By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Callaway Golf debuted two new products at the Frys.com Open, a new driver in its RAZR line and a new ball.

The company hasn’t been in the adjustable-driver marketplace, but with the RAZRFit Callaway hopes to compete with similar offerings from TaylorMade and Titleist.

As Zak Kozuchowski of GolfWRX wrote earlier this week, the RAZRFit includes an interchangeable shaft connection like other manufacturers’ offerings, as well as an adjustable hosel that allows golfers to set the face angle as either open, square or closed. It also features two moveable weight ports that can be changed to either neutral and draw settings.

Ernie Els put a 9.5-degree model in play at CordeValle and finished T4, hitting 60.7 percent of his fairways for the week, in line with his season average. Other players using the club included Trevor Immelman, Cameron Beckman and Scott Gutschewski.

The club is not expected to be on sale to the public until 2012.

Callaway also had a prototype HEX Black ball in competition at Frys.com, a five-piece model with a dual core and dual-mantle layer, plus a redesigned hexagonal pattern on the cover. Els and Derek Lamely used the ball in California.

TRY, TRY AGAIN: Sun Mountain is providing outerwear for the United States team at next month’s Presidents Cup. Hopefully this won’t be a storyline once competition begins.

That wasn’t the case at last year’s Ryder Cup in Wales, where persistent rains penetrated the Americans’ Sun Mountain gear to the point that players bought new rain suits by other manufacturers at merchandise tents. The company took plenty of criticism, and wasn’t helped by the fact that the U.S. lost the matches.

This year, Sun Mountain said it worked with the U.S. team to design jackets and pants that will better protect from the elements while staying breathable. The company said its new woven material stretches in four directions, is completely waterproof and has a water-repellant finish.

TIGER TALK: One day after Tiger Woods said he had “one of the worst putting rounds” of his career in his first-round 73 at the Frys.com Open, he returned with two pieces of lead tape on his Nike Method putter.

Turned out to be a good call, as Woods followed with three consecutive 68s and finished T9 for the week in putts per round -- his best putting effort all season.

Woods also carried two new clubs in his bag, VR Pro Limited 3- and 5-woods (15 and 19 degrees).

ON THE SHELVES: Rushing to meet demand for the biggest trend on the PGA TOUR this year, TaylorMade is ramping up production to get the Corza Ghost and Ghost Spider long putters into stores. The company projects it will sell five times as many belly and long putters in 2011 compared to last year.

Retail price for both models is $199.

WINNER’S BAG: Bryce Molder at the Frys.com Open:

Driver: Titleist 909D3 9.5º (Mitsubishi Diamana Prototype)
3-wood: Titleist 909F2 13.5º (Mitsubishi Diamana White 83)
Hybrid: Titleist 910H 20º (Fujikura Speeder 904)
Irons: Titleist CB (712 Series) 3-9 (True Temper Dynamic Gold)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled 48º, TVD54º, TVD60º (True Temper Dynamic Gold)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2.7 SS
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Paul Casey entered the Wyndham Championship ranked 147th in the FedExCup. In a weird way, though, that might be working in his favor.

The Englishman feels like he has nothing to lose. So instead of obsessing over how many points he needs to earn to climb into the top 125 and earn a spot in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Casey has his eye squarely on the Sam Snead Trophy.

The approach appears to be working, too. Casey fired a 65 on Thursday that left him two strokes off the lead held by Jeff Quinney and Tommy Gainey -- and as a byproduct of that success, he's projected to climb 25 spots to No. 122 in the FedExCup.

"I've got nothing to lose this week," Casey said. "So I'm trying to put myself in a position to win this golf event. I believe I got to be top four to seal a place for next week and there are top-10 situations, depending on what other guys do.
   
"So, I'd love to be part of that. I don't need to get too far ahead, don't need to start thinking about that on a Thursday. For me it's focusing on today and I did a very good job of that, actually. I really went out there very relaxed and -- yeah, I didn't get too caught up in sort of worrying about FedEx stuff.

"Because I'm not on the bubble, quite a way outside, I don't need to worry about it quite as much. ... I'm going to go ahead and enjoy and put myself in a position to win it."

ON THE WAY UP

JEFF QUINNEY: No longer fully exempt on TOUR, Quinney is making just his 11th start this year. As a result, he came to Greensboro ranked 215th in the FedExCup and in real danger of missing the Playoffs for the second straight season. A year ago, it was a real heartbreaker, too -- Quinney finished at No. 126, two strokes shy of advancing. On Thursday, though, Quinney fired a 63 that left him tied for the lead with Tommy Gainey and he's currently projected at No. 79. a prodigious jump of 136 spots.

