Live Report: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Round 2
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ONE PLAYER LEFT (8:30 p.m.): Play has been suspended by darkness. One player remains on the golf course -- Matt Every, who will come back at 7:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) to face a putt of 4 feet, 4 inches for birdie that would take him to 9 under for the tournament.
Tee times for the third round will begin at 8:40 a.m. MT (10:45 a.m. ET). Players will be sent off Nos. 1 and 10 in threesomes.
The cut was made a 3 under. Among those making an early exit are reigning U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, David Toms, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III and Boo Weekley. -- Helen Ross
YOUTH IS SERVED (8:11 p.m. ): The average age of the top five players on the leaderboard at the midway point of the Waste Management Phoenix Open is 27.
Mark Wilson is the old man of the bunch at 35 while Rickie Fowler skews the fivesome much younger at 21. For the record, Camilo Villegas is 28, Ryan Moore 27 and Anthony Kim 24.
Wilson will play with Villegas and Anthony Kim in the final group of the day -- and he's well aware that his fairways-and-greens game doesn't exactly fit the mold. He just knows he has a job to do.
"I'm not a flashy player -- my game is more like a Jim Furyk style -- and I'll just go about my business,'" Wilson said. "I enjoy watching these young kids. ... I did see Anthony and Rickie and Camilo up there and they're all very flamboyant characters, and it's fun to watch them.
"So I'll be somewhat of a spectator, too, but certainly taking care of my own business." -- Helen Ross
IN THE HUNT (8:02 p.m.): After making six birdies on his first nine Friday, Anthony Kim had to settle for nine pars on his second. But the resulting 65 lifted Kim to 10 under and one stroke off the lead held jointly by Mark Wilson and Camilo Villegas.
"I really grinded on that back nine," Kim said. "Unfortunately I didn't play the par 5s very well today (making par on all three), but it was really a good day, and hopefully I can get the ball rolling again here tomorrow.
"(The conditions) were perfect. It was almost like playing golf in a dome. But when the wind came up, it was very tricky because we're so used to not worrying about it. But hopefully we can figure it out." -- Helen Ross
TWO ON TOP (7:40 p.m.): Camilo Villegas drove into a waste area on the 18th hole and found his ball resting on the sand behind some pampas grass. He was still able to muscle it back out into the fairway and hit his third shot onto the green.
When he missed his 14-footer for par, though, Villegas was tied for the lead with Mark Wilson at 11 under. Wilson made birdie on his last four holes to shoot 66 on Friday to jump to the top of the pack. -- Helen Ross
EARLY TEE TIMES (7:05 p.m.): With high winds anticipated as a system of low pressure blows through Arizona, Saturday's tee times will be moved up. Players will be sent off Nos. 1 and 10 beginning at approximately 8:40 a.m. MT -- Helen Ross
WHAT FOUR-PUTT? (6:45 p.m.): Rickie Fowler shook off the bogey at the drivable par-4 17th in style when he holed a shot from 100 yards for an eagle at the second hole. He followed that up with a two-putt birdie from 21 feet at the par-5 third and the rookie is tied for second at 10 under, two strokes off the lead. -- Helen Ross
EAGLES SOARING (6:30 p.m.): Camilo Villegas regained sole possession of the lead at 11 under when he made a 15-footer for eagle at the 13th hole. He padded his advantage at the next par 5, getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker, making a 3-footer for the birdie.
Jeff Overton is among those giving chase, and he closed the gap a little when he drove the green at the par-4 17th and made a 9-footer for a 2. The eagle was one of six at the 334-yard hole that has played as the second easiest through two rounds.
Overton couldn't stand prosperity, though -- giving a shot back when he hit his tee shot into the water at the 18th hole. He finished with a 68 and is 7 under for the tournament -- Helen Ross
CROWD CHECK (6:09 p.m.): The announced attendance for Friday? Would you believe 101,789? Trust me, it's a BIG crowd. Can't imagine what the weekend will bring. -- Helen Ross
REALITY CHECK (6:02 p.m.): Talk about a momentum shift. Rickie Fowler drove to the front edge of the green at the 17th hole, an extremely gettable 334-yard par 4. He had a 79-foot putt for eagle, an 11-footer for birdie, a 3-footer for par and finally, a 13-incher for the bogey.
Fowler was 8 under when he teed off there after consecutive birdies, including a 10-footer at the infamous 16th hole. He just made the turn at 7 under and is now three strokes off the lead. -- Helen Ross
AGE IS A NUMBER (5:45 p.m.): Seeing Tom Lehman's name near the top of the leaderboard made us wonder. Who is the oldest winner in the history of the PGA TOUR?
