Notebook: Travelers Championship, Round 2

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Ryan Moore, who's currently two strokes behind Kenny Perry, is looking for his first win on the PGA TOUR.
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Jun. 26, 2009
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff

CROMWELL, Conn. - Second-round play was suspended due to dangerous weather conditions at 4:25 p.m. ET. It is the ninth PGA TOUR event this season with a weather delay. There were 75 players remaining on the course when play was suspended with the final groups through nine holes. Play was called for the day at 6:01 p.m.

• Third-round tee times will take place between 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10.

• In the morning wave, first-round leader Kenny Perry maintained his grip on the lead following a 2-under 68. Following his round, he remained the leader by two strokes at 11 under. Should Perry's lead hold up, it would be the 19th event in which he has held at least a share of the 36-hole lead. Of the previous 18, he managed to parlay seven into victories.

• Perry is competing in his 21st Travelers Championship, where his best finish was a tie for fourth in 2003. He has not missed a cut since 1999.

• Perry's lead after 36 holes is his first since holding a share of the lead at the Masters in April with Chad Campbell. Both Campbell and Perry would ultimately fall to Angel Cabrera in a playoff. According to Perry, since that finish he has received "over 1,000 letters of support."

• In Round 2, Perry hit every fairway and 16 of 18 greens in regulation. However, the difference between Thursday's 9-under 61 and Friday's 2-under 68 came down to putting. In Round 1, he needed just 25 putts as opposed to 32 in Round 2.

• The low round in the morning wave belonged to Ryan Moore, who carded six birdies and just one bogey en route to a five-under 65. On the heels of his opening-round, 4-under 66, Moore finds himself trailing Kenny Perry's 11-under lead by two.

• Moore is competing in his fourth Travelers Championship, with his best finish coming in his first start here in 2006 (T2). He missed the cut in 2008 and finished T33 in 2007.

• Moore is riding a high following his T10 finish in last week's U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. It was his fourth start and best finish in a U.S. Open. He finished T57 in 2005 and missed the cut in 2007 and 2002.

• While Moore has yet to win on the PGA TOUR, he has quite the impressive career as an amateur. Among his amateur achievements include a four-time All-America (two-time first team) and Jack Nicklaus Collegiate Player of the Year Award in 2005. In 2004, he won the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Public Links, NCAA Championship, Western Amateur and Sahalee Players Championship.

Boo Weekley, who rattled off six consecutive birdies over his first six holes in Round 1, didn't enjoy the same start in Round 2. He had a birdie at the par-4 second hole, then he posted three consecutive bogeys at Nos. 5, 6 and 7 en route to a 1-over 71. Should Perry's lead hold, Weekley will head into the third round trailing by six.

• PGA TOUR rookie Aaron Watkins finds himself in solid position headed into the weekend. Following an opening-round, 5-under 65, he backed it up in Round 2 with a 3-under 67 to trail Perry's lead by three at 8 under.

• Watkins, who gained access to the PGA TOUR through Qualifying School, has previously played in nine PGA TOUR events and has missed the cut in six. His best previous finish was a T7 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

• The Travelers Championship is the fifth event in the six-tournament series (THE PLAYERS, Memorial, St. Jude, U.S. Open, Travelers, AT&T National) where the top-two money winners not previously exempt earn British Open exemptions. Below are the players in the current money standings through four events (PLAYERS, Memorial, St. Jude, U.S. Open) and their position after the first round of play at the Travelers Championship:

Player Money Rd. 1
1. John Mallinger 584,319 Not Playing
2. Kevin Na 584,150 T38 (67)
3. Ricky Barnes 575,622 T8 (65)
4. Bryce Molder 492,800 T38 (67)
5. Ben Crane 441,950 T120 (71)
6. Jonathan Byrd 387,900 Not Playing
7. Matt Bettencourt 373,600 T38 (67)

• Despite a second-round 5-under 65 to get to 1 under for the tournament, 2005 Travelers champion Brad Faxon will not likely be around for the weekend. This year marks the 25th Travelers Championship start for the Rhode Island resident, which matches Mark Calcavecchia's record for the most starts in tournament history.

• Black ribbons were worn at the Travelers Championship on Friday for players and caddies to wear in a show of support for Chris Smith. A number of Smith's fellow PGA TOUR players went a step further to show their support by writing their individual favorite/lucky number on their hats. Kris Blanks donned a hat which included the number 15 along with the names of each of Smith's family members written on the back.

Ben Crane withdrew prior to the second round because of a knee injury. Brent Geiberger, the 1999 Travelers Championship winner, withdrew before the second round due to a back injury. Jeff Quinney (knee) and Steve Elkington also withdrew. Other withdrawals include Dustin Johnson (wrist) and James Oh.

• At 8-under-par (T3) thru 13 holes of his second round, David Toms is making a bid for his seventh top-10 finish of the 2009 season after having just one top-10 finish in all of 2008. A top-10 this week would put Toms in a tie with Tiger Woods for the most top-10 finishes. Toms has two runner-up finishes this year coming at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx.

Anthony Kim is also currently 8 under and T3 for the tournament with 13 holes completed. In 2008, Kim won twice, finished in the top 10 eight times and finished fourth in the final 2008 FedExCup standings. Kim is searching for his second top-10 finish of 2009 after a T2 to start the year at the season-opening SBS Championship. This is Kim's first appearance at the Travelers Championship.

• Defending champion Stewart Cink is at 1 over for the tournament thru 13 holes of his second round and will need to finish strong in order to make the cut. David Frost, the 1994 champion, was the last winner who failed to make the cut the following year (1995 champion Greg Norman was disqualified in 1996 and Peter Jacobsen did not return to defend his 2003 title). It would be just the second time second time Cink has missed the cut at the Travelers Championship in 12 appearances.

Bryce Molder, who gained entry to the Travelers by finishing in the top 10 with a T2 at the St. Jude Classic, is in the hunt for another top-10 finish at 7 under currently. He is through 17 holes in his second round. Molder missed the cut in five of his first seven events of the season, but has back-to-back top-25 finishes with a T23 at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and his runner up at the St. Jude Classic. Molder has missed the cut in his two previous appearances at the Travelers Championship in 2002 and 2007.

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