Second-round notebook: THE TOUR Championship

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ATLANTA -- The 2007 FedExCup champion and current points leader Tiger Woods followed an opening round 3-under 67 with a second-round 68 to move to 5 under. He holds a one-stroke lead over Padraig Harrington at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. The 71-time PGA TOUR winner is making his 12th start at this event, with victories in 1999 and 2007 and runner-up finishes in 2000, 2004 and 2005.

• Woods and Harrington have played in the same group eight times in 2009. Woods has outperformed Harrington in seven of these match-ups and averages three strokes better per round.

Padraig Harrington
The three-time major championship winner is still seeking his first victory of the season and enters this week with five consecutive top-10 finishes (dating to a T2 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, where he entered the event No. 142 in the FedExCup standings).

• Harrington's last five events:
World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational - T2
PGA Championship - T10
The Barclays - T2
Deutsche Bank Championship - T4
BMW Championship - T6

• If Harrington were to go on to win THE TOUR Championship, he would become the event's first European winner.

Ernie Els
South African Els shot a 4-under 66 matching his best career round at East Lake Golf Club (third round in 2006) and stands fourth thru 36 holes. Els has played in THE TOUR Championship in 13 out of the last 15 years, with six top-10 finishes.

• Els is one of six players in the field who have made it to THE TOUR Championship in all three seasons of the FedExCup:

Stewart Cink
Hometown favorite and 2009 British Open champion Cink followed his opening-round 67 with a second-round 72 and finished the day at T7, 1-under par. Cink held a share of the lead at one point during the round, but he hit two tee shots out of bounds on the 10th hole that led to a quadruple bogey. Cink is making his eighth start at THE TOUR Championship, with a 66 during the second round in 2007 his best effort in 29 overall rounds at the event and resulting in his best-ever finish (T11).

Kenny Perry
Perry shot a 4-under-par 66 for just his third round in the 60s in his last 14 rounds at East Lake Golf Club. Perry has three top-10 finishes at THE TOUR Championship, none of which occurred at East Lake.

• Perry was named the 2009 Payne Stewart Award winner earlier this week. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2009, the Payne Stewart Award is presented annually to a player sharing Stewart's respect for the traditions of the game, his commitment to upholding the game's heritage of charitable support and his professional and meticulous presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct.

• For Perry to win the FedExCup, he has to win THE TOUR Championship and have Woods finish in a four-way tie for fourth or worse, Stricker finish in a three-way tie for third or worse and Furyk finish in a three-way tie for second or worse.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 16 of 39 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Woods at the BMW Championship, where he was tied with Mark Wilson at the halfway point.

• In the 22-year history of THE TOUR Championship, the second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the tournament 10 times, with the last to do so being Woods in 2007.

• David Toms matched the low round of the day with a 4-under-par 66 including a 32 on the back nine. It is Toms' lowest round at East Lake Golf Club since 2002's 66. He finished that event third. With the 66, Toms moved from 29th following round 1 to T12 after 36 holes.

• Past champions of THE TOUR Championship and their 36-hole scores: 1999 and 2007 winner Woods (-6, 1st); 2000 champion Phil Mickelson (E-T12); 2001 winner Mike Weir (+4, T25); and 2004 champion Retief Goosen (+1, T17).

• Players who were ranked fifth or higher in the FedExCup standings coming into the week are assured of winning the 2009 FedExCup with a victory here this week. The list includes No.1 Woods (1, currently projected first in the FedExCup standings), followed by No. 2 Steve Stricker (T21, projected third), No. 3 Jim Furyk (T12, projected fifth), No. 4 Zach Johnson (T21, projected sixth) and No. 5 Heath Slocum (T17, projected seventh).

• Stricker (T21) and Furyk (T12) have now played in all 46 rounds of the PGA TOUR Playoffs, dating to the competition's inaugural start in 2007.

• Four players have started in all 12 Playoff events (Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker).

• There were no bogey-free rounds for the second straight day.