That honor goes to Sam Snead, who captured his eighth Greater Greensboro Open in 1965 at the age of 52 years, 10 months and 8 days. There are three others -- Art Wall (1975 Greater Milwaukee Open), Jim Barnes (1937 Long Island Open) and John Barnum (1962 Cajun Classic) -- who won affter turning 51.
Lehman, who is currently tied for second at 9 under, would be the fifth oldest winner in TOUR history if he takes his second title in Phoenix on Sunday. Lehman, who is 4 under through 12 holes today, turns 51 the following Sunday, March 7. -- Helen Ross
GIVING IT THE GAS (5:13 p.m.): Camilo Villegas may be stuck in neutral right now but another of the TOUR's young guns, Anthony Kim, is quickly moving up the leaderboard.
Kim has just made his sixth birdie in nine holes to turn in 30 and grab sole possession of the lead at 10 under. Oddly, those birdies came in runs of three straight to start and end the back nine.
Kim's first three birdies came from 9, 14 and 35 feet. But wait -- it got even better. He delighed the raucous crowd at the 16th when he put his tee shot 25 inches from the pin, then he used a 318-yard drive to set up at two-putt from 50 feet at the par-4 17th for his fifth birdie and closed out the back side with a 20-footer.
Kim lost in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last week. He played fairly well at Riviera through three rounds, but ended up tying for 52nd in his 2010 PGA TOUR debut at the Northern Trust Open. -- Helen Ross
TOUGH ACT (4:48 p.m.): Conventional wisdom holds that it's hard to follow a really low round with another -- and Camilo Villegas is living proof so far.
The young Colombian, clad Friday in bright yellow pants and a black shirt that would have given Ian Poulter a run for his money, set the first-round pace with a 62. He's even now through seven holes, though, after making a 4-foot birdie putt on the second hole but three-putting the fourth from 16 feet.
He's currently tied with Pat Perez, Alvaro Quiros and Tom Lehman at 9 under. Quiros shot 66 and Perez 68 in the morning wave while the 50-year-old Lehman is 4 under at the turn. -- Helen Ross
NOT BAD (4:38 p.m.): Phil Mickelson wanted a round like his playing partner, Ian Poulter, shot. Instead of that 63 Lefty got his second straight 68 but he was encouraged by the 31 he shot coming home on Friday.
"I played much better, that last nine, 12 holes, and it started to feel much better," Mickelson said. "I shot 4 under the back nine, and I feel like if I can get a good hot round going tomorrow, maybe get in it for Sunday, but that was the real key for me."
Seeing those birdie putts fall was important, and he avoided the mistakes on his second nine holes that had marked the previous 27. Mickelson was headed to Whisper Rock Golf Club Friday afternoon to continue working on his short game.
"I started to make a few putts, and that was really a key for the round," he said. "It started to feel a little bit better on the greens. I've struggled this year in general, but I felt like it started to click a little bit. I'm optimistic that tomorrow should be a good round."
"That's the biggest thing for me right now is just getting a good feel on the greens. I'm trying to be patient, but I've got to go out and attack. I've got to go out and make some birdies. Again, if I can just get a couple of 10 , 12 , 15 footers, that range, to kind of go in, you feel like you're in a position to make a good round." -- Helen Ross
AMATEUR HOUR (4:15 p.m.) Arizona State senior Braxton Marquez fired a 65 on Friday that just may have earned him two more rounds in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Marquez, who was one of four Monday qualifiers, used to spend this week working in his family's catering business in the corporate hospitality chalets around the famous 16th hole. The Scottsdale native made seven birdies on Friday while dropping one stroke to par.
Less than a year ago, his father, Randy, died after a brief battle with liver cancer. That's why this opportunity to play is so bittersweet for Braxton, who was profiled in a nice piece by Jon Levy earlier this week on PGATOUR.COM. -- Helen Ross
HOWDY, PARDNER (4 p.m.): Alvaro Quiros has been known to sport a straw cowboy hat on the golf course which should make the Spaniard feel right at home out here in Arizona. His big-hitting game has proven well-suited to TPC Scottsdale, as well.
Quiros birdied four of his last six holes on Friday to move to 9 under, which is currently tied for the lead early in the afternoon wave. He made birdie putts of 25, 14, 5 and 9 feet during that stretch but his prowess with the driver also drew raves as he averaged 318 yards off the tee.
"The longest putt I holed yesterday wasn't long," Quiros said. "They were always short putts. But at the same time it was a lucky day because I recovered many, many shots easier. And today was completely the opposite.
"I think I hit 16 or 17 greens, and the putts just became better on the last five, six holes. But it's a good round, of course. I have to be focusing on what I do well. I was hitting the ball better, so I'm happy." -- Helen Ross
ENERGIZER BUNNY (3:40 p.m.): Ian Poulter hasn't slept particularly well this week, and he thinks he's coming down with a cold. The colorful Englishman had even booked a flight home to Orlando for 3 o'clock local time Friday afternoon.
