Crowne Plaza Invitational, Round 2

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Steve Stricker has five top-10s this season, but is still looking for his first win since 2007. Will he get it at Colonial?

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Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report is on the scene at Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, and we'll be providing updates all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.) PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | Live Scoring | PGA TOUR Network | Facebook | Twitter | FanZone

CLARK IN CONTENTION (6:55 p.m.): So much for that big lead for Steve Stricker. Tim Clark just capped off a round of 64 -- the third one of the day -- to pull into second place by himself. just one stroke behind Stricker.

Clark had seven birdies and just one bogey, hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. That puts Clark in good position to take a shot at his first win on the PGA TOUR with 36 holes left to play. It also puts him in the final pairing tomorrow with Stricker, who, like Clark, has had a number of close calls (though Stricker has actually won four times on TOUR).

What can we expect out of Clark and Stricker tomorrow? Probably more low numbers, at least by one of them. The late afternoon tee time will certainly have an affect on scoring, but so far Colonial hasn't had much teeth to it. Vijay Singh is also just two shots back and when he starts making making birdies the way he has the first two rounds, he usually doesn't stop until he's holding the trophy on Sunday.

This much is certain: Saturday will definitely be moving day. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Clark's scorecard from today:

BREAKING DOWN PALMER'S 63 (6:30 p.m.): Ryan Palmer's 63 on Friday was his lowest round since he went one better and matched his career best for the third time during the second round of the 2006 Buick Invitational. He went on to tie for 10th that week.

Palmer actually came to Colonial on the heels of three missed cuts. But the friendly confines of his home course are serving the Texan well as he went out in 30 and finished with a total of eight birdies.

Palmer, who is eight under and six shots off the pace, made those birdies in bunches, too. He started with three straight, then rebounded from his lone bogey of the day at No. 5 with three more. Palmer finished things off with birdies at Nos. 17 and 18.

"Making the 20-footer on 18 was the icing on the cake today, so I'm going to enjoy this for a while," Palmer said. "... It's awesome on your home track in front of your home crowd, you can't write it any better."

Not only is Palmer a member at Colonial, so is his caddy, who also happens to be a former club champion. While he says the two of them "know every break and bounce on these greens because we play so much" that hasn't always translated into success.

Friday marked just the seventh time Palmer had broken par in 16 competitive rounds at Colonial. Last year's tie for 15th is his best performance in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Palmer admits he puts pressure on himself when the PGA TOUR stops at his home course each year.

"With so many people coming to town to watch you, and you get all of these tickets for them, you want to perform well for them," Palmer said. "I just need to go out there and hear them screaming and hollering and rooting you on."

They had plenty to cheer on Friday. -- Helen Ross

FROM THE INTERVIEW ROOM (6:10 p.m.): Think Steve Stricker isn't aware of his recent struggles to close the deal on Sunday? Credit the Badger for not ducking the questions and being self-aware. Of course, whether being self-aware is a good thing or not, we'll soon find out.

"I have had some opportunities to win. I'm disappointed I haven't won one or two of them along the way," said Stricker. "I'm happy with the play that I have been showing throughout the year. I would just like to finish one off."

If he keeps putting the way he has, he might do just that. Through two rounds, Stricker is averaging 25.5 putts per round. -- Brian Wacker

CAMPBELL UPDATE (5:50 p.m.): You get the feeling that Chad Campbell is going to be out for a while, especially considering there was an audible pop after he hit out of the bunker on the 17th. That pop was the sound of his calf muscle reportedly tearing. Click here for more on this developing story. -- Brian Wacker

LATE-DAY UPDATE (5:20 p.m.): It looked like Steve Stricker might have a big lead going into the weekend at Colonial, but Vijay Singh has pulled to within just two strokes with a round of 6 under through 15 holes. Four others, meanwhile, are currently four back of Stricker.

Also, the cut line is now at even par after being at 1 under earlier in the day. That means last week's winner, Rory Sabbatini, will likely be around for the weekend. He's currently on 18 and even par through 36 holes with a round of 1 under today. -- Brian Wacker

IF YOU'RE SCORING AT HOME, THAT'S 96 PERCENT (4:54 p.m.): It isn't much of a stretch to call Sean O'Hair one of the best ball-strikers in the world, but this is ridiculous.

