Valero Texas Open, Round 2
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
WRAPPING UP ROUND TWO (7 p.m.): Paul Goydos will take a three-stroke lead to the weekend at the Valero Texas Open thanks to a 5 under today that was nothing short of spectacular. Goydos made just one bogey -- on No. 10, his very first hole of the day -- and had six birdies in a round in which he took just 25 putts. His 49 putts through two rounds ranks sixth in the field.
Goydos will have plenty of company, however, with four players tied for second three shots back. One of those players? Three-time Valero Texas Open champ Justin Leonard, who has also finished second twice in this event.
In other words, Saturday will undoubtedly be moving day. -- Brian Wacker
GETTING HIS PHIL (6 p.m.): Ted Purdy is coming off a T5 at Quail Hollow, but perhaps more importantly seems top be putting a recent chipping lesson from Phil Mickelson to good use.
"I started going back to my old ways," said Purdy, who shot a second-round 67 and is 9 under heading to the weekend. "I've always been a decent ball striker, and my putting's turned around, but my short game always seems to lag. And I've been hitting some beautiful pitches, both last week at Quail Hollow and this week."
Where exactly did Purdy get his short-game tips from Mickelson? From his new DVD, "The Secret of Chipping," which he bought from the PGA TOUR Stop store in the Atlanta airport. "Best $50 I ever spent," Purdy said. "I've been chipping great ever since."
For more on Mickelson's DVD and to go behind the scenes on it, click here 
. -- Brian Wacker
FROM THE INTERVIEW ROOM (5:30 p.m.): Defending champion Zach Johnson isn't out of it at 5 under, far from it. But he also knows he left some shots on the golf course with the way he's putted the last two days, especially considering he hit 29 of 36 greens in regulation through the first two rounds.
Some snippets from Johnson's interview today ...
Q. 31 putts in the opening round, 29 putts on Friday morning. Probably want to sharpen up the putting?
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. I'm actually giving myself some decent opportunities. Not hitting it that close. A lot of 10 to 20-footers, and a bunch of misreads, and when I did read them correctly, seems like I miss-hit them. So it's just a matter of, like you said, maybe committing to my line more and hitting my putts more.
Q. Is the course playing a little faster? Seems like the winds have dried out a little bit.
ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah. Could be. Any time the wind picks up in the afternoon, especially as the week goes on, and no more rain, yeah, it's going to get a little more dry. The fairways have been rolling pretty well since the beginning of the week. The greens are still receptive with the loft in your hand, but yeah, with the mid-iron and the long-iron you gotta pay attention. -- Brian Wacker
MAGICAL ROUND FOR MALLINGER (5:15 p.m.): John Mallinger was second in scrambling last week at THE PLAYERS Championship and continues to do well with that this week, having just holed out for eagle after airmailing the green on the par-5 14th on his approach shot.
Mostly though, Mallinger has been spot on today, hitting 9 of 11 fairways and 11 of 14 greens in regulation on his way to playing his first 14 holes in 7 under. As a result, he's tied for the lead right now and could break his career-low round of 63 if he keeps it up. -- Brian Wacker
GOYDOS CONTINUES TO GO LOW (4:45 p.m.): The Paul Goydos birdie train rolls on today. Despite an early bogey -- on his first hole of the day -- Goydos has since added four birdies to get to 3 under on the day through 12 holes and 10 under for the week. That has him in the lead, for the moment, as the second round continues from LaCantera.
Goydos' closest pursuer still on the course is John Mallinger, who is 5 under through 13 holes today and 8 under for the week. David Duval, meanwhile, hit a snag with a double bogey and a bogey on two of his first four holes on the back, but he bounced back nicely with a birdie at No. 14 to get to 6 under for the week. -- Brian Wacker
DOUBLE DIPPING (4:20 p.m.): Lance Ten Broeck had an unusual couple of days at the Valero Texas Open. The 53-year-old caddie of Jesper Parnevik arrived this week expecting to tote the bag of his boss, but found out at the last minute that he could play in the tournament as an alternate for David Berganio, who withdrew with a back injury.
Ten Broeck was so unprepared that he had to buy pants at a local mall and borrow someone else's clubs. "I don't like to travel with my golf clubs," he said. "It's just a pain to bring them when you're not playing."
After looping for Parnevik early Thursday, Ten Broeck, who was eligible as an alternate under the PGA TOUR's veteran member category (used to fill out a field with guys who have a minimum of 150 made cuts in their career), slipped on his pants and had his son carry his bag for his afternoon tee time before finishing with a 1-over 71.
Friday, Ten Broeck went out early, shooting even par before going back out for caddie duties for Parnevik.
"It's something I always wanted to do," Ten Broeck said. "I don't think anybody's ever done it before. I wasn't going to pass that up."
