CA Championship: Second-round notebook

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DORAL, Fla. -- Phil Mickelson is the second-round leader or co-leader for the 28th time in his career. He has converted 16 of those leads to victories, most recently the 2008 Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

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Phil Mickelson is seeking his first win in a World Golf Championship.

• The last time Mickelson held or shared the 36-hole lead was the 2008 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Mickelson is still in search of his first career World Golf Championships Victory.

• Mickelson has 42 putts through his first 36 holes (average of 21 putts per round) including four chip-ins from off the green. Mickelson's best single putting performance was the 1998 MCI Classic where he averaged 24.75 putts per round. The PGA TOUR record for fewest putts through four rounds is 92 by David Frost at the 2005 MCI Heritage at Harbour Tour Golf Links.

• In the 10 previous times this event has been played, there has never been a tie for the second-round lead. This trend continued, as Mickelson shot a second-round 6-under-par 66 and holds a two-stroke lead over Nick Watney. The 13-under total through two rounds posted by Mickelson is the lowest since the tournament moved to Doral Resort & Spa in 2007.

• Nick Watney, two strokes off the lead and alone in second after rounds of 66-67-133, has yet to record a bogey through two rounds of the CA Championship. He is the only player in the field who has gone bogey-free through the first 36 holes. Watney won the Buick Invitational earlier this year and is playing in the second World Golf Championships event of his career (2007 Bridgestone Invitational --T61).

• Watney, who also won the 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, is in the field this week thanks to his fifth-place standing in the 2009 FedExCup. In five events this year, Watney has not missed a cut and has four top-25 finishes.

• First-round co-leader Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand, in the field after finishing third on the Japan Tour Order of Merit with three victories on the Japan Tour in 2008, opened his second round with an eagle on the opening hole, but ended his round with a triple bogey on the 18th. In between, he recorded six birdies and three bogeys to finish his second round at 9-under for the tournament, four strokes off the lead. He is trying to become the first player from Thailand to win a PGA TOUR event.

• At 10-under-par and three strokes off the lead Rory McIlroy (T3) is in the hunt for his first PGA TOUR victory. After making his debut in the United States at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship two weeks ago where he finished T5, McIlroy finished T13 at last week's Honda Classic. Johnny McDermott was 19 years, 10 months and 14 days when he won the 1911 U.S. Open. McIlroy would be 19 years, 10 months and 12 days if he were to win Sunday, which would make him the youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event.

• Through the first two rounds, McIlroy stands 8-under on the par-five holes, matching three other players for the lowest par-five score through two rounds in the history of the tournament.

• In his first stroke-play event since missing approximately eight months following knee surgery, Tiger Woods shot a second-round 2-under-par to move to T35 and 3-under for the tournament. At T36, this is his worst standing through two rounds at this tournament. His previous worst at the CA Championship was five strokes off the lead in 2004 at T9. The T35 is also Woods' worst position through two rounds since being T59 at the 2007 PLAYERS Championship.

• Kenny Perry and Alvaro Quiros matched the low round of the day with 8-under-par 64s. Perry, a 13-time PGA TOUR winner, moved from T27 to start the day to T3 following 36 holes. He is one of five players in the field who could pass Geoff Ogilvy to take the No. 1 position on the FedExCup standing with a victory. Perry, who won earlier this year at the FBR Open, is looking for his second career top-10 finish in a World Golf Championships event in 18 attempts and his first at the CA Championship.

• Birdies for the Brave activities this will be highlighted by the "Patriots Outpost", a military hospitality chalet sponsored by Lockheed Martin located adjacent to the scoring area. The Patriots Outpost will provide complimentary access to active duty and retired military members from all five branches and their families from Tuesday through Sunday. For more information on all of the events taking place at the Patriots Outpost this week, please see a PGA TOUR Media Official onsite.

• The par-4 18th hole again played most difficult on Friday, after playing to 4.637 average on Friday. Through 36 holes the scoring average on the 18th hole is 4.506 and there have only been five birdies.

• In 2009, the hardest hole on the PGA TOUR so far has been the 462-yard par 4 7th hole at the South Course at Torrey Pines with an average of 4.402.