HP Byron Nelson Champ.: Second-round notebook

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IRVING, Texas -- Due to expected inclement weather on Saturday, the third round will begin at 7:30 a.m. off No. 1 and 10 tees in groups of three. The last group will begin at 9:30 a.m.

• The cut came at 1-under 139 with 74 players advancing to the weekend.

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James Driscoll was the only player in the field to get to 9 under during the second round but finished with bogeys at his last two holes to drop back to 7 under.

Inside the Numbers

36-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score T1. Rory Sabbatini 132 -8 T1. John Mallinger 132 -8 T3. Brian Davis 133 -7 T3. James Nitties 133 -7 T3. Briny Baird 133 -7 T3. James Driscoll 133 -7 T3. Dustin Johnson 133 -7 T8. Robert Allenby 134 -6 T8. Ken Duke 134 -6 T8. D.A. Points 134 -6

• Rory Sabbatini (68-64--132), a South African who resides in Dallas, made four consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-7) on his back nine to post 6-under 64 for his low round this season. Sabbatini is coming off consecutive missed cuts at the Quail Hollow Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship after posting his best finish this year, a tie for second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

• This marks the fifth time in his career that Sabbatini has held the lead/co-lead at the conclusion of Round 2. He went on to win the 2003 FBR Capital Open and the 2006 Nissan Open, tied for second at the 2007 World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational and tied for third at the 1999 BellSouth Classic.

• In 10 previous starts, Sabbatini's career-best finish at the HP Byron Nelson Championship is a tie for third in 2007, the only time he has finished in the top 10.

• Sabbatini is currently ranked No. 43 in the Official World Golf Rankings and is not yet exempt for the British Open. If Sabbatini stays in the top 50, he will avoid the 36-hole International Final Qualifying event scheduled for Monday in the Dallas area.

• John Mallinger (67-65--132) earned the second-round lead/co-lead for the second time in his career. Mallinger was tied for the lead after the second round of the 2007 Canadian Open, eventually finishing tied for seventh.

• Mallinger's career-best finish on the PGA TOUR is a third at the 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He also has five ties for third, the most recent at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship.

• Mallinger eagled both par 5s in the second round. He holed a 15-yard bunker shot for eagle at the seventh hole and a 16-foot putt for eagle at the 16th hole. Mallinger closed out his round with four consecutive 3s on Nos. 15-18 (birdie-eagle-par-birdie).

• Mallinger is making his third start in the HP Byron Nelson Championship. After missing the cut in 2007, Mallinger finished tied for 31st in 2008. His 65 betters his previous best round of 66 in Round 2 last year by a stroke.

• Brian Davis (68-65--133) and James Driscoll (67-66--133) are two players who have come into some good form recently and continue to perform well this week. Davis, a 34-year-old Englishman, has a pair of ties for fifth in his last two starts (THE PLAYERS Championship, Valero Texas Open) while Driscoll, runner-up to Jeff Quinney at the 2000 U.S. Amateur, lost a playoff to Zach Johnson at last week's Valero Texas Open. Both players have now posted their sixth consecutive rounds in the 60s.

• Davis has the longest active streak of 18 consecutive rounds of par or better on the PGA TOUR. During that stretch he has finished tied for 19th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, tied for 38th at the Quail Hollow Championship and tied for fifth at both THE PLAYERS Championship and Valero Texas Open.

• Davis recorded seven birdies and a double bogey at the 12th hole, where he three-putted from five feet.

• Driscoll holed a 170-yard 6-iron for eagle at the 455-yard, par-4 12th hole. In Thursday's opening round, the 12th hole was ranked the fourth most difficult and relinquished just 11 birdies. In the second round it ranked the most difficult, even with 15 birdies and Driscoll's eagle.

• Driscoll was the only player in the field to get to 9 under during the second round but finished with bogeys at his last two holes to drop back to 7 under.