O'Hair hit 17 greens on Thursday and is 13-for-13 after hitting his tee shot on the the dreaded par-3 fourth hole to just 22 feet. What makes the feat even more remarkable is the fact that Colonial's greens are not exactly what you'd call big.

Putting continues to prevent O'Hair from truly shooting lights out, though. He took 31 putts and already has 22 today. -- Ryan Smithson

CAMPBELL OUT WITH CALF INJURY (4:30 p.m.): In one of the more bizarre situations of the season, Chad Campbell has pulled out of the Crowne Plaza Invitational with what appears to be a torn calf muscle.

Campbell

After hitting out of a greenside bunker on the 17th hole, Campbell reportedly heard a pop and nearly lost his balance. Medics were called over to assist Campbell. According to GOLF CHANNEL, doctors said, depending on the severity of the injury, Campbell could be out anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months.

We're still awaiting word on how bad the injury is and we'll have more on this story as it develops, but it's clearly a bad break for the native Texan, who was 2 under on his round and 5 under for the week when he suffered the injury. -- Brian Wacker

THIS AND THAT (4 p.m.): Jason Day, who lives nearby Colonial CC and plays the course regularly, posted his second-consecutive 65 to sit at 10-under, four back of Steve Stricker's lead. Day's round included a bogey at the par-5 11th hole and another bogey at his final hole, along with seven birdies. The 65s represent the young Australian's low rounds of the year, one better than the 66 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular, where he posted a career-best T2 finish. ...

Ryan Palmer, a Texas native who plays out of Colonial CC, felt at home with a 7-under 63 in Round 2 for a two-day total of 8 under. The two-time PGA TOUR winner posted eight birdies and just one bogey at No. 5. Palmer finished T19 at the 2009 Shell Houston Open for his only top-20 this season. ...

James Driscoll added a bogey-free, 6-under 64 to an opening 69 and lies at 7-under-par. Driscoll is having a purple patch of play lately with a playoff loss to Zach Johnson at the Valero Texas Open and a T35 at last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship. Driscoll was also one of eight players who qualified for the British Open at Gleneagles Golf Club in Plano, Texas earlier this week. ...

Jason Bohn (69-65) bogeyed the final hole for a back-nine 30 for his best opening 36 holes of the year. It's the first time since the 2008 Wachovia Championship that Bohn has scored consecutive rounds in the 60s in the first 36 holes. Bohn must like Texas. His best finish this year is a tie for sixth at the Shell Houston Open. -- Mark Williams

SINGH STREAKING UP LEADERBOARD (3:40 p.m.): Yesterday, Vijay Singh said unless the wind blows at Colonial someone was going to go really low. That someone, at least right now, just happens to be Singh himself (not to mention Steve Stricker and Ryan Palmer earlier).

Singh just made the turn in 30, recording five birdies, including three in a row to close out his front nine. If Singh continues to put like he has through his first nine holes -- he took just 11 putts -- he's going to be right up there with Stricker.

After being plagued by injury earlier this year, Singh finally seems to be finding his rhythm. He finished in a tie for ninth at THE PLAYERS Championship after a final-round 67 and last week tied for 16th with three rounds in the 60s, including a Sunday 66.

"I'm not hurting at all," Singh said. "I feel good. I'm strong.

"Each week I've been starting off over par. This is the first time where I got it under par, got it a lot under par. It's a good way to start a golf tournament." Singh may end the tournament even better. -- Brian Wacker

A sip of Maginnes

BAKER-FINCH FALTERING (3:30 p.m.): It would be hard to find someone who isn't pulling for Ian Baker-Finch to play well this sunny Friday afternoon. Making his first start in 8 years, Ian opened with a 2-under 68 on Thursday to put himself in position to do what most thought unthinkable. He walked away from the game and into the broadcast booth with shattered confidence and a balky driver nearly a decade ago. Ian has never traveled far from the game, though. Even when his game was in disarray, he played regularly. As a member of the CBS team, he travels everywhere with his clubs. But gleaming clubs disguise competitive rust that can accumulate from a hiatus that have seen him not make a check on the PGA TOUR since 1994. That rust is rearing its ugly head today. A bogey at the second and another at the fourth and a triple at the fifth have him well behind the cut line at 3 over. As he would tell you, there is still time to turn it around. Should he not though, his loss is our gain. He gave us a lot to talk about on Thursday and we will have the pleasure of listening to him all weekend on the CBS broadcast. -- John Maginnes

