Round 2: Children's Miracle Network Classic

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Nov. 13, 2009
By PGATOUR.com Staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in Round 2 of the Children's Miracle Network Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Here's how it sets up (Click here for tee times):
MORE CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK: Expert Picks | Power Rankings | Approach Shots | Inside the Field

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
7:05 a.m. ET, Hole No. 1, Magnolia Course		Justin Rose, Greg Owen (paired with John Ballbach and Masahiro Sato) The Magnolia Course will prove to be a bigger challenge, so these two will have to amp it up.
7:15 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10, Palm Course		Zach Johnson, Jonathan Byrd (paired with Stephen Szabo and Greg Gipson) With 2008 champ Davis Love III withdrawing, the spotlight shines more on Johnson, who is at 5 under.
11:55 a.m. ET, Hole No. 10, Magnolia Course		Rickie Fowler, Jamie Lovemark (paired with Alan Wisne and Jim Richter) Over to the Magnolia Course these two go after shredding the Palm Course on Thursday.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Bob Stevens previews Friday's round:

Friday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 75 high/53 low
Mainly sunny. Winds from the northwest at 10-20 mph.

It'll be very interesting to see if Justin Rose and Greg Owen can continue their momentum at the Magnolia Course today after yesterday's red-hot rounds at the easier Palm Course. Rose has fond memories of his last Children's Miracle Network Classic, setting the course record at Palm in 2006 with an opening 60, following it with a 67 at Magnolia on Friday on the way to a fourth-place finish. Fellow Brit Owen, who, like Rose, has a home in Orlando, is also using the same swing coach as Rose, taking up with Orlando-based Sean Foley just recently. Foley has changed the lanky Owen's set-up and posture and he was almost giddy when he talked to me about how much further he's hitting the ball. Greg's best finish in the tourney is a tie for 15th in 2005.

We'll find out today if Wil MacKenzie can keep up his brilliant putting from Thursday's opening 67. MacKenzie told me he thought he was about 340th on TOUR in putting (he's actually 183rd, but that's out of only about 200 players) and has a barrel full of putters in his garage to prove it. What he thinks has changed things is the first putting tip most of us got when we first became interested in the game -- keep your head still. Willy Mac believes he's been moving all over the place while putting and that has caused his skid. A steady head on Friday could have him right in the mix for the weekend.

Among the leaders on the Magnolia Course Thursday, and therefore a very potential leader of the tourney by nightfall after a trip around the Palm Course, is Jimmy Walker, a 30-year-old veteran from Baylor, who is 130th on the money list, but has been through this drill before. He got his TOUR card back for '09 out of q-school after making it in '08 with the last card handed out from the Nationwide Tour. He told me the one thing he's learned from his time "on the bubble" is to slow down and not start rushing when things aren't going right -- a tip we could all use. He's less than $35,000 away from a full exemption for 2010. We'll watch his pace closely on Friday.

Stat of the Day

Justin Rose has played 13 rounds at the Children's Miracle Network Classic without ever posting an above-par score. He has two rounds in the 70s (72 and 71) and 11 rounds in the 60s.

The Film Room

	Round 1 Highlights: Children's Miracle Network Classic Justin Rose leads by one stroke after the opening round of the 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic. Watch it
	Shot of the Day: November 12, 2009 Tom Pernice Jr. holes out for eagle on the par-4 11th hole during the opening round of the 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic. Watch it
	PGA TOUR Today: November 13, 2009 Win McMurry updates action from the first round of the 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, where Justin Rose holds a one-stroke lead over Casey Wittenberg, Greg Owen and Rickie Fowler. Watch it