The Starter: Round 2, Farmers Insurance Open

text size

Jan. 29, 2010

Round 2 of the Farmers Insurance Open is set to begin on the twin courses at Torrey Pines. Here's a look at Friday's round:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
1 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10, North		Phil Mickelson, Ryan Palmer, Marc Turnesa Mickelson, tied for 40th, heads to the easier course after an opening-round 2-under 70 on the South.
Noon ET, Hole No. 10, South		Scott Piercy, John Merrick, Jay Williamson Leader Piercy looked great on the North Course with his opening 64, but can he keep it up on the South?
12:50 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10, North		Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Richard S. Johnson Allenby was the only player on the South Course in the top-15 Thursday. He could easily take the lead on the North.

MORE ROUND 2: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the courses

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Bob Stevens previews Friday's second round:

Scott Piercy goes into the second round atop the leaderboard, but there's a school of thought that says that Robert Allenby is the guy really leading the Farmers Insurance Open headed into today's second round. His 65 came on the South Course, the far tougher of the two layouts, and was the only one of the top-15 scores fired on the famed South while all the other low numbers came from the North Course. Then again, last year's runner-up, John Rollins, opened with a 70 on the North Course but followed with a brilliant 64 on the South to vault himself into the final group for the weekend. Allenby sounded very confident as he headed North for today's second round.

Friday's forecast

Partly cloudy
Temp: 66 high/47 low
Partly cloudy with winds around 7 mph.

Then there's the curious story of Chris Tidland, who shot 65 on the North Course without birdieing ANY of the par-5s. Of Phil Mickelson's five birdies on the South Course, four of them came on the par-5s, proving there are multiple ways to get the job done. Tidland has to feel that he can jump on those par-5s on the South Course like Phil did Thursday, while Mickelson can look at Tidland's card and see a very low score if he can take advantage of the par-5s that he did on the South, but Tidland did not on the North. Phil told my colleague Michael Collins that he was being cautious in his first round of the season. Expect him to put the pedal to the metal today.

As a member of the AARP set myself, I'm curious to see if three "greybeards" continue their fine play toward the weekend. Tom Pernice, Steve Lowery and Michael Allen all drank from the Fountain of Youth Thursday. Pernice (6-under 66 on the North Course) and Allen (Even-par 72 on the South) already have Champions Tour wins. Lowery (5-under 67 on the North) turns 50 later this season. There's plenty to be said for experience at Torrey Pines. Nobody's picked up their first TOUR win here since Jay Don Blake in 1991.

INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Alex Fisher, head instructor at the TOUR Academyat TPC Las Vegas, analyzes the playing conditions at Torrey Pines.

There's no surprise that after the first round the North Course at Torrey Pines yielded lower scores than the South Course. Eighteen of the top 20 players on the leaderboard took advantage of the North Course's shorter layout and bigger greens.

Las Vegas resident Scott Piercy took just 22 putts (eight fewer than the rest of the field's average) on his way to a round of 64. As impressive is the 5-under round (67) Australian Robert Allenby shot on the South Course. If he continues the form he has been showing in recent weeks, then look for him to stick around the rest of the weekend.

All the players that faced the South Course had to play a patient game and be disciplined with their shot selections. The small undulating greens make the players think twice about firing at flags. It was all about hitting fairways, greens and course management. The preparation they do during the practice rounds allows them to not just get familiar with the golf courses but also enables them to form a gameplan for the week.

Next time you are going out to play your local course, try and form a gameplan of what you want to achieve that day. Set a realistic "Personal Par" for the day and track your round shot for shot. If you don't set expectations for your round and you don't identify where you are losing shots, you're likely to see little or any improvements in your handicap and scores.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today John Swantek recaps Phil Mickelon's debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, where Scott Piercy took a one-shot lead heading into the second round. Watch it
	Round 1 highlights Check out the top shots and rounds from the first day of action at Torrey Pines' North and South courses. Watch it
	Shot of the Day: Round 1 John Daly saves par from just under 40 feet on the par-4 7th hole during the opening round of the 2010 Farmers Insurance Open. Watch it