Transitions Championship: Second-round notebook

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- A total of 74 players made the 36-hole cut at 1-over 143, which is the lowest since 2004 when 73 players made it to the weekend at even-par 142.

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Charles Howell III has hit 23 of 26 fairways so far.

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score T1. Steve Stricker 136 -6 T1. Nick Watney 136 -6 T3. Troy Matteson 137 -5 T3. J.J. Henry 137 -5 T3. Charles Howell III 137 -5 T3. Retief Goosen 137 -5 T3. Joe Ogilvie 137 -5 T3. Tom Lehman 137 -5 T3. Stuart Appleby 137 -5 T3. Jonathan Byrd 137 -5

• After his first-round, 2-under 69, Steve Stricker fired a bogey-free, 4-under 67 in Round 2 to claim a share of the 6-under lead with Nick Watney. His Round 2 score adds to an impressive 2009. Other than the first two rounds of the FBR Open (74-72) and the final round of The 50th Bob Hope Classic (77), Stricker has not posted an above-par round in any of the six stroke-play events in which he has started in 2009.

• The 2009 Transitions Championship marks Stricker's fourth start here. He missed the cut in 2004 and 2007, but following a final-round 66 last year, he tied for 14th place. His most recent 36-hole lead was the 2008 Barclays, where he ultimately finished tied for 13th.

• Stricker played his first nine holes of the tournament in 1 over. However, he has played his last 27 in 7 under. Additionally, his accuracy has dramatically improved from the first round to the second. In Round 1, he hit four shots inside 20 feet. In Round 2, that number nearly tripled to 11.

• On the heels of his runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Watney continued his solid play at the Transitions Championship. After an opening-round 2-under 69, he posted a bogey-free 4-under 67 in Round 2 to give him a tie for the lead with Stricker.

• In Round 2, Watney wore a hat with the initials "L.M." on the left side. It was a tribute to a close friend of his in Fresno, Lee Markarian, who is recovering from triple-bypass, open-heart surgery performed Thursday.

• Watney has held a share of the 36-hole lead twice previously. His most recent 36-hole lead was at this year's FBR Open, where he tied for 12th.

• With a win this week, Watney would pass Geoff Ogilvy on the FedExCup points list and claim the top spot.

• The last time a 36-hole lead was shared at the Transitions Championship was in 2004, when Jonathan Byrd and Jeff Sluman sat at 10-under 132.

• Coming off his best finish of the 2009 season at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular (tied for 13th), Jonathan Byrd shot a 1-under 70 in Round 2 to join six others at 5 under, just one off the lead.

• Byrd, who has missed the cut in four of six starts this year, has particularly struggled in his second rounds this year. His scoring average in Round 2 is 72.33, while all other rounds are 70.33 or better.

• Charles Howell III had the best birdie/eagle stretch of the day by going birdie-eagle-par-birdie-birdie-birdie on holes 18-5 en route to a second-round 4-under 67 to start the third round just one back of the 6-under lead. Saturday marks the first time he has posted a sub-par, second-round score at the Transitions Championship. His previous best was an even-par 71.

• Howell has competed in each event here since 2000, with the exception of 2002. His best score here was a final-round, 6-under 65 in 2007, when he finished tied for sixth.

• Howell is having an excellent week off the tee. Through two rounds, he has hit 23 of 26 fairways, an impressive 88%. This is roughly a 28% increase from his 2009 standing.

• Playing in his sixth Transitions Championship, Stuart Appleby fired a 4-under 67 and will begin the third round just one off the 6-under lead. Appleby's previous best finish here came with a tie for 10th last year. Should Appleby claim victory this week, he could move as high as the 12th spot on the FedExCup points list. He currently sits at 161st.

• First-round leader Jim Furyk struggled in Round 2 to a 7-over 78, a 13-shot drop from his first-round 6-under 65. The 13 shots is the largest space between his first and second round of his career. An 11-shot difference is his previous biggest first-to-second round swing. Furyk saved par at the last to make the cut of 1 over on the number.

• Leading the PGA TOUR in scrambling, Furyk has successfully saved par or better on almost 80 percent of his scrambling attempts.

• Making the most of his sponsor's invitation, Rich Beem fired a bogey-free 4-under 67 in round two, guaranteeing him a job for the weekend.

• After an opening-round 2-under 69, it appeared that Mark Calcavecchia would make his 500th cut in his 706th start. A second-round, 4-over 75, however, sent him home for the weekend, keeping his number of cuts made at 499.

• Rising Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa's 2-over 73 left him at even-par 142 through 36 holes, which means he has made his first PGA TOUR cut in his second start. He missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open in February. By doing so, he becomes the first player since Tadd Fujikawa (2007 Sony Open in Hawaii) to earn a weekend spot before his 18th birthday. He also becomes just the second-youngest foreign player to make a cut, behind Canadian Bob Panasik who made the cut at the 1957 Canadian Open at the age of 15 years, 8 months, 20 days.

• With his second-round 2-over 73, Woody Austin made the cut extending his streak to a record eight at the Transitions Championship. He did not compete in last year's event, but has made all eight cuts of those events here in which he has competed.

• The scoring average for the morning wave in Round 2 was 71.27. With more difficult conditions in the afternoon, that average jumped nearly two shots to 73.24

• Erik Estrada, co-star of the late 70's TV show, "CHiPs," was on-site (in uniform) to hand out "sight-ations" as part of Transitions Opticals' marketing strategy during the tournament.