STRICKER'S START (3:15 p.m.): Steve Stricker's back-to-back rounds of 63 to open this year's Crowne Plaza Invitational marked the lowest 36-hole start in tournament history, besting Kenny Perry's 65-63 as the low opening 36-hole score at Colonial. It's also lower than Justin Leonard's 66-61 in 2007 as the low consecutive 36-hole total. Yet, it's not the best 36-hole start in PGA TOUR history or even Stricker's best 36 holes of this season.

Stricker shot 61-62 in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer before that infamous 77 in the final round. See the chart below for low 36-hole starts in TOUR history. -- Brian Wacker

SCORING RECORD IN JEOPARDY? (2:50 p.m.): We're not quite halfway through the tournament, but it's not too early to talk about the tournament scoring record being in danger. Steve Stricker is at 14-under 126 through his first 36 holes. If he keeps that pace up through the weekend, he'll shatter Kenny Perry's mark of 261 by nine strokes.

Now, expecting Stricker to keep up his current pace is probably asking a bit too much. But he obviously doesn't need to in order to break the record. If Stricker can shoot one stroke below his average third- and fourth-round scores of 68 (his average is actually fractions of a point higher than 68), he'll still break the record. And Stricker isn't alone -- Jason Day is just four shots back at 10 under through is first 36 holes. -- Brian Wacker

PUTTING THE KEY TO STRICKER'S SUCCESS (2:30 p.m.): Steve Stricker didn't like what he saw. The numbers on the big electronic scoreboards at THE PLAYERS Championship revealed Stricker was averaging in the high triple digits in converting long putts. So the Badger set out to change things.

"That hurt," Stricker admitted. "I saw that and I was like, well, that's not very good. ... That stat kind of fueled the fire inside of me, and I decided that I needed to do a little bit better job on it. That's what I did last week."

Judging from his results during the first two rounds of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Stricker's efforts have paid off. He's fired back-to-back 63s that have him atop the leaderboard.

One of the keys is Stricker's putter this week. He has made 12 birdie putts of 12 feet or more -- including all eight in the first round. Not bad for a man who entered the tournament ranked 122nd on TOUR in putts from 10-15 feet and 151st from 15-20. -- Helen Ross

SCORING SUPERB (2:20 p.m.): We're well into Round 2 of the Crowne Plaza Invitational and scoring continues to be low at Colonial, where only five players currently inside the cut line are over par on their rounds today.

Atop the leaderboard, Steve Stricker is already in with his second straight 63, as is Ryan Palmer, who shot a front-nine 30 before finishing with eight birdies on his round. Jason Day also continues to go low after a 65 yesterday, while Vijay Singh is already 2 under through the first three holes of his round today. Maybe Steve Stricker's lead won't be so large by the end of the day after all. -- Brian Wacker

'PINK OUT' (1:45 p.m.): As previously reported, Saturday at Colonial will be a "pink out" with players and fans asked to dress in pink and/or wear a pink ribbon in support of Amy Mickelson and her battle with breast cancer. The good news is that you can expect to see a massive groundswell of support for Amy and that'll help shed more light on this disease. The better news is apparently the cancer was detected fairly early.

So while defending champion Phil Mickelson isn't here this week, he and his wife will certainly be on everyone's minds. Let's hope we see them both back on the course soon. In the meantime, you can e-mail your best wishes to Amy and Phil or share your thoughts on our Facebook page. -- Brian Wacker

Here's a sneak peek at one of the t-shirts you'll see on display tomorrow:

BACK-TO-BACK 63s (1:20 p.m.): Steve Stricker has had his share of heartbreaking losses in his career on the PGA TOUR -- the most recent of which came earlier this year at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer, where he shot a final-round 77.

