PLAYERS was set by Greg Norman in 1994 at 14-under 130 with opening rounds of 63-67. Norman went on to win THE PLAYERS by four shots. With Cejka's 11 under total, 20 players in tournament history have been in double digits under par after 36 holes, with Norman and Nick Price the only ones who have gone on to win:
• Cejka has held an outright lead only once before in his career, when he shot 7-under 64 during the first round of the 2009 Verizon Heritage. Cejka went on to finish tied for 13th after rounds of 71-72-72. He has shared a lead four other times, at the 2001 British Open, where he was tied for first after three rounds; at the 2004 Michelin Championship, where he was tied for first after two rounds; at the 2006 FBR Open, where he as tied for first at the first round; and at the 2006 Valero Texas Open, where he was tied for first after the first round.
• In the last 10 PLAYERS Championships, only Phil Mickelson (2007) and Hal Sutton (2000) have managed to turn a 36-hole lead into victory. In the 35-year history of THE PLAYERS Championship, the 36-hole leader has gone on to win the tournament only eight times. If Cejka can do so, he would be the fifth international player in the last eight years to win THE PLAYERS and only the second player in tournament history to make THE PLAYERS his first PGA TOUR win (joining Craig Perks, 2002).
• To read more notes from the first round, click here.
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