Day 2: Windy day produces crowded leaderboard
MEMPHIS -- Everyone at the TPC Southwind wanted a nice warmup for the U.S. Open. They got as good a simulation as possible Friday thanks to gusting wind and firm greens that made par an attractive score.
Tommy Armour III double-bogeyed No. 18 and fell into a six-way tie atop the leaderboard after two rounds at the Stanford St. Jude Championship on a day where only 13 players were under par. It was the most players tied for lead at the halfway point on the PGA TOUR since a six-way tie last year at the Shell Houston Open.
Armour finished with a 71. He was tied with Gavin Coles, whose 64 was the low round through the first two days, Dean Wilson (68), Jason Dufner (68), Michael Bradley (68) and Marc Turnesa (69) at 3-under 137 -- the highest 36-hole total on the PGA TOUR since Angel Cabrera at the U.S. Open last year when he was at even-par 140.
"Thirty-six holes left, I make bogeys and doubles. It's the way it happens," Armour said.
Coles credited patience for his six-birdie, bogey-free round in an event where the cut came at 5 over.
"It's pretty slow out there really. So you can sort of back off and have another look and sort of take a bit of time, sort of wait for the gusts to go by," he said. "It was difficult, but you now I think if you putted well today you would have had a pretty decent score. ... When I did get in trouble, my putter sort of got me out of it a little."
Vijay Singh started the day in third, two strokes back of the lead at 3 under. He finished with a 71 and was tied for seventh with Alex Cejka (69), Michael Letzig (68) and Davis Love III (70) at 138.
"I'm glad to get in under par," Love said.
So even though the TPC at Southwind never will be mistaken for what they will face at the U.S. Open, Singh called it a good test for those tuning up for Torrey Pines with the gusting winds making club selection difficult.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Everybody has had practice this year with wind because this is the windiest year since I've been on TOUR. ...It's just another week of breezy stuff." -- Tommy Armour III, after the second round at TPC Southwind where wind gusts reached as high as 30 miles per hour
EAGLES MEAN MORE TO SINGH THIS YEAR
By Bobby Hall, Special to PGATOUR.com
MEMPHIS -- When Vijay Singh addresses a golf shot that could ultimately produce an eagle on the PGA TOUR, he says his mind doesn't wander, and "if it happens, it happens."
That's how he tries to maintain separation between his megastar image as an extremely competitive, driven player and his role as ambassador for the Eagles for St. Jude charity initiative that benefits the Memphis-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
So far this year he's made four eagles, including one this week at the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Singh, who stands 2 under and among the leaders at the midway point of the PGA TOUR event, holed out from 34 feet off the green for eagle on the par-5 third hole during the first round.
"When it happens, I usually say something to my caddy like 'that one was for the kids,'" Singh said. "And then I get on with my round."
For every eagle he makes on TOUR this year, "The Big Fijian" in those TV promotions, is contributing $5,000 to the charity. A year ago, the first of the initiative, he pledged $1,000 but was disappointed when he only made 12 eagles and upped his donation to a total of $50,000.
The announcement came during an emotional trip to St. Jude and visiting with patients. At a press conference that day, Singh tossed aside comments that he'd been given to read and spoke from his heart.
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LOOK WHO'S BACK
It's been a while since the name Michael Bradley appeared near the top of a leaderboard.
He's sprinkled a handful of top 20s in with a mix of mostly missed cuts and high finishes over the past three years. Because of an injury suffered playing softball in the middle of the 2007 season, Bradley was granted a Major Medical Extension for 2008 and had 14 events at the start of the year to earn $753,291 (the equivalent of No. 125 on the PGA TOUR Money List in 2007).
Currently occupying the first-place position in Memphis with several others, Bradley would like to continue shooting in the 60s -- he fired a 69 on Day 1 and a 68 on Day 2 -- to make up the $706,891 he needs after making just $46,400 in three '08 appearances.
"This is only my fourth event this year, coming back from a broken ankle. But I've been playing pretty good. I haven't been putting that well," Bradley said. "Went to a new putter this week, but I've been hitting it okay. So I hope I can continue to hit the ball well just to give myself opportunities.
"You know, if I don't make the putts, I don't make the putts, but at least give myself a chance."
