The Starter: Round 2, Mercedes-Benz Champ.

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Jan. 9, 2009
By PGATOUR.com staff

The first group will soon tee off in Friday's second round of the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship is Kapalua, Hawaii. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
4:30 pm ET (11:30 am in Hawaii)		J.B. Holmes, Stewart Cink Watch Holmes bomb 'em (he ranked third in driving distance in '08) and watch Cink for his overall game (he ranked seventh in all-around stats).
4:40 pm ET (11:40 am in Hawaii)		Vijay Singh, Adam Scott Hey, it's never too early to talk Presidents Cup, especially for these two big guns on the International squad.
6:10 pm ET (1:10 pm in Hawaii)		Ernie Els, Kenny Perry Paired for the second straight day. Maybe Perry, who won three times last year at age 47, can give Els, who turns 40 in October, a few tips.

Friday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 82 high/65 low
Winds from the east
at 10 to 15 mph.

BARE ESSENTIALS: Limited to those players who won on the PGA TOUR last year, the field has just 33 players. The first tee time Friday is 3:45 p.m. ET (10:45 a.m. Hawaiian time), with last year's winner, Daniel Chopra, starting off after shooting a 6-over 79 on Thursday.

HOLE TO WATCH: The 520-yard, par-4 first was the toughest at the Plantation course in the first round, playing to a stroke average of 0.303 above par. In fact, it was the only hole not to yield a single birdie all day.

WHAT TO EXPECT: "If you hit your second shots into the right spots on the greens, you can make a lot of putts out here. If you are putting cross-hill or downhill all day, you are going to have trouble two-putting. But there are definitely good spots on the greens to make putts." -- Johnson Wagner, who will play in the last group today with first-round leader Geoff Ogilvy

IF YOU'RE LISTENING: The PGA TOUR Network will carry live second-round coverage from 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. ET on XM 146/SIRIUS 209. On-air talent includes: John Tautges (host), John Maginnes (analyst) along with on-site correspondents Fred Albers, Michael Collins and Brian Katrek.

IF YOU'RE WATCHING: The GOLF CHANNEL will broadcast live second-round action from 6:30 p.m-10 p.m ET, and will be re-broadcast from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m.

IF YOU'RE GOING: Then that means you're a very fortunate person, since you're basking in the Hawaiian sun. Click here for ticket information. Click here for shuttle information to the course. Click here for more about the local scene in Maui.

WEEKLY VERSION: To sign up for a newsletter version of The Starter delivered each Wednesday to your e-mail address, click here.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry reviews the opening round of the 2009 PGA TOUR season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Watch it
	Awesome Ogilvy Brian Katrek of Sirius/XM's PGA TOUR Network calls Ogilvy's last shot Thursday, then talks with the leader. Watch it
	Els solidly in second After his 5-under par, 68 Ernie Els speaks with Michael Collins from the PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM Radio. Watch it

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Brian Katrek previews Friday's second round:

Katrek

"Wind and grain. These are elements that every professional golfer has to manage in order to be successfull. Especially so here at Kapalua. Keep and eye on both Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els. Both won on tough, windy courses in South Florida. And both have played alot during the PGA TOUR offseason.

"Boo Weekley was randomly selected on Thursday for drug testing. I hope someone asks him about it on Friday. His perspective on that ordeal could be priceless.

"There is no blimp here this week. Sure, it is a long way for the blimp to fly to get here, but the bigger problem is the wind. There is just no way the blimp could stay steady in the winds that normally sweep across this course. The weather for Friday is supposed to be good. But, it was supposed to be good on Thursday too, and it rained 6 different times. They are actually calling for rain on Sunday. We might be in some trouble. "

Thus far at Kapalua