"The only chance I get in the Playoffs is probably winning this week and coming with the attitude of ... basically just push all your chips in and this is what I got," Quinney said., "It's my last chance and don't hold back, try to get out of my own way."

ERNIE ELS: The South African has played in every Playoffs event during the first four years of the FedExCup. In fact, he was ranked No. 1 entering The Barclays last year. Els has struggled with his putter this year, though, and he added Greensboro to his schedule -- making his first apppearance since 1997 -- because he found himself ranked No. 126, trailing Camilo Villegas by .437 of a point. He opened with a 65, though, and projects to move up 17 spots.

"I say to the guys my playoffs have started this week, because if I don't play well this week I'm not advancing," Els said. "So most of the other guys have four playoff events, I've got five. I feel like I need to do well and enough to get to The Barclays and keep going.
It's hard not to think about it. There's quite a bit of pressure on us guys lower down the field. You need to perform well."

JUSTIN LEONARD: The Texan, who tied for third at last year's Wyndham Championship, opened with a solid round of 66 on Thursday. Leonard finished Thursday night projected as the bubble boy, which would make a move of 17 spots.

"I'm trying to build a little bit of momentum," Leonard said. "Obviously it's been a disappointing and frustrating year but my game has been better the last few weeks. I haven't been able to get really good scores out of it and so, you know, I would love to play well this week and make the Playoffs but really just I want to kind of build the things on I'm working on and see if some good things happen and I'm going to play a few events in the fall. Hopefully, I'd certainly like to be playing next week."

HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

CAMILO VILLEGAS: He came into the week as the bubble boy at No. 125 and shot an even-par 70. He battled back from bogeys at his first two holes, but couldn't get anything going. As a result, Villegas projects to fall six spots in the rankings and is also in danger of missing the cut.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The Irishman was the last player to commit to the Wyndham Championship, making his decision after the second round of the PGA Championship and delaying what would have been a family vacation to the Bahamas. He came to Greensboro for the first time ever ranked No. 130 in the FedExCup and didn't help his standing in Round 1. Harrington played well early on Thursday, making the turn 3 under but he ended up shooting a 71 that left him in a  tie for 71st.

CAMERON BECKMAN: Beckman didn't do himself any favors on Thursday with a late string of three straight bogeys on his back nine en route to a 73. He's tied for 135th at the Wyndham Championship, as a result, and projects to drop from No. 124 to 129th in the FedExCUp standings. He'll likely need to go low on Friday to have a chance.

MORE FEDEXCUP: Current standings | Bubble watch | Inside the FedExCup | Movers | Points distribution By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM With the PGA TOUR’s regular season coming to a conclusion this week at the Wyndham Chapmionship, this week offers the last opportunity for players to move into the Playoffs or to fortify their positions at The Barclays. CHANGING THIRD: If the Playoffs started today, 37 of the 125 players (nearly 30 percent) who were eligible to compete at The Barclays last year would be on the outside looking in. A number of those players -- 11 to be exact -- start this week within 83 points of the 125th spot and will be competing at the Wyndham Championship. Don’t look for the number of fresh faces to change much this week. Four of the five players just inside the bubble were also contenders in the Playoffs last year. BIG NAME BUBBLE: Ernie Els has never finished a Regular Season outside the FedExCup top 50, but a year after leading the points race going into the Playoffs, the World Golf Hall of Famer is on the brink of missing out. At No. 126 in the standings, fractions of a point behind No. 125 Camilo Villegas, Els will need a solid showing at Sedgefield to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. “I guess the Playoffs have started early,” Els said. “I know the Playoffs for the FedExCup start at The Barclays but in our case, if we want to get to the Playoffs, we have to get into the top 125.” Els is not alone. Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, Justin Leonard, Paul Casey and Angel Cabrera are among the 19 players in the field this week outside the cut line but within 85 points of No. 125. Villegas, who won both the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship in 2008 knows that anyone who qualifies for the Playoffs can be dangerous. “All it takes are two good weeks,” he said. “You play two good weeks in those Playoffs and you have a good chance of winning (the FedExCup).” Villegas, Els and No. 124 Cameron Beckman will play in the same group for the first two rounds, teeing off Thursday at 7:40 a.m. ET. JOCKEYING FOR POSITION: This week isn’t just for the bubble boys. Players safely in the Playoffs, like No. 15 Bill Haas, are also in Greensboro looking to accumulate valuable points for the upcoming push for the FedExCup. “This is a good opportunity to put yourself in a better position in the FedExCup race,” Haas said during a Wednesday press conference. “I like where I stand now but obviously it would be nice to be even (higher).” Haas joins David Toms, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as players inside the FedExCup top 20 who are teeing it up this week. Though all are likely safe for the first three Playoffs events, every point counts toward making the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and being eligible to win the FedExCup.