Unfortunately, it looks like Ten Broeck and Parnevik will both miss the cut. The cut is currently 1 under and Ten Broeck is in at 1 over, while Parnevik is out on the course and currently 4 over for the week and through 13 holes today.
"I played with a different set [of clubs] today than I did yesterday because the set I used yesterday, they're Richard Johnson's and he has to use those this afternoon, so I couldn't use them, so I had to get another set," Ten Broeck said. "So it was a little difficult actually." -- Brian Wacker
THE UP AND DOWN (4 p.m.): So much for David Duval's charge. He's still 2 under on his round today, and has plenty of golf left, but an errant tee shot on the par-4 11th hole just cost Duval two strokes, dropping him to 6 under for the tournament and three off the pace after he had climbed to within one.
Meanwhile, Paul Goydos, who shared the overnight lead, recovered well from a bogey on his first hole of the day -- the par-4 10th -- with three birdies in a five-hole stretch to grab a share of the lead as he makes the turn to the front at LaCantera. -- Brian Wacker
DUVAL CONTINUES TO DAZZLE (3:20 p.m.): Not only is David Duval staring his first made cut in three months in the face, he could be on the verge of something really special.
Duval, who hasn't finished in the top 10 in a tournament since the 2002 season, is already 3 under on his round today and 7 under for the week as he gets set to make the turn.
Duval has made his share of bogeys over the past few years, but this week has just one. He's also been better than expected with his accuracy, hitting 5 of 6 fairways and 6 of 8 greens in regulation so far today (yesterday, he hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation).
So far, Duval's simply been doing everything right, whether it's been hitting his approach shots close or rolling in putt after putt -- he leads the field right now in approach shot distance to the pin and putts made distance.
"I've been playing a lot better this year than my results have shown," Duval said yesterday. "I've been playing exponentially better actually, I think. However, I've just gotten nothing out of it so far this year and just been trying to be even more patient, stay the course and keep at it."
So far, he's been able to do that and more. Follow his round live with Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Brian Wacker
CUT CHECK (3 p.m.): The cut line early this morning was at even-par, but has since moved to 1 under, where it should stay for the duration of the round, barring something unusual.
The biggest name in trouble of heading home early right now is Anthony Kim, who is even par on the week -- though he's only through four holes today and has plenty of time to pick up a stroke.
Tadd Fujikawa is also in the field, but in danger of missing the cut after opening with a 2-over 72. He'll tee off in a few minutes.
Alex Cejka, coming off his difficult loss at THE PLAYERS Championship, opened with a 73 and will have some work to do as well. -- Brian Wacker
THIS AND THAT (2:45 p.m.): Playing in his seventh Valero Texas Open, Ted Purdy put himself in great position entering the weekend following a second-round 67 to claim a share of the early 9-under lead. Purdy certainly has fond memories of LaCantera Golf Club for it was in the opening round here in 2004 where he posted a career-low 9-under 61. Thanks in large part to that first-round score, he went on to post his best Valero Texas Open finish of T5. ...
The scoring average for the morning wave played more than a stroke easier in Round 2 than it did in Round 1. On Thursday, the average for the morning was 69.55, while it dropped to 68.42 on Friday. ...
Brent Geiberger withdrew during his second round because of a knee injury. -- Doug Milne
LEONARD IN THE LEAD, AGAIN (2:30 p.m.): Should Justin Leonard's share of the 9-under lead hold up, it would be the 10th time in his career where he has held at least a share of the 36-hole lead. Leonard was most recently atop the leaderboard after two rounds at the 2005 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Of those leads, he has parlayed three into victories.
Leonard has previously held at least a share of the 36-hole lead in this event twice -- in 1998, when he shared the lead before finishing T2, and in 2001, when he held the outright lead before going on to win. -- Doug Milne
CHECKING IN WITH THE CHAMP (2:15 p.m.): Zach Johnson is trying to become the third player this year to successfully defend a 2008 title this week at the Valero Texas Open and after two rounds, he's in pretty good shape.
Johnson shot a 3-under 67 today and is 5 under on the week, just four off the current pace, though he'll have his work cut out for him seeing as how only two players -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- have been able to successfully defend this year. -- Brian Wacker
TWEET OF THE DAY (1:50 p.m.): How is Tiger Woods spending today since he's not playing in the Valero Texas Open? According to Shaquille O'Neal's Twitter account (Twitter.com/THE_REAL_SHAQ), he's shooting a commercial with the world's No. 1 player for ESPN.
Later this weekend, Woods will be hosting his annual Tiger Jam concert in Las Vegas, which will feature Gwen Stefani and others.
Also spotted: Ian Poulter at last night's Celtics-Magic game in Orlando. Poulter, who lives in the Orlando area, is also off this week.
