Second-round notebook – Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
* Tim Clark, No. 33 in the Official World Golf Rankings, is one of five South African players currently ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings (Ernie Els/18, Retief Goosen/26, Rory Sabbatini/27, Trevor Immelman/42). All of these players, with the exception of Immelman (15th), are also in the top 10 of the International Team Presidents Cup standings.* Steve Stricker posted back-to-back 63s in the first two rounds of the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial for a 14-under 126. Stricker holds a one-stroke lead over Tim Clark (63-64). Stricker’s score bettered Kenny Perry’s 128 in 2005 by two strokes, as the low opening 36-hole score at Colonial.
* Stricker’s 126 is also the low consecutive 36-hole score at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Justin Leonard posted 66-61—127 in rounds 3-4 during the 2003 event.
* Stricker also holds the PGA Tour low 36-hole score (any rounds) after posting 61-62—123 (-21) in rounds 3-4 at The 50th Bob Hope Classic earlier this season. Pat Perez established a new PGA Tour opening 36-hole score with 61-63—124 (-20) at The 50th Bob Hope Classic earlier this season. Mark Calcavecchia previously held the record with 60-64—124 during rounds 2-3 at the 2001 Phoenix Open.
* Prior to 2009, Stricker’s previous low round at Colonial was 65 (round 2/2005).
* The cut came at even-par 140 with 79 players advancing to the weekend. It marks the second-lowest cut at Colonial (1-under 139/2007) and matches 1987 and 1997, with an even-par 140 cut score. With more than 78 players advancing to the weekend, there will be a 54-hole cut after Saturday’s third round.
* This represents Steve Stricker’s ninth career 36-hole lead/co-lead. He has gone on to win just once after holding those leads – 1996 Motorola Western Open.
* The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win nine of 21 stroke-play events on Tour this year, most recently Rory Sabbatini at last week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship.
* Stricker shared the 36-hole lead with Nick Watney at the Transitions Championship earlier this season, eventually finishing T4. He also led going into the final round of The 50thBob Hope Classic (T3) and during the final round of the Northern Trust Open, finishing second.
* Stricker is currently No. 10 in the FedExCup standings and is the highest ranked player yet to record a victory in 2009. He has five top-10 finishes in 11 starts this year.
* Stricker has posted just seven over-par rounds out of 39 this season.
* In a rare occurrence these days on the PGA Tour, there are no ties among the top seven players on the leaderboard. Five players are tied for eighth, seven strokes behind the leader.
* Vijay Singh posted his second-consecutive 64, and was bogey free in the second round. Singh had posted just two out of 28 rounds in the 60s this year before recording six of his last seven rounds in the 60s. Singh finished T9 at THE PLAYERS Championship, thanks largely to a final-round 67.
* Sean O’Hair hit 11 of 14 fairways and 18 of 18 greens on the way to a second-round 64. His 11-under 129 has him in fourth place at the halfway point. O’Hair missed just one Green in Regulation during Thursday’s opening round (No. 7), where he recorded a bogey.
* Jason Day, who lives near Colonial CC and plays the course regularly, posted his second-consecutive 65 to sit at 10-under 130, four back of Stricker. Day’s round included a bogey at the par-5 11th hole and another bogey at his final hole, along with seven birdies. The 65s represent the young Australian’s low rounds of the year, one better than the 66 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular, where he posted a career-best T2 finish.
* First round co-leader, Woody Austin (63-68), remained in touch with leader, Steve Stricker, and is in sixth place.
* Ryan Palmer, a Texas native who plays out of Colonial CC, felt at home with a 7-under 63 in round two for 8-under 132. The two-time Tour winner posted eight birdies and a single bogey at No. 5. Palmer finished T19 at the 2009 Shell Houston Open for his only top-20 this season.
* Paul Casey (66-67), the third-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings, is T8. He is attempting to become the first player in Tour history to win the Shell Houston Open and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in the same season.
* James Driscoll added a bogey-free, 6-under 64 to an opening 69 and lies at 7-under-par. Driscoll is having a purple patch of play lately with a playoff loss to Zach Johnson at the Valero Texas Open and a T35 at last week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship. Driscoll was also one of eight players who qualified for the British Open at Gleneagles Golf Club in Plano, TX earlier this week.
* Jason Bohn (69-65—134) bogeyed the final hole for a back-nine 30 (5-under) for his best opening 36-holes of the year. It’s the first time since the 2008 Wachovia Championship that Bohn has scored consecutive rounds in the 60s in the first 36 holes. Bohn must like Texas as his best finish this year is T6 at the Shell Houston Open.
* Danny Lee (69-67), in just his fourth event as a professional, is T21. Lee has recorded a total of 13 birdies over the first 36 holes, the third-most (with Singh and O’Hair) behind Stricker (16) and Clark (14).
* Brian Davis (69-68) continues his streak of consecutive rounds in the 60s – he now has ten. He also has 15 consecutive sub-par rounds and 22 consecutive rounds of par or better. Davis has finished inside the top five in his last three starts (T5-T5-2) and is No. 21 in the FedExCup points standings as a result.
* Ian Baker-Finch (68-78), winner of the 1991 British Open, made just one birdie (No. 17) during the second round in his first Tour event since missing the cut (74-77) at the 2001 Colonial. This was his 10th start at Colonial, highlighted by a victory in 1989 and a T7 in 1991. Baker-Finch hit just 2 of 14 fairways in round two compared to 7 of 14 in round one, and missed the cut by six strokes.
* Past Colonial champions selected Matt Weibring and Derek Fathauer as the two players who received the “champions choice” invitations to this year’s Tournament. Fathauer (68-69) is T31 while Weibring (71-70) missed the cut by a stroke.
* Charley Hoffman (73-67) has not missed a cut in 14 starts this year. Hoffman shot 4-under on the back nine, including birdies at Nos. 17 and 18, to make the cut on the number. It marks his 23rd consecutive cut, the second-best current streak on Tour (Tiger Woods/35).
* Tim Herron (71-65), the 2006 champion, climbed into second place on the Kodak Challenge leaderboard with a birdie at the par-3, 13th hole, this week’s Kodak Challenge hole. Herron also holed a 169-yard shot from the fairway for eagle at the par-4 5th hole in round two. Chris DiMarco leads the Kodak Challenge at 8-under.
* Players from five different countries - U.S.A., Fiji Islands, South Africa, Australia and England – are in the top 10 through 36 holes.
* Bill Lunde withdrew before the start of the second round with a back injury. Scott Piercy was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Chad Campbell withdrew during the second round with a left calf injury, the initial diagnosis being a calf strain.
* Here’s a look at the scores of the nine past champions of the Colonial who are competing this week: Rory Sabbatini (2007/71-69/T65), Tim Herron (2006/71-65/T21), Kenny Perry (2003, 2005/64-72/T21), Steve Flesch (2004/71-70/MC), Corey Pavin (1985, 1996/71-69/T65), Tom Lehman (1995/68-69/T31), Fulton Allem (1993/74-72/MC), Ian Baker-Finch (1989/68-78/MC) and Keith Clearwater (1987/70-73/MC).
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