The first day of play at Annandale Golf Club ended much like the early wave -- with a slew of golfers tied atop the leaderboard. The 7 under mark, reach five times in the early going, was matched once in the afternoon and those six players will share the overnight lead after one round of play at the Viking Classic. Brendon de Jonge, Tim Petrovic, Bobby Gates, Sunghoon Kang, John Mallinger and Peter Lonard each posted opening 65s with Gates being the only player to reach the mark in the afternoon. Scott Piercy briefly reached 8 under, but surrendered four shots before closing with a birdie and a 5-under 67. He’s still one of 47 players at 4 under or better following 18 holes of play. Six past champions of the Viking Classic teed it up Thursday at Annandale Golf Club with Cameron Beckman and D.J. Trahan leading the way after 4-under 68s. Will MacKenzie (69) and Heath Slocum (70) are also in red numbers.

If you’re looking for the afternoon wave’s biggest threats to catch leaders Davis Love III and Matt McQuillan, look no further than rookie Jhonattan Vegas. The 2011 Bob Hope Classic champion opened with a par on No. 1 then birdied six consecutive holes before another par on No. 8. At 6 under, he’s currently just one shot off the lead, but has 10 holes remaining in his opening round. ( Click here to track the remainder of his round) The next best score on the course is 3 under. Currently five players still playing – Kris Blanks, Cameron Beckman, Jay Williamson, Kirk Triplett and Frank Lickliter II -- are at that number.

Another 59 watch is in effect this week. Cameron Beckman broke right out of the gate in the third round, birdieing the first six holes at TPC Summerlin.

Why is that impressive? Beckman still has three par-5s left. All on the same course where Chip Beck fired a 59 in 1991.

Beckman has been AWOL since the HP Byron Nelson Championship, when he tied for fifth. Beckman started with rounds of 67-67 at TPC Summerlin to make just his ninth cut of the year, but his card isn't in jeopardy -- he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in February.

Fresh off tying the course record with a second-round 9-under 61, Cameron Beckman has started out in the opposite direction in Saturday's third round.

Beckman has bogeyed three of the first holes, dropping to 7 under. He's now two shots off the lead held by Jason Day and Blake Adams.

Beckman found the rough with his opening tee shot and his approach shot, and could not get up and down.

He then three-putted from 49 feet on the par-3 second. On the par-4 fourth, he found the greenside bunker and failed to save par again.

Second-round co-leaders Cameron Beckman and Blake Adams are scheduled to tee off in Saturday's third round in just about an hour.

For Beckman, it's the third time in his career that he has held or shared the 36-hole lead on the PGA TOUR. In 2003, he was tied for first at the 84 Lumber Classic and eventually finished T5. And in 2007, he was tied for first at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, finishing seventh.

For Adams, a PGA TOUR rookie, his best second-round position this year was a tie for 18th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he eventually finished T25.

Beckman and Adams will tee off at 1:45 p.m. ET.

In case you missed some of the action from Cameron Beckman’s 61 earlier today, here’s a look back at some of his birdies.

 

Cameron Beckman and Blake Adams are in the clubhouse and atop the HP Byron Nelson Championship leaderboard at 10 under, a score that may well hold up for the second-round lead given the tougher afternoon conditions at TPC Four Seasons Resort.

Here are a couple of ShotLink notes on Beckman and Adams showcasing why each one is faring so well through two rounds:

>> Beckman outperformed himself in a number of statistical categories in the second round compared to his 2010 season averages. Statistics include converting nearly 6 more birdies, needing almost 6 fewer putts, and draining nearly 45 more feet of putts today than 2010 season average.

BECKMAN BY THE NUMBERS

Stat	Friday's second round	2010 average	TOUR rank
Driving Accuracy	79%	60%	T-114
Greens in Regulation	83%	59%	178
Proximity to Hole	25 feet, 7 inches	37 feet, 3 inches	T-106
Birdies / Round	9	3.24	T-142
Putts / Round	24	29.52	T-134
Feet of Putts Made	112 feet	66 feet, 8 inches	159
Bogeys / Round	0	2.90	151
Stroke Average	61	72.28	172

 

>> Putting together rounds of 66 and 64, Blake Adams has bettered his career-low 36 hole total this
week by six strokes. His previous best came in his first start this year at the Sony Open in Hawaii
where he shot 136 through two rounds.

ADAMS BY THE NUMBERS

Stat	This week	2010 season	TOUR rank
Greens in Regulation	78%	65%	106
Scrambling Percentage	88% (7 of 8)	59%	95
Sand Saves	100% (3 of 3)	42%	149
Putting 4 to 8 Feet	100% (5 of 5)	72%	33
Par 5 Birdie Pct	100% (4 of 4)	35%	154
Bogey Average	.50	2.64	T-94