U.S. Bank Championship: Second-round notebook
By Joel Schuchmann, PGA TOUR Staff
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- A total of 78 players made the cut at 2-under-par 138 on Friday at the U.S. Bank Championship. Last year the cut came at even-par 140.
| Inside the Numbers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36-Hole Leaderboard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
• Tied for third through 36 holes, Gavin Coles' 8-under-par 62 was one off the tournament record of 61 shared by four players -- Corey Pavin (2006), Steve Lowery (1999), Robert Gamez (1991) and Ken Green (1988). The rounds of 61 by Pavin and Lowery were at Brown Deer Park Golf Course while the rounds by Gamez and Green were at Tuckaway Country Club.
• Gavin Coles' 62 was one off this year's low on the PGA TOUR, a 9-under-par 61 by Roland Thatcher in the third round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Coles needed just 22 putts Friday to negotiate his round of 62.
• Joe Ogilvie (tied for seventh) is looking to become the first player to win back-to-back titles at the U.S. Bank Championship. The U.S. Bank Championship (since 1968) and THE PLAYERS Championship (since 1974) are the two longest-running tournaments without back-to-back winners. Corey Pavin missed the cut last year in the defense of his 2006 title.
• Nick Flanagan in his U.S. Bank Championship debut, shares the lead at 10-under-par after a career-low 7-under-par 63. Flanagan, the 2003 U.S. Amateur champion from Australia, earned a promotion to the PGA TOUR for 2008 at the age of 23 with three wins on the Nationwide Tour. As a rookie, he has logged one top-10 in 18 starts entering this week's action.
• Co-leader Richard S. Johnson (-10) has held one previous 36-hole lead, at the 2003 FedEx St. Jude Classic where he eventually finished tied for third. Johnson is playing in his sixth U.S. Bank Championship and has made the cut each year with a best finish of tie for 12th in 2003.
• Joe Ogilvie led through 36 holes last year at 10-under-par and eventually finished at 14-under-par in capturing his first PGA TOUR title.
• Brandt Jobe (tied for seventh) and John Huston (tied for 14th) matched the back nine (Nos. 10-18) record for the current configuration with a 6-under-par 30 totals for the nine holes. Jobe and Huston tied Richard Zokol (Round 2, 2002) and Brett Quigley (Round 2, 2002). Huston's run included birdies on 13-14-15-17 and 18 as he rebounded from a first-round 71, posting a 63 in Round 2.
• Brandt Jobe was granted a Major Medical Extension for 2008 and had 23 events to earn $774,164 (combined with 2007 earnings of $11,016 would equal 2007's No. 125 earnings of $785,180) and receive Major Medical Extension status for the remainder of the 2008 campaign. He missed a good portion of 2007 due to a freak home accident suffered in November 2006. He severed the tip of his left index finger and the base of his left thumb after a broom handle broke while sweeping his garage.
• After playing in five events, underwent season-ending surgery on his left hand after the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. In 2008, Jobe has earned $177,114 in 11 events, meaning that he needs to pick up 597,050 in his remaining 12 events to remain exempt. These 12 events could also carry over into the 2009 campaign.
• Steve Flesch (tied for seventh) is among the leaders after 36 holes for the second straight year at the U.S. Bank Championship. Last year, Flesch posted a second-round 64 and was three off the lead heading into the weekend before finishing tied for fifth. Flesch is making his sixth career start at the U.S. Bank Championship and has now made four cuts.
• How important is the PGA TOUR Regular Season? After two PGA TOUR Playoff events last year, Steve Flesch, who finished T5 at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship, stood No. 71 and was eliminated from the PGA TOUR Playoffs, as the top 70 players moved on to the third Playoff event, the BMW Championship. At No. 71, Flesch finished just 128 points behind No. 70 Bo Van Pelt -- a top-3 finish in Milwaukee last year may have very well bumped him into the BMW Championship, the third of the four PGA TOUR Playoff events.
• 1990 U.S. Bank Championship winner Jim Gallagher, Jr. (tied for 35th) extended his consecutive appearance streak to a tournament record 25 this week. Gallagher is now the only player to have teed it up every year at Brown Deer Park. Wisconsin native Andy North has the most U.S. Bank Championship starts with 28. Gallagher made the cut this week for the first time since 2004 and has made the cut 14 times in 25 Milwaukee starts.
• In Kenny Perry's last 32 rounds at Brown Deer Park, he has posted par-or-better scores in 31 times. His only hiccup was a final-round, 3-over-par 73 in 2005. Perry, the 2003 champion, sits tied for 27th at 5-under 135 after 36 holes.
• Kenny Perry has now made 19 consecutive cuts on the PGA TOUR, second to Tiger Woods' 29 for the longest active streak. Perry has also made 11 consecutive cuts at the U.S. Bank Championship (1992, 1993, 2000-08).
• A victory by Kenny Perry this week would put him 12 points behind Tiger Woods in the PGA TOUR Regular Season standings in the FedExCup. Woods currently has 22,695 points vs. Perry's total of 20,433.
• Jason Dufner (tied for seventh) posted a career low 7-under-par 63 on Friday after starting the day off with six birdies in his first 10 holes. Dufner is making his third start at the U.S. Bank Championship, with a best finish of a tie for 11th in his debut in 2008.
• These guys are good: D.J. Trahan opened with two rounds in the 60s (69-69) but sits tied for 64th through 36 holes.
• Bogey-free rounds on Friday: Ryan Armour, Gavin Coles, Ken Duke, Nick Flanagan, Cody Freeman, Jim McGovern, John Huston and Neal Lancaster.
• Tom Pernice (tied for 49th) recovered from four consecutive bogeys to start the day (Nos. 1-4) as he recorded birdies on three straight holes (Nos. 5-7) and finished with a respectable round of even-par 70.
• Martin Laird (tied for 64th) had the longest birdie streak of the day with five straight on Friday (Nos. 14-18).
• George McNeill (tied for 14th) leads the field with two eagles through 36 holes. His eagle on Friday came on No. 18, where he carved a 3-iron from 235 yards to 5 feet, 6 inches.
• After an opening 65, Dean Wilson (tied for 64th) was cruising at 7-under-par total through nine holes on Friday but was derailed as he went 6-over-par on Nos. 1-4 (double-bogey/bogey-bogey-double-bogey) en route to a 3-over-par 73.
• Jeff Gove withdrew after the first round for personal reasons.
• Travis Perkins was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. He signed for a 5 on No. 6 when he actually posted a 6. Perkins would have missed the cut regardless.
Get the best deals on the best equipment all at the SHOP.PGATOUR.COM.
TOP 100
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network