After winning the 1996 Buick Challenge and the 1998 Doral-Ryder Open, Bradley split time between the Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR during the early 2000s. He didn't regain his PGA TOUR card until 2007, where his best finish was a tie for 46th at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.
BACK IN THE HUNT
A lot has changed in Memphis since 2001, at least from Bob Estes' point of view.
He won the tournament at TPC Southwind by one stroke over Bernhard Langer that season. After a 5-under 65 in the second round, Estes moved from a tie for 90th into contention this week but Friday's course, complete with howling winds and quick greens, is a far different place than where he won.
"It's a totally different ballgame. I used to play here when it was calm and the greens (were) like dartboards," Estes said. "Now it's like a U.S. Open. It's not even the same game. Totally different from what it was and still -- same type shots off the tee, but into the green it's totally different."
Estes was excited with his round since he hasn't made the cut in four straight weeks. His best finish this season was a tie for sixth at the Shell Houston Open in early April.
"I haven't played with very well for the last couple months. At times I have in stretches, but I've missed the last four cuts, and so I wasn't going to get into anything until I got it to the house and signed my scorecard," Estes said. "I just needed to keep working on the things I've been working on.
"It's been real tough the last couple of months. Like today I just stayed calm and tried not to worry about too much, and things worked out."
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DUFNER IS NO DUFFER
Jason Dufner needed only one word to describe the conditions at TPC Southwind on Friday.
"Windy," Dufner said, after shooting a 2-under 68 on Friday.
"It's just tough. The constant wind is okay, you can get used to that through the day or through the week, but when you're catching gusts, sometimes it's 30 miles an hour and the ball might be mid flight, there's not much you can do with that," he added. "...You just catch a gust, and it's almost like you feel helpless sometimes."
Though he hasn't had much success at the venue -- he missed the cut in both prior appearances -- Dufner likes the course and his chances of making the cut this time. Playing in just his fifth event in 2008, he's currently tied for the lead and looking to make only his third weekend this year.
| 92 | In degrees Fahrenheit, the high temperature on Friday. |
| 137 | Highest 36-hole score in the 50-year history of the event. |
| 222 | Days since David Duval last made a cut before making the weekend in Memphis. |
"Anytime you make a cut, let alone be in the top 5 after two days, you feel pretty good about yourself then," Dufner said.
Because he's No. 238 on the PGA TOUR Money List, Dufner is limited in the tournaments he makes it into since he's not high in the priority rankings.
"I've been at home practicing a lot and just trying to get ready and be prepared to play this week and for the summer," Dufner said. "I know I'll probably get seven, eight, nine starts before the (PGA TOUR) Playoffs (for the FedExCup) start. Trying to get ready for those events and be ready to play when you get in."
He expects to make at least 17 events before the year is through, but a high finish this week for the two-time Nationwide Tour winner could significantly increase his chances of an increased schedule.
"It's not so much each one is that important but, you know, when you're in a position like I am, you can see, you know, a good week this week could vault me up, and I'm just trying to look to get into the Playoffs events, maybe one or two of those with the status I'm at and have the Fall Finish events," Dufner said.
Dufner has been training hard when he's not playing and, despite some competitive rust, he's enjoying his birdie-filled -- he's currently tied for second in most birdies made -- week.
"It's a huge opportunity. Every week is a huge opportunity for anybody out here. I feel like I've got enough starts if I'm playing well, you know, I can accomplish what I'm trying to do."
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1. Vijay Singh. The Big Fijian has spent two days lurking close to the lead. Will he trounce the competition on Saturday and move into the top spot? He's certainly hungry for his first win since March 2007.
2. Wind. The strong breezes are expected to die down on Saturday but the hot weather will continue to bake the course -- and the players -- in the sunny South. Tommy Armour III isn't concerned one way or the other. "I don't mind if it blows. If it does, I walk in it," he said after the second round.
3. Trevor Immelman. In his two tournaments after winning the Masters, Immelman missed the cut by a significant amount. Last week, a final-round 68 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley helped him tie for 30th. After two rounds in Memphis -- including a solid 66 on Friday -- Immelman is back in contention for a PGA TOUR title.
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