The Starter: BMW Championship, Round 2

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The second round of the BMW Championship is set to begin. Golf Channel will televise live action Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. ET and replay from 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET. LIVE@ coverage on PGATOUR.COM will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET with "On The Tee."

Groups we're watching

Tee time Players   11:42 a.m. ET No. 10 Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland, Bubba Watson This long-hitting trio struggled on Thursday, shooting a combined 7 over with Watson having the worst round at 78. Woodland was the only one to break par. Can they turn it around Friday? 11:53 a.m. ET No. 10 Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Day Likewise, these three struggled in the opening round despite having played well all year. They were a combined 10 over with Snedeker the only player not to shoot above par. 11:53 a.m. ET No. 1 Adam Scott, Mark Wilson, Hunter Mahan Hometown boy Wilson is just two shots off the lead, while Mahan was solid with a 69. Scott struggled with his putting and was 3 over on the day. 12:37 p.m. ET No. 1 Justin Rose, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson The best group of the opening round was a combined 13 under with Rose leading the way at 8 under. As a result, Rose and Furyk are projected to make big leaps in the FedExCup standings.

MORE ROUND 2: Tee Times | TOUR REPORT: BMW Championship news, notes

WHAT TO WATCH IN ROUND 2
• Rose blooming: Justin Rose has a lot to gain at this week's BMW Championship. So far, so good for Rose, who leads after the opening round. Column

• Projections: Jim Furyk made a big move in the projected FedExCup standings. See who else moved up -- or down -- and what it could mean. FedExCup Wrap-up

Round 2 weather forecast

Cloudy Temp: 62 high/45 low Overcast with slight chance of a rain shower. Winds ESE at 5-10 mph.

Player Notes

Here are some of the players you'll see during Friday's coverage on Golf Channel:

JUSTIN ROSE Rose equaled the best opening-round score in BMW Championship history on Thursday with an 8-under 63. Other players who opened with 63 at the event were Tiger Woods (2003), Nick Price (2000) and George Fazio (1951/Davenport CC), with Woods the only player to carry that score on to victory. Rose's 63 fell one shy of the BMW Championship record of 62, set by Jim Furyk at Bellerive in 2008 and Tiger Woods at Cog Hill in 2009. It was three shy of his career-low round on TOUR (60, Round 1 2006 Children's Miracle Network Classic). He has now held/shared the first-round lead 12 times in his PGA TOUR career, most recently carrying a share of the opening-round lead to a T9 at the 2010 Travelers Championship. The only event he went on to win after holding/sharing the first-round lead was the 2010 Memorial Tournament. His 63 is also just his second opening round in the 60s in his last 16 PGA TOUR events. WEBB SIMPSON Simpson, victorious in two of the last three events on TOUR, opened on Thursday with a 6-under 65. Should he win this week, Simpson will have won three times in a four-tournament stretch on the PGA TOUR. That would be the best streak in a calendar season since Tiger Woods won four times in a five-week stretch in 2006. Simpson, currently first in the FedExCup standings, is seeking to become the first player to follow up a win at the Deutsche Bank Championship with a win at the BMW Championship. MARK WILSON Wilson's 65 Thursday equaled his best score in 29 rounds at the BMW Championship. He also opened with 65s in each of his two wins this season (Sony Open in Hawaii and Waste Management Phoenix Open). A 36-year-old resident of nearby Elmhurst, Ill., who splits time playing out of Cog Hill G&CC and Butler National GC, Wilson is making his ninth start at the BMW Championship, with a T10 in 2009 his only top-10 finish. MATT KUCHAR Kuchar, who won the 1997 U.S. Amateur Championship at Cog Hill G&CC, carded a 1-over 72 in his fourth start at the BMW Championship. A year ago, Kuchar jumped out to the opening-round lead at the BMW with a 64, shared the second-round lead with Ryan Moore and then entered the final round one stroke behind tournament-leader Moore before finishing in a tie for third. LUKE DONALD A former standout at nearby Northwestern University, Donald missed the cut as an amateur in his first appearance at the 2000 BMW Championship. Since that time, he has reeled off eight made cuts with a T3 in 2004 his best finish. Last year's T37 was his worst showing during that span. Donald opened on Thursday with a 4-over 75, his third worst score in 35 rounds at the BMW Championship. STEVE STRICKER The 1996 BMW Championship winner opened with a 76 -- just one shy of his worst score in a PGA TOUR Playoffs event. That certainly goes against his history. The 11-time winner owns 44 rounds in the 60s, the most on TOUR in the Playoffs. And since the start of the FedExCup in 2007, Stricker is the only player to start in all 72 rounds of the Playoffs. He leads the TOUR with 10 top-10s in the Playoffs, with Camilo Villegas (9) and Jim Furyk (8) trailing. In 17 starts at the BMW Championship, Stricker has six top-10 finishes, including a win. As a FedExCup event, he has three top-10s in four starts in the tournament.