Needless to say, Poulter won't be taking that flight after he shot a second-round 63 that moved him to 7 under and well up the leaderboard at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He'll now have the weekend to try to make up ground -- Camilo Villegas is currently leading at 10 under -- and win for the second straight week.
Poulter, who opened with a 1-over 72 on Thursday, beat Paul Casey to win the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last weekend. It was the first PGA TOUR win of his career.
"Yesterday was a tough day, and as I said, I felt very flat on the golf course," Poulter said. "It's very hard to get back up, win such a big golf tournament and play well the following week when you are very tired. You know, I'm in good form. Obviously that showed last week, so it was just a case of being able to be patient and just keep hitting the right shots.
"... Physically I'm fine, but just mentally, obviously last week, 108 holes is going to take its toll, and certainly this week is just about trying to rest up as much as possible and just go out there, hitting the kind of shots I did last week, and I done that today.
"I played real solid, drove it in play. Even my misses today were still very, very good and put me in good position to make birdie. I took a few chances, and 8 under par is a great score, but I've got to say it could have been a lot lower."
And what will he be tweeting to his nearly 1 million Twitter followers Friday night? "You'll have to wait and see, won't you?" he said. -- Helen Ross
PHIL's PHINISHED (3:13 p.m.): He was hoping for a 64 of a 65 but given his first nine holes that saw him turn 1 over, Phil Mickelson couldn't be too disappointed. Playing with Ian Poulter, Mickelson made four birdies on the front, his second of the day, to shoot his second straight 68 and move to 6 under for the tournament.
Mickelson is a two-time champion at TPC Scottsdale. And he's looking to win his first tournament of the year in his fourth start of the season for the fourth straight year. -- Helen Ross
POULTER PERKS UP (3:07 p.m.): Ian Poulter just rolled in a 13-footer for birdie on the ninth hole, his 18th of the day, to shoot a 63 that included a sizzling 30 on the front nine. Last week's newly-minted PGA TOUR champion is 7 under for the tournament and currently two strokes off the lead.
Setting the pace right now is Poulter's host this week, Pat Perez, who is 3 under through 17 holes and Camilo Villegas, who finished third at last week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The young Colombian is in the afternoon wave and has completed one hole. -- Helen Ross
PIERCY PUZZLED (2:50 p.m.): Scott Piercy had a creative way to describe his round of 67 Friday. He had an adventurous excursion that included eight birdies and four bogeys but it got him into the thick of things at 7 under through 36 holes.
"If I was a roller coaster ride at Magic Mountain, I would be the best ride there," Piercy said. "I don't even know if I make pars anymore, it's just birdies and bogeys. I'd get going, make three birdies in a row, make two bogeys. A lot of it is really fun and a lot of it is really frustrating."
Piercy, who tied for sixth last year, only hit nine fairways Friday for the second straight round and missed seven of 18 greens. His putter kept him in the mix, though, with nine one-putt greens and 27 taken total.
"There's tons of positive stuff going on, just some bad stuff (too)," Piercy said. "The bad stuff is really kind of silly stuff, which may be frustrating. Overall there's a lot of good going on. I'm putting well and making lots of birdies, which is really important out here. I'm looking forward to the weekend." -- Helen Ross
SURGING AHEAD (2:33 p.m.): John Rollins has just birdied three of his last four holes so he's no longer bringing up the rear in his red-hot threesome on Thursday.
Rollins is 5 under through 15 holes, as is one of his playing partners, J.B. Holmes. Both have moved to 7 under for the tournament -- and are two strokes behind the third member of their group, Pat Perez, who is 3 under for the day.
Perez is tied for the lead with Camilo Villegas, who tees off in 11 minutes. -- Helen Ross
SECOND WIND (2:25 p.m.): Looks like Ian Poulter has had a chance to catch his breath after a whirlwind four days since his first PGA TOUR victory at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
After opening with a round of 1-over 72 on Thursday, Poulter tweeted: "May have been a mistake to play this week, the tank was empty, trying to hang in there and see if we can make some birdies, never give up."
He's found plenty of birdies at TPC Scottsdale in the second round -- seven to be exact -- with three holes remaining in his date with Phil Mickelson. Poulter has rolled in putts of 4, 33, 2, 25, 7, 10 and 9 feet to move to 6 under and three off the lead. -- Helen Ross
ON THE MOVE (2:10 p.m.): Phil Mickelson is battling back -- although he still has lots of ground to make up on the leaders.
Mickelson was on the cut line when he made the turn in 37 on Friday. But he's finally gotten a little momentum on the front, his second nine of the day, and is coming off three straight birdies.