For the latest updates and news from the PGA TOUR's Twitter account, follow at Twitter.com/pgatour and for more insight and analysis, follow yours truly at Twitter.com/pgatour_brianw. -- Brian Wacker
LEADERBOARD CHECK (1:30 p.m.): More early rounds, more low numbers. That's been the theme so far at the Valero Texas Open, where Justin Leonard and Mathias Gronberg share the top spot at 9 under for the moment after turning in rounds of 68 and 65, respectively.
Also in with a 65 today is Kent Jones, who, among other things, was once the college teammate of Tim Herron and was inducted into the Carlsbad (N.M.) Athletic Hall of Fame. Jones has just two career finishes in the top 20 in what's been a journeyman career on the PGA TOUR, but he was dead-on today, hitting 14 of 18 greens in regulation for the second straight day. He had five birdies in today's round and hasn't made a bogey since his eighth hole yesterday. -- Brian Wacker
HAYES WAS HOT (1 p.m.): J.P. Hayes fell one stroke short of matching his career-low round and two short of tying the course record, but his 8-under 62 today is easily the best round of the day so far at the Valero Texas Open, where he jumped from a tie for 84th at the start of the day into a tie for fifth (for now).
Hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation, Hayes was nearly flawless with six birdies and an eagle today in a round that featured matching 31s on the front and back nine.
While LaCantera is hardly the toughest track on the PGA TOUR -- it ranked sixth-easiest in scoring average last year (scroll down to see chart) -- Hayes' round would be impressive on any course with just 26 putts and an average approach shot distance to the pin of a staggering 16 feet, 7 inches. He keeps that up, and Hayes will have his first win on TOUR in nearly a decade. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Hayes' scorecard from today:
SENSATIONAL SCORING (12:38 p.m.): How good is scoring right now in today's second round? Consider this: Of the players currently above the cut line of even par, only two players -- Garrett Willis and Matt Bettencourt -- are above par on their rounds today.
Some of the field has yet to tee off today, and the wind should be blowing at about 15-20 mph for the afternoon wave, but don't be surprised to see that trend continue throughout the day.
Last year, the Valero Texas Open was one of nine tournaments with a four-day scoring average below 70. See the chart below for the rest and where it ranked. -- Brian Wacker
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BIRDIE ALERT (12:25 p.m.): J.P. Hayes apparently has the iron game working and the flat stick rolling today. Hayes, who has two career PGA TOUR victories but hasn't won since 2002, started his day on the back nine, making the turn in 31 after an eagle and two birdies. The eagle came at the par-5 12th, where he reached the green in two before rolling in a 19-footer.
Hayes has since added three more birdies, making three of them in a four-hole stretch on the front to move to 7 under on his round and 6 under for the week. Clearly we're seeing another case of players able to go low in the morning here, before the afternoon wind kicks up. -- Brian Wacker
HOW SWEDE IT COULD BE (12 p.m.): The last three years, Mathias Gronberg had to wait until late in the year to secure his PGA TOUR card -- via q-school last season and by finishing 125th on the money list in 2007. Obviously he doesn't want to test the three-strikes-and-you're-out theory this season.
Gronberg is doing his best to avoid any such drama with a strong start this week. He's currently tied for the lead at 9 under through 11 holes today and a victory this week would lock up playing privileges for the next two years.
Today, Gronberg is 5 under -- after a 4-under 66 yesterday -- with three birdies and an eagle at the par-4 12th, where he holed out from 123 yards away. Gronberg has never won on TOUR and his best finish was a T3 ... at the 2007 Valero Texas Open.
Should Gronberg go on to win, it would be the second straight week that a Swede tasted victory with fellow countryman Henrik Stenson having captured THE PLAYERS Championship last week. -- Brian Wacker
HOLE IN ONE (11:45 a.m.): Across the pond at the Irish Open, Paul Lawrie just won an Audi A5 Cabriolet by making a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th at Co Louth GC.
Lawrie, who is perhaps most remembered (or least, depending on your perspective) for winning the 1999 British Open, where Jean Van de Velde famously lost a three-shot lead on the final hole, was leading the Irish Open when he came to the 17th today. His tee shot never left the flag, took two short bounces and rolled directly into the cup. -- Brian Wacker
LEONARD OUT FAST AGAIN (11:30 a.m.): Just how comfortable is Justin Leonard at the Valero Texas Open? "Because I've played here so much, I don't have a whole lot of conscious thoughts," he said yesterday. With three wins and two runners-up, it's hard to argue with that logic and easy to understand why he's been so unconcious here.
Not surprisingly, Leonard is at it again this morning, making two birdies on the back nine, where he started his round with an early tee time, to extend his lead for the moment. Here's another, more tangible reason Leonard is in the lead: He hasn't missed a green in regulation through his first 10 holes today. And though he's needing a few more putts today, he certainly hit the flat stick just fine yesterday with 24 putts. -- Brian Wacker
Follow Leonard's round live with Shot Tracker by clicking here.
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