Second-round notebook – John Deere Classic
* Due to a dangerous weather situation, the second-round was postponed on Friday until 7:00 a.m. CST Saturday morning. A total of 1.8 inches of rain fell on Friday. Players kept the same tee time Saturday as scheduled for Friday’s second-round. It was announced on Friday that the 36-hole cut will be to the number nearest 60, not 70. The second-round was played with preferred lies.* The final 36 holes will be played Sunday in threesomes off tees No. 1 and 10. There will be no re-pairing between the third and final round.
* The 36-hole cut came at 4-under 138 with 64 professionals and one amateur (Jack Newman) making it to the third-round on Sunday. Third-round tee times will start at 6:45 a.m. CST. The completion of the final-round is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. CBS will air the final-round from 2-6 p.m. CST.
* Darron Stiles followed up his first-round 64 with a 65 to increase his lead to three strokes over Steve Stricker after the morning wave.
* Stiles’ lead is the third second-round lead of his career. His previous two second-round leads are listed below:
Tournament Finish
2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic T22
2006 Buick Championship T31
* Playing in his 107th PGA Tour event, Darron Stiles is looking to improve on his career-best finish of T9 at the 2005 Buick Championship and at the 2005 Chrysler Classic of Tucson. Stiles has not had a top 10 finish since 2005.
* Stiles has now made 48 cuts on the Tour with 58 missed cuts.
* Darron Stiles’ 36-hole total of 129 is a personal best, his previous best 36-hole score was a 132 at the 2003 Greater Hartford Open and the 2006 Buick Championship.
* Stricker had 11 threes on his card Saturday and needed just nine putts on the back nine and 22 total putts en route to his 61. Stricker’s 22 putts Saturday matches his career-best, which he has done four other times. His most recent 22 putt performance was at the 2005 Chrysler Classic of Tucson.
* Stricker fired a 10-under 61 in the second-round to tie J.P. Hayes’ Tournament record from 2002. Hayes also recorded his 61 in the second-round and went on to win by four strokes.
* Stricker tied his career-best round (61) set earlier this year at the 50th Bob Hope Classic. Prior to his pair of 61s this year his best 18-hole score was a 62 recorded at the Phoenix Open in 2001 and 2003.
* Prior to Saturday’s 29 on the back-nine (Stricker’s first nine), Stricker had two other 29s in his career, the most recent came at the 2001 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.
* Stricker is looking for his first double-win season on Tour since he won the Kemper Open and Western Open in 1996.
* There are 23 players in the John Deere Classic (as of July 8, 2009) that will be playing in the British Open next week including: Briny Briny, Mark Calcavecchia, Chad Campbell, James Driscoll, Ken Duke, David Duval, Lucas Glover, Todd Hamilton, Charley Hoffman, Charles Howell III, Richard S. Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Bryce Molder, Kenny Perry, Carl Pettersson, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker, Kevin Sutherland, David Toms and D.J. Trahan.
* Another player in the John Deere Classic field has the opportunity to join the 23 players heading to the British Open. The leading player, not otherwise exempt, among the top 5 finishers and ties at the John Deere Classic will be exempt for the British Open.
* So far this season, 13 of 27 players have turned their second-round lead/co-lead into victory. Tiger Woods was the last to accomplish the feat at the AT&T National.
* The 2009 John Deere Classic is the 10th PGA Tour event to experience at least one weather delay this season. The most recent rain delay came two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, CT where Kenny Perry ultimately emerged victorious.
* Prior to this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the last time a round was suspended without any play was the 2008 BMW Championship (Round 1).
* Paul Stankowski (shin injury) and James Oh (neck) withdrew prior to the second-round. Aron Price (illness) withdrew during the second-round.
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