The Starter: Round 2, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

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The second round of The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is set to begin. LIVE@ coverage will air from 1-6 p.m. ET, with our preview show, "On the Tee," airing at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Golf Channel will televise live action on Friday from 2-6 p.m., and will re-air coverage from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Groups we're watching

Tee time Players   9:20 p.m. ET No. 10 Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero Reigning PGA TOUR rookie of the year Rickie Fowler continued his steady play, opening with a 68. He's six shots back of leader Adam Scott. Manassero is tied for 40th after a solid round of 70 that included two birdies and two bogeys. 9:40 a.m. ET No. 1 Nick Watney, Steve Stricker No. 1 player in the FedExCup standings, Nick Watney, shot 65 in Round 1 at Firestone. He's in the hunt, and dominating our Establishment v. Youth matchup against FedExCup No. 2 Steve Stricker, who shot 71. 9:50 a.m. ET No. 10 Darren Clarke, Tiger Woods All eyes were on Tiger Woods in Round 1, who looked sharp with a 2-under 68. He played aggressively at times, and showed improvement with the putter. Clarke shot 77, and looks to still be deep in the haze of his British Open win last month. 10:10 a.m. ET No. 10 Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson Adam Scott looked comfortable with new permanent caddie Steve Williams, who was on the bag for all of Tiger Woods' seven victories at Firestone. He led his player around the course in 62 shots, 11 shots better than Dustin Johnson. 1:00 p.m. ET No. 10 Scott Stallings, Stewart Cink Stewart Cink only has one top 10 this year, but looks to have found something in his game after an opening 67. Scott Stallings shot 69 at Firestone after an emotional win last week at The Greenbrier Classic and is tied for 32nd. 1:50 p.m. ET No. 10 Phil Mickelson, Jason Day Jason Day took the early lead at Firestone with a 63 before Adam Scott topped him with a bogey-free 62. Mickelson showed good form after missing the cut at The Greenbrier Classic, birdieing his last two holes to shoot 3 under in Round 1.

MORE ROUND 2: Tee Times

WHAT TO WATCH IN ROUND 2
• Tiger Woods: How did Tiger Woods hit the ball Thursday in his first competitive round in nearly three months? "Flush," he said following his round. He carded a 2-under 68 after three birdies and one bogey and is six shots back of leader Adam Scott. He could make up the difference quickly at Firestone, however, a venue where's he won seven times.

• Top players seeking Playoff spot: Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen and Paul Casey are all currently outside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings, which means they will need good finishes in the remaining three weeks before The Barclays.

Round 2 weather forecast

Sunny Temp: 87 high/70 low Clear skies most of the day with winds around 5 mph. Overnight thunderstorms possible.

Player Notes

Here are some of the players you'll see during Friday's coverage:

JASON DAY Day's first-round 63 matches his career-low round on the PGA TOUR. He shot 63 at the opening round of the 2010 Deutsche Bank Championship. Day, 23, has seven top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR this year, including runner-up finishes at the Masters and the U.S. Open. In 10 career starts at major championships, the World Golf Championships and THE PLAYERS Championship combined, Day has five top-10 finishes and has missed only one cut. Within those finishes, he is the first player to record top 10s in the three U.S.-based major championships in his first appearance (record since 1990). NICK WATNEY Watney is only three shots off the lead after a first-round 65. With a victory, he could join Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only players with multiple World Golf Championships victories in the same season. Watney won the WGC-Cadillac Championship earlier this year. He hit just six of 14 fairways, but countered that only 24 putts (second best in the field). Watney has eight top-10 finishes this season, matching his career-best mark for a single season. KYUNG-TAE KIM Kyun-tae Kim shot a 4-under 66 in Round 1. The South Korean is making his fourth start at a World Golf Championships event and his first at the Bridgestone Invitational. He gained entry to event via his top-50 status in the Official World Golf Ranking as of July 25. Kim has six international victories, and won again two weeks ago at the Sega Sammy Cup, beating Ryo Ishikawa by four strokes. The 25-year-old is currently sixth in the Presidents Cup standings, and is all but guaranteed to make the International team.