Well, thanks to a second straight 7-under 63, Stricker has put himself in a position in which it might take a monumental collapse for him not to win this week. Right now, Stricker leads by six shots and though his closest pursuers still have plenty of opportunity to make up ground, you have to figure he'll have a fairly hefty lead going into the weekend.

As mentioned earlier, that's also when Stricker tends to play his best golf. In the first two rounds, Stricker's scoring average is 69.80 and 69.70, respectively. In Rounds 3 and 4, it dips to 68.50 and 68.38, respectively. Those last two numbers rank fourth and third on the PGA TOUR coming into this week. He also leads the TOUR in par-4 scoring average -- something that's vital at Colonial since it has only two par 5s.

Given all that, it's pretty miraculous that Stricker hasn't won on TOUR this year. This time, however, he may have built the cushion he needs. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Stricker's scorecard from today. Click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker.

A sip of Maginnes

STRICKER IN STRIDE (1:07 p.m.): Steve Stricker was just a wee lad in 1967 when his Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Championship game that came to be known as the Ice Bowl. That storied rivalry has continued through the years in the NFL. There is no golf equivalent -- Wisconsin golf, as good as it is, doesn't really compare with the Texas golf legacy that includes Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino and Ben Crenshaw among the Texans who have won at Colonial. No cheesehead has ever won at Colonial, but Stricker is doing his best Bart Starr impersonation on the golf course and dominating the first couple of rounds. He could very well stake himself to a big 36-hole lead as he nears the end of his round today. The low 36-hole total at Colonial is 13 under, set in 2003 by native Texan Justin Leonard. Did I mention that it was 13 below zero at game time back in 1967? If Stricker makes another birdie at the last today, he'll get to a 13-below of his own. -- John Maginnes

LUKE GOES LOW (12:45 p.m.): Luke Donald just matched his lowest round of the year, carding a second-round 65 to move into a tie for second at the moment. That's also the lowest round of the day so far.

Seeing Donald's name high on the leaderboard isn't really a surprise here when you consider the premium placed on accuracy and ballstriking. When Donald is hitting it well, he can do some damage at a course like Colonial and that's what he did today with five birdies and no bogeys.

That said, Donald hasn't won since 2006 at The Honda Classic and is finally recovered from a wrist injury he suffered last year.

"I think [the injury] was a help in a certain way. It gave me some appreciation for the game," Donald said last week. "I could take a step back, have a break, look at what I needed to do to become better, and I think I'm slowly getting there.

"Scoring, it's a little more inconsistent I suppose, and I think that just is more to do with working through some changes to make sure that I don't have any further injuries. It's a slow process, but the results still have been reasonably consistent."

That they have -- sort of. Donald has four top-10s this season, including a tie for second at the Verizon Heritage, and he's only missed one cut. After opening with rounds of 68-65 here, now Donald will try to string together four straight rounds in the 60s for the first time since the Northern Trust Open. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Donald's scorecard from today:

LUNDE WD (12:30 p.m.): Bill Lunde has withdrawn from the Crowne Plaza Invitational, citing a back injury after shooting a 79 yesterday. Lunde had a relatively good start to his year with a tie for 14th in Palm Springs and a career-best tie for sixth at the rain-shortened Pebble Beach event, but his year has mostly been a mixed bag of good and not so good. Two weeks ago, for example, Lunde finished in a tie for 24th at the Valero Texas Open, closing with rounds of 65-67-67, but he followed that up with a missed cut -- his sixth in 14 events -- at Quail Hollow. -- Brian Wacker

EARLY CUT CHECK (12:15 p.m.): The cut line right now is sitting at 1 under -- three strokes lower than last year's mark, mostly due to a lot of good scores in the morning waves yesterday and today.

Among those in trouble of missing the cut:

• Davis Love III, who qualified for the British Open on Monday in nearby Plano, Texas, before shooting a round of even par yesterday. Love will tee off in Round 2 about 90 minutes from now.

• Rory Sabbatini, who is coming off an emotional victory at last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship. He's 1 over after a 71 yesterday and will tee off about 10 minutes before Love.

