Round 3: Buick Open

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Aug. 1, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in the third round of the Buick Open. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
1:50 p.m. ET		John Senden, Michael Letzig Senden will start the day with a two-stroke headstart on the field, but the low scoring may melt that lead quickly.
1:41 p.m. ET		Vaughn Taylor, Bill Lunde Lunde started his second round with a 4-under sprint through five holes. However, he started on the 10th hole yesterday, and will start on No. 1 today.
1:32 p.m. ET		Tiger Woods, Kevin Stadler All eyes will be on Tiger shortly after 1:30 p.m. as the golf world will be eager to see if he continues his solid play at Warwick Hills and maybe even climb into the lead.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Saturday's round:

Saturday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 81 high/60 low
Mainly sunny skies. Winds from the southwest at 15 to 25 mph.

Round 2 of the Buick Open was played in perfect scoring conditions, and the world world No. 1, Tiger Woods, took advantage of that. Woods started out birdie, birdie, eagle and continued the momentum to post a nine-under-par 63 for a total of 10 under par and put himself back in contention of this year's Buick Open.

Other players were able to carry on their positive momentum into the second round. Vaughn Taylor, who won the 2004 and 2005 Reno Tahoe Open, continued the use of his new TaylorMade and posted a second round 68 to go with a first round 65. Taylor is at 1 under, as is Bill Lunde, who shot a second round seven-under-par 65.

The overnight leader Steve Lowery struggled throughout the second round and finished with a 3-over-par 75 to fall from first place into a tie for 37th place. John Senden, who started the day one stroke behind Lowery, did not struggle at all. Senden bogeyed the first hole of his first round and has played 35 bogey-free holes since.

Senden captured the halfway lead at 14 under despite a strange occurrence on his last hole, the ninth. Senden, who is long off the tee, hit driver on the ninth hole and his ball hit a leg of the ShotLink tripod on the right side of the hole and caromed directly back toward the tee into the downslope of a fairway bunker, leaving him no shot but a layup to the par 4.

The steel leg was hit so hard that it almost kinked the entire leg. What are the odds anyway on two round objects, the ball and the round tube leg meeting at just the right angle, to send the ball back on the same line it came in at? Senden laid up and made his up-and-down par. As he walked off the green, a smile came up under the dark glasses Senden wears. He went on to say that you get good breaks and bad breaks and they usually equal out, but that one off the ShotLink tripod was a first. I wonder if Sendo has a new nickname now? "Tripod"?

Roland Thatcher told me he had a lot of fun on his way to 8-under-par 64 and a total of 10 under to tie for 5th place. He said he is playing a limited schedule on a Major Medical Exeption and needs a good finish or two to gain his playing privileges for 2010. The Auburn graduate from 2000 is certainly in a good position to have one this week.

The greens were definitely getting firmer throughout the second round. You can even hear the hollow thud that was not there earlier in the week. Balls are bouncing more and spinning less. Watch for this to be a factor as the weekend starts, along with the breeze that is starting to blow in the afternoon. Also, watch for Woods to be the looming figure in Senden's rear view mirror. I believe Woods has found what was lost and is going to make someone win this Buick Open the old-fashioned way. They are going to have to earn it by going through him.

The one stat you need to know

Six-under after the opening five holes (Nos. 10-14) marks a career-best start for Woods on the PGA TOUR. His previous-best start through five holes was 5-under (also Nos. 10-14) in round one of the 2006 Buick Open, where he opened with five consecutive birdies en route to a 6-under 66. Woods followed with three more rounds of 66 to win.

The Film Room

	Round 2 Highlights: 2009 Buick Open Tiger Woods shoots a 9-under par 63, positioning himself nicely for the weekend, but John Senden will take the lead into moving day at the 2009 Buick Open. Watch it
	Woods posts his lowest round of the year at 2009 Buick Open Tiger Woods posts a 9 under par 63 and talks to Fred Albers of the PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM Radio about his eagle on 12 and putting well in round 2 of the 2009 Buick Open. Watch it
	Senden leads by two shots after Round 2 of the 2009 Buick Open Brett Wright of the PGA TOUR Network on SIRIUS XM Radio talks to John Senden after he fired a 6 under par 66 and holds the lead going into the weekend despite a bad break on the final hole of Round 2 of the 2009 Buick Open. Watch it