AVONDALE, La. – The second round of the Zurich Classic
of New Orleans is under way. Check back frequently on Friday for
updates and tell us what you think in the comments section below.
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SECOND-ROUND UPDATES (all times ET)
-- The second round of the Zurich Classic is in
the books with Jason Dufner owning sole possession of the lead at
12 under. PGA TOUR rookie Russell Knox, Ken Duke and John Rollins
are one stroke behind while Greg Chalmers, Ernie Els and Steve
Stricker are another stroke back. The cut came at 2 under and
included 79 players -- thanks to Garth Mulroy's birdie on the final
hole in the final group of the day -- so there will be a secondary
cut on Saturday.
7:52 p.m. -- John Rollins says the wind will
dictate how low players need to go over the weekend. "If it blows
like today, I think guys are going to shoot some numbers and the
scores will continue to be low and if the wind blows and they get
the pins where we know they're probably going to put them, then,
you know, you may not take as low of scores as you think."
7:30 p.m. -- Rocco Mediate hit a 3-wood from 262
yards out to 24 feet for an eagle at the 18th hole. That capped a
round of 65 that left him at 8 under for the tournament. "I haven't
put a 65 by my name in a long time. I'm working my tail
off. That was a huge sign."
7:15 p.m. -- John Rollins holed a chip from 25
feet off the green at the par-4 eighth hole, his 17th of the day,
to move into a tie at 11 under with Russell Knox and Ken Duke.
Rollins shot 66 in the second round.
6:50 p.m. -- Steve Stricker wasn't pleased with
his back nine but he certainly likes the way he's playing
overall. "I've been aggressive, I've been hitting good shots and
giving myself a lot of opportunities which that's key when scoring
is good," he said. " If I can keep doing this weekend, I'll be in
good shape."
6:24 p.m. -- Camilo Villegas has yet to make a
bogey on Friday. He's 5 under with two holes remaining and four
strokes off the lead.
6:14 p.m. -- Steve Stricker will start the third
round two shots off the lead held by Jason Dufner after shooting 68
on Friday. The veteran,, who won the Hyundai Tournament
of Champions earlier this year, went out in 31 but couldn't
maintain that momentum on the back nine.
6:05 p.m. -- Ben Curtis, who won the Valero Texas
Open on Sunday, shows no sign of slowing down. He just birdied the
16th hole to get to 3 under for the day and 8 under for the
tournament.
5:43 p.m. -- Overnight leader Ken Duke drained a
46-footer for birdie on his last hole, the par-3 ninth, to
slip into a tie for second, one stroke behind Jason Dufner. That
was Duke's 25th putt in a round of 68.
5:38 p.m. -- After posting three top-10s in his
first four starts it's been feast or famine for John Rollins, who
has missed five of his last seven cuts. He's contending again on
Friday afternoon, though, playing his first 12 holes in 4 under to
move three strokes off the lead.
5:20 p.m. -- Steve Stricker has cooled off a
little after that red-hot start that saw him make six birdies over
his first 10 holes. He's bogeyed two of his last four but is still
4 under for the day and two strokes off the lead.
4:58 p.m. -- The current cut line is 2 under with
74 players inside that number. Among the players with work to
do are Bubba Watson, who has an eagle, one birdie and three bogeys
on his card through 13 holes, and Geoff Ogilvy, who is 5 under
through 13 holes but put himself behind the eight-ball with an
opening 76.
4:40 p.m. -- Matt Bettencourt just withdrew from
the Zurich Classic due to an eye injury. He played nine
holes in the second round and was 6 over for the tournament.
4:18 p.m. -- Jason Dufner now has some company at
the top of the leaderboard. A 3-footer for birdie at the 10th hole
has pulled Steve Stricker into a share of the lead. The birdie was
his sixth of the day.
3:52 p.m. -- Q-school graduate Charlie Beljan has
just withdrawn due to an injury to his finger. He had just wedged
onto the par-3 third green after hitting his tee shot into the
water.
3:41 p.m. -- Webb Simpson, the runner-up here a
year ago, bogeyed two of his first three holes on Friday
afternoon. But the former Wake Forest All-American has battled back
to make the turn in even par and he remains 4 under for the
tournament.
3:18 p.m. -- Ken Duke, who finished second at TPC
Louisiana in 2007, continues to hang with the leaders. He just made
the turn in 35 and is 8 under, four strokes off Jason Dufner's
pace.