• Todd Hamilton, a Westlake, Texas resident, who appeared to be on the comeback trail with a tie for 15th at the Masters and a tie for fourth at the Verizon Heritage. Since then, however, he's missed two cuts and finished in a tie for 60th. This week, he's 1 over and will tee off in just under 2 hours from now.

• J.B. Holmes, who is 1 over through 13 holes today and 2 over for the week. Colonial's tight, tree-lined fairways don't exactly fit the bomb-and-gouge style of Holmes. -- Brian Wacker

TIGER COMMITS TO MEMORIAL (11:53 a.m.): Word just came down that Tiger Woods has committed to playing in next week's Memorial Tournament.

Woods is a three-time champion at Jack Nicklaus' tournament, where he won in consecutive years from 1999-2001. Woods missed last year's tournament because of knee surgery following the Masters and tied for 15th there in 2007. Prior to that, Woods finished in a tie for third in 2005, solo third in 2004, and in a tie for fourth in 2002.

This year, much has been made about Woods' game since his return from a major knee injury, but he still has a victory (at Bay Hill) and hasn't finished outside the top 10 in any of his stroke-play events. -- Brian Wacker

BIRDIE ALERT (11:43 a.m.): Ryan Palmer has rocketed up the leaderboard thanks to six birdies through his first nine holes, making the turn in 30. That's already twice as many as he had all of yesterday when he shot a 1-under 69.

Palmer

Palmer, who has made just 6 of 14 cuts this year, got off to a fast start today with birdies on each of his first three holes, then added three in row again on Nos. 6, 7 and 8. That brings Palmer, whose best round of the year is a 65 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer, to 6 under for the week, five shots back.

The course record at Colonial is a 61, shot by six different players -- Keith Clearwater and Lee Janzen in 1993; Greg Kraft in 1999; Kenny Perry and Justin Leonard in 2003; and Chad Campbell in 2004. Track Palmer's round live with Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Brian Wacker

NEW CADDIE ON CASEY'S BAG (11:30 a.m.): Be afraid, be very afraid if Paul Casey offers to take you mountain biking. We're kidding, of course (sort of), but Casey did have to change caddies this week because he gave his regular looper, Craig Coney, the week off to be with his fiancee, who suffered some injuries after crashing during a mountain biking trip with Conley and Casey last week.

"The first thing I heard it was an AC grade 3 dislocation, which means all of the ligaments in the shoulders snap and the clavicle is popping up," Casey said. "It doesn't look good. She is going to have surgery, I think on Monday. Craig wanted to be there for her, which is understandable."

As a result, Casey called on Jason Hamilton to carry his bag this week. Hamilton normally caddies for Tim Wilkinson, but since the Australian is off this week, he was kind enough to lend Hamilton to Casey for the next couple of weeks. -- Brian Wacker

STRICKER OFF TO STRONG START (11:15 a.m.): Steve Stricker didn't waste any time taking advantage of an early tee time this morning. A day after being one of the few players able to go low in the afternoon, Stricker is 3 under through eight holes today and has extended his lead to three shots for the time being.

It's pretty remarkable to think that Stricker hasn't won yet this year, though if he keeps this up he might win in a walk. His first- and second-round scoring averages rank in the top 15 on the PGA TOUR ... and he's even better on the weekend, ranking fourth in Round 3 scoring average and third in Round 4 scoring average.

That doesn't bode well for those chasing him, including Paul Casey, who is also 3 under today and currently in second. Give Casey a lot of credit, however. He thoroughly enjoyed his victory Sunday at the BMW PGA Championship and had to do a quick turnaround to get from England to Texas. -- Brian Wacker

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   9:04 am ET No. 1 Stewart Cink, Trevor Immelman, Steve Stricker Stricker's 63 on Thursday was the perfect opening for a man whose game is well suited to this classic design. 1:34 p.m. ET No. 1 Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh, Brian Gay Can Singh can go low a day after his best round of the season? Perry is gunning for a third Colonial win. 1:34 pm ET No. 1 Sean O'Hair, Zach Johnson, Justin Leonard O'Hair hit 17 greens Thursday but had 31 putts. Get that putter going, and he could make a run at the course record.

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