Shell Houston Open: Second-round notebook

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HUMBLE, Texas -- The second round started at 2:55 p.m. on Friday and was suspended due to darkness at 7:43 p.m. with 65 players on the course and 72 players yet to start their second round. Second-round play resumed at 7:33 a.m. on Saturday and was completed at 2:51 p.m.

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Padraig Harrington was in the thick of things as the third round began.

• The round ended with five players tied at 8 under: Paul Casey, John Senden, Geoff Ogilvy, Colt Knost and Tommy Armour III.

• When Senden began playing on the European Tour, his wife, Jackie, caddied for him. As a qualified hairdresser, she also provided haircuts to players and caddies on occasion.

• Armour has played the opening 36 holes of this tournament without recording a bogey. He is the only player in the field without a bogey on his scorecard.

• Knost is playing in his 18th PGA TOUR event, while Armour is playing in his 19th Shell Houston Open and his 601st PGA TOUR event.

• Three-time Shell Houston Open champion and the event's all-time leading money winner Vijay Singh missed the cut for the first time in 12 appearances at this event dating back to 1994.

• Fred Couples, Bo Van Pelt, Jonathan Byrd, Henrick Stenson and Scott Piercy are all one stroke off the lead at 7 under par.

• Couples could move into a five-way tie for the tournament lead in top-25 finishes this week with 12. Fred Haas, Jr., Jay Haas, Tom Kite and Hal Sutton each have 12 top-25 finishes as well.

• Couples made his 16th consecutive cut at the Shell Houston Open and is one cut behind the tournament record of 17 held by Jimmy Demaret. The 15-time PGA TOUR winner's last victory came at the Shell Houston Open in 2003.

• Couples was one of two players to reach the par-5, 608-yard 15th hole in two strokes during the second round. Alvaro Quiros also hit the green in two. Couples hit a 3-wood from 291 yards out to 23 feet and eventually made birdie.

• Since the event moved to the Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course, logjams at the top of the leaderboard are not terribly uncommon. In 2007, six players shared the lead at 6 under par thru 36 holes. This year's five-way tie for the 36-hole lead is the second-most in tournament history dating back to 1946.

• The five-way tie for the lead thru 36 holes is the most of any PGA TOUR event this season and the most since last year's St. Jude Championship, where there was a six-way tie. There are 17 players within two shots of the lead.

• With the cut at 1 under par, 79 players advanced thru 36 holes. Because more than 78 players made the 36-hole cut of 1 under, a secondary cut will be in effect following the completion of the third round to cut the field to the low-70 and ties. Those eliminated after 54 holes shall received their appropriate share of the official prize money in accordance with their finishing positions.

• The seven strokes between the leaders and those making the cut on the number matches the smallest margin of the 2009 season between the leader and the 36-hole cut with the Transitions Championship. The last player to make the cut on the number and go on to victory was Chris Couch at the 2006 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

• Davis Love III, who missed out on being in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and making the Masters field by one position, needs a victory this week to return to Augusta. Love birdied his final hole of the second round and is 2 under par for the tournament, six shots off the lead thru 36 holes.

• Senden leads the TOUR in 2009 in holes without a three-putt. He has yet the record a three-putt this week and has now gone 258 holes without a three-putt. Senden shot 67 during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational to finish tied for fourth last week.

• Senden and Ogilvy are trying to become the seventh Australian to win the Shell Houston Open with Bruce Crampton and Stuart Appleby winning twice. There are 14 Australians in the field this week.

• Casey and Ogilvy squared off in the final match at this year's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship with Ogilvy winning 4 and 3.

• Thru the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Ogivly leads the TOUR in 2009 in putting average with 1.678 putts per hole. Ogilvy also leads the TOUR this year in birdie conversion at 39.18%, meaning that when Ogilvy hits a green in regulation, he has converted into a birdie nearly 40% of the time this year.

• Ogilvy has enjoyed success at the Shell Houston Open with three top-10 finishes in five previous appearances including a tie for second at last year's event.

• Dean Wilson withdrew during the second round with a back injury. Jeff Overton and Michael Bradley also withdrew during the second round. Bill Lunde withdrew with illness before beginning the first round and was replaced by James Oh. Chris Couch withdrew during Round 1 with a shoulder injury.