Lefty two-putted from 31 feet at the par-5 third, rolled in a 19-footer at No. 4 and made a 5-footer at the fifth. So he's 5 under for the tournament and five back. -- Helen Ross
MOVING UP (1:55 p.m.): Scott Piercy has backpedaled a little, but he's still gotten himself into the mix at the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a round of 67 that moved him to 7 under.
Piercy made eight birdies and four bogeys during the second round. The birdies have come in bunches -- four straight on the back, where he started the second round, and three more beginning at No. 4.
Unfortunately, so have the last two bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8 that dropped him from one shot off the lead currently held by Pat Perez back into a tie for fourth. -- Helen Ross
BACK ON TRACK (1:45 p.m.): Fred Couples has now birdied both par 5s on the back nine -- just rolling in a 6-footer at No. 15 -- to get back to 3 under for the day and 7 under for the tournament. He's three strokes off the lead currently held by Pat Perez as Camilo Villegas, who set the first-round pace with a 62 prepares for his afternoon tee time. -- Helen Ross
THREE'S A CHARM? (1:25 p.m.) Don't look now, but two-time champ J.B. Holmes is climbing the leaderboard.
Holmes won the tournament at TPC Scottsdale in 2006 and 2008 -- and here we are in an even-numbered year again. He's 5 under through 11 holes today, no doubt feeding off his playing partner, Pat Perez, who is 4 under and has vaulted to the top spot at 10 under.
Holmes holed it from the fringe on the 12th hole to get his day going. He then chipped in from 49 feet on the 13th for an eagle and birdied the next par 5 from 13 feet. He made the turn in 31 after rolling in a 13-footer, again from the fringe, at No. 17.
Holmes has been playing extremely well this year, and he credits much of his improvement to the work he's done on his short game with Dave Stockton. Holmes tied for second at Riviera and third at Pebble Beach in his last two starts. -- Helen Ross
ABOUT FACE (1:05 p.m.) Fred Couples was lighting up the leaderboard early Friday. He played the front nine in 31 -- rolling in birdie putts of 7, 4, 18 and 10 feet -- to move to 8 under and into a tie for second.
But Couples has run into troubles on the back nine -- making three straight bogeys. He missed the green at the 10th with his approach and his chip, then found the right rough at No. 11 and couldn't get up and down from short and right of the par-3 12th.
Couples, who already has a win on the Champions Tour this year, did manage to stop the bleeding with 3-foot birdie putt at the par-5 13th. So he's still in the thick of things at 6 under. -- Helen Ross
PHIL FLOUNDERS (12:50 p.m.) Phil Mickelson was looking forward to calm conditions and smooth greens Friday morning as he tried to play catch-up after an opening 68. The day hasn't gone as the big lefthander wanted, though.
Mickelson started on the back nine and reeled off four straight pars before making a bogey on the 14th hole when he airmailed his approach well over the green. He birdied the 17th hole for the second straight day, rolling in a 5-footer, but quickly gave that back when he rinsed his tee shot at No. 18.
So Mickelson just made the turn 1 over. He's 2 under for the tournament and is flirting with the cut line right now. -- Helen Ross
HOME COOKING (12:40 p.m.): Pat Perez had a big contingent of family and friends in his gallery when he won the 50th Bob Hope Classic presented by Arnold Palmer a year ago. Imagine, then, what the scene might be like in his adopted hometown of Scottsdale on Sunday if Perez keeps playing the way he has through the first 26 holes.
Perez, who went to school in nearby Tempe at Arizona State, just rolled in an 8-footer for birdie on the 17th hole, his eighth of the day, to take sole possession of the lead at 10 under. Perez is 4 under through eight holes after also making three straight starting at No. 13.
Camilo Villegas, who doesn't tee off until 2:44 p.m. ET, owned the overnight lead at 9 under. -- Helen Ross
FAN FARE (12:20 p.m.): The attendance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open is staggering. While Thursday's figures were down ever-so-slightly from 2009, a total of 69, 475 people still enjoyed the fun at TPC Scottsdale.
More than 35,000 were there on Tuesday -- nearly three times as many as a year ago -- and 47,476 attended the pro-am. With the rain holding off on the weekend, the tournament could top the half-million mark.
BIG BREAK? (12:15 p.m. ET) -- Looks like we might get a break from Mother Nature. The rain that is expected on Saturday now looks to arrive after 6 p.m. local time -- which would be three hours after the leaders should be putting out on the 18th hole.
There is an 80 percent chance of rain in the evening with an accumulation of half an inch or more. The showers could linger into Sunday morning, but shouldn't be much of an issue. The temperatures will drop into the lower 60s for the highs but Friday and Saturday will be about 10 degrees warmer.
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