2:57 p.m. -- Russell Knox birdied the seventh and
eighth holes to shoot 64 and seize sole possession of second
place at 11 under. The rookie, who was born in Inverness,
Scotland, needs to win to earn his way into THE PLAYERS,
which will be played in two weeks at TPC Sawgrass, which is about 5
miles from where he now lives in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
2:36 p.m. -- Joe Ogilvie was disqualified after
finishing his second round. He signed for a birdie 4 at the 11th
hole when he actually made par.
2:20 p.m. -- PGA TOUR rookie Russell Knox is
working on what could be his low round of the season. He's 6 under
through 15 holes and three strokes off the lead. Knox's
previous low is the 66 he shot in the second round of the
Humana Challenge and his best finish is a tie for 30th at the
Mayakoba Golf Classic where he made his first of two cuts.
1:59 p.m. -- Jason Dufner drained a 29-foot eagle
putt on the 18th hole to grab sole possession of the lead after two
rounds of the Zurich Classic. He shot 65 and is 12 under for the
tournament, two ahead of Greg Chalmers and Ernie Els. If it holds
up, it would be the sixth 36-hole lead of his career.
1:44 p.m. – Rickie Fowler after his 7-under
65 leaves him at 8 under for the tournament: “Good to see my
name somewhere on the first page or two and to climb back up there
and put myself in a good position for this weekend.”
1:39 p.m. – Louisiana native David Toms is 4
under, six shots behind current co-leader Ernie Els.
“He’s playing awfully well,” Toms, speaking to
SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, said of Els, his playing partner for the
first two rounds. “I look for him to have a good
weekend.”
1:22 p.m. – Greg Chalmers two-putted from 28
feet for birdie at the par-5 18th to tie the TPC Louisiana course
record of 64. He had nine birdies, one eagle and three bogeys (
click here to round details
) and is tied with Ernie Els for the clubhouse lead at 10
under. Els shot a 68 to go with his first-round 66 (
click here for Els’ round
).
1:01 p.m. – Rickie Fowler has just made a
3-footer at the ninth hole to polish off a 65 that included eight
birdies. It’s his lowest round of the year and moved him to 8
under, two strokes off the lead.
12:57 p.m. -- Jason Dufner leads alone at 10 under
now that Greg Chalmers has bogeyed the par-3 17th after nearly
putting his tee shot in the water. The Aussie needs a another eagle
on his final hole to eclipse the course record of 64.
12:43 p.m. -- Erik Compton, who posted his
career-best PGA TOUR finish earlier this year with a tie for 26th
at The Honda Classic, has just made the turn in 3 under and is 6
under for the tournament. The double heart transplant recipient is
a rookie this season after graduating from the Nationwide Tour.
12:31 p.m. -- Rickie Fowler has just birdied two
straight to move to 7 under for the tournament and three off the
lead with two holes remaining. He's made seven birdies and dropped
just one shot to par on Friday, climbing 45 spots on the
leaderboard so far.
12:16 p.m. -- Prior to this year, there had never
been an eagle at the first hole, which is playing to 391 yards in
the second round. Not only did Luke Donald make one at the par 4
today, Greg Chalmers opened his round the same way -- holing a shot
from the rough from 137 yards.
12:01 p.m. -- An eagle at the par-5 11th hole --
where his approach from 264 yards settled 28 inches from the pin --
has lifted Charles Howell II to 7 under for the tournament and two
off the lead.
11:45 a.m. -- World No. 2 Luke Donald has made a
big move up the leaderboard Friday morning after posting a
disappointing 73 in the first round. He's 7 under through 12 holes
and 6 under for the tournament. Donald, who tied for eighth here a
year ago, has played his last four holes in 5 under,
including an eagle at No. 1 where he holed a shot from 146 yards on
the par 4.
11:26 a.m. – Angel Cabrera has withdrawn
from the Zurich Classic with a pulled muscle in his left leg that
has been bothering the two-time major champ since the Masters. He
opened with a 75 and had played nine holes on Friday, shooting 39,
when he made the early exit.
11:15 a.m. – Jason Dufner has seized the
lead at 9 under after making four birdies in his first seven holes.
He’s two strokes ahead of Greg Chalmers, Ernie Els and Chris
Stroud, all of whom are on the course, and overnight leaders Ken
Duke and Cameron Tringale, who have afternoon tee times.