Mercedes-Benz Champ.: Second-round notebook

text size

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- In his third consecutive appearance at Kapalua (tied for 13th in 2006, tied for 19th in 2007), Australia's Geoff Ogilvy maintained a one-shot lead after Friday's second round. Ogilvy followed his opening-round 6-under 67 with a 5-under 68 to maintain his lead heading into the weekend.

Greenwood/Getty Images

Ryuji Imada's putting is benefiting from his accurate approach shots.

• At the halfway point in the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship, Ogilvy leads D.J. Trahan by one stroke. Geoff Ogilvy previously held the 36-hole lead at the 2008 World Golf Championships-CA Championship, where he ended up winning.

• The odds of a 36-hole leader hanging on to win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship since moving to the Plantation Course in 1999 are 50-50. In the past 10 years, those who have managed to win after holding the 36-hole lead are: David Duval (1999), Tiger Woods (2000), Ernie Els (2003), Stuart Appleby (2006) and Vijay Singh (2007.

• The low round through 36 holes of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship belongs to Trahan, who fired a 7-under 66 Friday. Trahan trails Ogilvy by one stroke.

• Playing in his second Mercedes-Benz Championship (32-2007), Trahan's 7-under 66 in Round 2 was his lowest score in a PGA TOUR event since shooting a 7-under 63 in Round 2 of the 2008 BMW Championship. The 7-under score was one stroke shy of his career best, an 8 under 62 in the third round of the 2008 Travelers Championship.

• In Round 2, Stewart Cink claimed an eagle-3 on the par-5 fifth, only to follow that up with an eagle-2 at the 305-yard, par-4 14th hole. Cink holed his second shot from 81 yards. It was the first time Cink had carded two eagles in a round since doing so in Round 2 of the 2008 Travelers Championship, which he went on to win.

• Adam Scott joined Cink as the only other player to card two eagles in Round 2. Scott made eagle-3s on the par-5 15th and 18th holes.

• With their eagles on the par-5 18th hole in Friday's second-round, Adam Scott and Zach Johnson joined Johnson Wagner, Trevor Immelman and Andres Romero atop the leaderboard in the 2009 Kodak Challenge, a first-of-its-kind competition with a $1 million payout at the end of the season. There will be one designated Kodak Challenge hole (the 18th hole this week at Kapalua) at 24 different PGA TOUR tournaments, with players required to play at least 18 of the holes to be eligible. Players will count their lowest score relative to par on the hole made during an official competition round.

• Davis Love III, who earned a berth into the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship thanks to his Children's Miracle Network Classic win last fall, played his last five holes in Round 2 in 5 under par for a second-round 3-under 70. Love III will began Saturday's third round tied for fourth.

• All seven winners of the 2008 PGA TOUR Fall Series events are in the field of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship

• Defending Mercedes-Benz Championship winner Daniel Chopra rallied nicely from an opening-round 6-over-par 79 with a second-round, 4-under par 69. His 69 came despite a double-bogey 7 at the par-5 ninth.

• Scoring average for the second-round: 71:58