Ben Curtis will enter this weekend at TPC San Antonio with an excellent chance to win his first PGA TOUR event in six years. Curtis, taking advantage of an early tee time, shot his second consecutive 5-under 67 on Friday at the Valero Texas Open and went into the weekend at 10 under. Curtis leads David Mathis by two strokes. The 2003 British Open champion, whose last TOUR win came at the 2006 84 LUMBER Classic, has not suffered a bogey through his first 36 holes -- the fourth player this year to go bogey-free through 36 holes of a TOUR event. The players who teed off in Friday morning got the big advantage in terms of weather, as they managed to get most or all of their rounds in before stiff winds and rainy conditions kicked in. Play was stopped for nearly two hours in the afternoon, which means the second round will not be completed until Saturday morning. Nearly two dozen players will return to TPC San Antonio at 7:30 a.m. local time Saturday morning for the completion of Round 2. Mathis also shot 67 in the morning wave and finished at 8 under. First-round leader Matt Every is 2 over through 16 holes in the second round and is tied for third.

By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- David Mathis is doing his part. He earned his PGA TOUR card last October on the Nationwide Tour with a victory at the inaugural Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open and is looking to keep it with another good October showing. Entering the week at No. 123 on the money list after a tie for 15th at last week’s Frys.Com Open, Mathis is projected to No. 115 after Saturday’s 4-under 66 moved him into a tie for 13th early in the afternoon at the McGladrey Classic. “I pay attention to it,” Mathis said of his position on the money list. “I know it’s just one shot at a time, though. I can’t control what anyone else is doing. I can just control what I’m doing.” Mathis was a TOUR member in 2009, after earning his card on the Nationwide Tour, but finished 160th on the money list, prompting a return to the Nationwide in 2010. He posted back-to-back 1-under scores on the Seaside Course in Rounds 1 and 2 but had five birdies Saturday en route to his 66 that gets him to 6 under for the week. Mathis hit 15 greens in regulation Saturday, and felt like the score could have been better. But a 25-foot birdie conversion on No. 18 sent him home happy after Round 3. “The greens are really good but they’ve got some movement to them with the grain,” he said. “I thought we had a little bit of wind this morning that we’re not getting right now. It’s really calm out. But that affects it, too … I was just trying to keep it in front of me and get some good looks and I’m just thankful to be where I am.”

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Two years ago, Robert Karlsson was losing the vision on his left eye because of a rare condition that he still takes special eye drops for. The Swede couldn’t read the lines on his putts and everything was blurry.

Since being treated, however, Karlsson’s sight has been much better, and at least in Memphis so has his play.

A year ago, Karlsson was part of a three-man playoff at TPC Southwind, where he eventually lost to Lee Westwood on the fourth extra hole. Today, he’s trying to make sure there is no need for a playoff.

Karlsson is 9 under for the week -- including 5 under through his first 12 holes -- and at the moment is four shots clear of his closest competitor.

”It's great to be back here,” Karlsson said after his opening-round 66. “I do like the golf course.

“I learned quite quickly that you want to stay out of the rough and play the course from tee to green. Stay in the fairway as much as possible. You can't stop the ball from the rough.”

Karlsson hasn’t done a great job of avoiding the rough -- he’s hit 15 of 24 fairways -- but he has done an excellent job of recovering from it, hitting 23 of 32 greens in regulation so far.

The Swede is also putting well -- something that was almost impossible a couple of years ago -- and that’s as big a reason he’s in the position he is as anything.

As for overnight leader David Mathis, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of an early tee time. He’s just even par through his first nine holes.

Ditto defending champion Lee Westwood, who is even par for the tournament and 1 over through 13 holes here in the second round.

Colt Knost was the only player without a bogey Thursday in Memphis, but he still trails leader David Mathis by one after a 66 that leaves him in a five-way tie for second.

Mathis, as mentioned earlier, made his first bogey on the penultimate hole but his 65 was still good enough to be the best number on the board in a difficult day of scoring at TPC Southwind, where only 31 players broke par.

“When you see 4 under is low after the morning, you know, you recognize that there's something going on,” Mathis said. “Whether it be pin placements or firmness of the greens or tricky wind. So you just try to be patient. Like I said, I hit some really good shots early and then avoided the mistakes. Add that with making some putts for birdie and it turns out to be a solid day.”

Of course Mathis, who’s never held an overnight lead on the PGA TOUR, also knows there’s a long way to go.

“I'm just trying to keep poise about me,” he said. “Just take it for what it is, enjoy it, be thankful for a good round and try to reproduce it for the next three days.”

On a side note, Stuart Appleby, who shot 78, and Chris Stroud, who had an 80, both withdrew. Stroud cited a wrist injury, while Appleby did not give a reason.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for David Mathis, who nearly made it through his round bogey-free -- until he got to the par-3 eighth (his 17th hole of the day), where he three-putted from just inside 53 feet.

The good news for Mathis is despite that late bogey, he’s still in the lead, finishing with a 5-under 65 to lead by one over five others currently at 4 under.

One of those at 4 under is Colt Knost, who has a chance to be the only player in the field to finish the opening round without a bogey.

David Mathis had six top-10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour in 2010, including a win at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open, which is what secured his PGA TOUR card for this year.

Now he’s trying to win on TOUR to secure his status for the next two years.

Mathis is 6 under through 16 holes at TPC Southwind, where he leads by two late in the opening round.

This, however, is not Mathis’ first go-round on the TOUR.

In 2009, Mathis made 15 cuts in 27 starts on TOUR. Among those 15 made cuts, he cracked the top 25 twice. A tie for 17th at the Wyndham Championship was his best finish of the year. His second-best? A tie for 23rd … here at the FedExSt. Jude Classic.

Alas, it wasn’t enough for Mathis to keep his card. A good finish this week, however, would certainly make a difference. Mathis already has a couple of top-25s this year, including a tie for eighth in New Orleans.

The morning wave Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic featured a trio 4-under 66s from co-leaders John Merrick, Kris Blanks and Kevin Kisner. Players in the afternoon groups have come close, but no one has yet reached that 4-under mark. Four players, however, are currently at 3-under with time left to move up the leaderboard. Rising fast is Boo Weekley, who was 3 over through four holes, but 6 under for his last 12 to get to 3 under with two holes to play. Robert Karlsson just birdied No. 14 to get back to 3 under. Kent Jones and David Mathis are also one shot off the lead with seven and eight holes remaining respectively.