• James Nitties (65-68--133) and Robert Allenby (67-67--134) are two of 17 Australians in the field. 2008 champion Adam Scott (71-71--142), was the third Australian to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship (Bruce Devlin/1969 and Peter Thompson/1956), but missed the cut in his title defense.

• Briny Baird (69-64--133) recorded eight birdies and two bogeys in his second round 6-under 64. It was one of three rounds (Love/Sabbatini) of 64 posted in Round 2. Baird finished tied for second at the Verizon Heritage last month and is looking for his first TOUR victory in his 289th career start.

• Dustin Johnson (68-65--133) is looking for his third TOUR victory in his 45th career start. Johnson, a 24-year-old South Carolina native, won the 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship before capturing his second win at the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year.

• D.A. Points (68-66--134) enjoyed a steady, bogey-free second round on Friday. During Thursday's opening round, Points recorded three 2s, five 3s, six 4s and three 6s on his scorecard.

• Jesper Parnevik (67-68--135), the HP Byron Nelson Championship winner in 2000, is regaining some confidence after a lesson from Vijay Singh earlier this week. Singh told the Swede he "looked like he was swinging underwater and not ripping through it." Parnevik has used the advice with good results. "I've been feeling like my speed has slowed down a lot since my hip surgery." Parnevik had hip surgery late in 2000 after winning twice that year.

• Parnevik's best finish this season is a tie for 42nd at the Buick Invitational. His low round this season is 11-under 61 in the fourth round of the 50th Bob Hope Classic, where he missed the cut (five-round event).

• New Zealand's Danny Lee (69-67--136) is on track to make his second cut in three PGA TOUR starts as a professional. Lee finished tied for 38th at the Quail Hollow Championship after missing the cut in his first start as a professional at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

• 1987 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner and U.S. Presidents Cup Team Captain Fred Couples (69-66--135) is in contention again. Couples will turn 50 and become eligible for the Champions Tour in early October, but continues to show he still belongs on the PGA TOUR. Currently No. 76 on the FedExCup points list, Couples posted season-best ties for third at the Northern Trust Open and the Shell Houston Open.

• Not a single player can pass Zach Johnson at the top of the FedExCup standings this week. Sabbatini could move as high as seventh with a victory this week. Driscoll, Davis and Nitties could all move as high as 13th with a win this week.

• Jeff Maggert (71-66--137), a Houston resident, birdied five of his last 10 holes to record his fifth round of 66 this season. Maggert's low round this year is 64 in the first round of last week's Valero Texas Open.

• Justin Leonard (75-63--138), a Dallas native, managed a 12-stroke improvement from Round 1 with a 7-under 63, including a back-nine 30. It was the low round of the day.

• Davis Love III (73-64--137) posted a 6-under 64 that included no 5s on his scorecard. The 64 bettered Love's low round of the season by two strokes (66/Round 1/Buick Invitational). Love is currently No. 54 on the Official World Golf Rankings and must creep into the top 50 by the end of the week to avoid International Final Qualifying for the 2009 British Open on Monday, to be held at Gleneagles Country Club in the Dallas area.

• Dallas native and resident Matt Weibring advanced to the weekend after rounds of 67-69--136. His only previous start at the tournament was a missed cut in 2005 (73-71). Weibring's dad, D.A., spearheaded the $10 million redesign of the TPC Four Seasons prior to the 2008 tournament. The elder Weibring played in the tournament 22 times, with runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1995.

• Bogey-free rounds were posted by D.A. Points (66), Robert Garrigus (66), Charley Hoffman (66), Jeff Klauk (66), Martin Laird (67) and Ben Crane (68).

• Vijay Singh (70-67--137) holed his second shot from 108 yards for an eagle at the 429-yard, par-4 18th hole. His 3-under 67 is just his fourth round in the 60s this year (31 rounds played) and equaled his low round for the season (67/Round 4/PLAYERS Championship).

• Jose Coceres withdrew after nine holes with a wrist injury.

• Morning wave scoring average for Round 2 was 69.79 compared with 70.70 in the afternoon. The Friday scoring average was 70.246, compared with Thursday's average of 70.858.