Round 2 Notes – Honda Classic
Second-round leaders haven’t had the best of luck in recent in this event. Only once in the past 11 years has the 36-hole leader gone on to win The Honda Classic. Local favorite Jesper Parnevik (2001) is the only player to accomplish the feat since 1997. Over the past 20 years, there have been only four second-round leaders who have gone on to victory – Parnevik, Tim Herron (1996), Mark O’Meara (1995) and Steve Pate (1991).Second-round leaders have gone on to win five of eight stroke-play events on the 2008 PGA TOUR. Phil Mickelson was the last to do it, at the Northern Trust Open.
A total of 77 players made the cut, which came at 4-over 144. The PGA TOUR’s revised cut policy will NOT be needed this weekend. In the previous 20 years of this event, the cut was under-par eight times, at even-par four times and over-par eight times. The 36-hole cut was at 3-over 143 last year at PGA National and also 3-over par (147) the previous year at The Country Club at Mirasol. This is the highest cut in this event since 1994 when the cut came at 5-over 147.
Dudley Hart ran off six consecutive birdies and shot a 6-under 29 on the front nine. Hart’s streak of six in a row ran from Nos. 3-8. Hart puts his name in the record book –
* ties the tournament record for most consecutive birdies –
Fred Couples, Nos. 3-8, first round, TPC Eagle Trace, 1985
* ties the tournament record for lowest 9-hole score –
Dan Pohl, 1989, second round, back nine, 7-under-par 29, five birdies and one eagle
Steve LaMontagne, 1994, third round, front nine, 6-under-par 29, six birdies
* ties the mark for the most consecutive birdies on the PGA TOUR in 2008 –
Shigeki Maruyama, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Round 1, Nos. 4-9
Kenny Perry, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Round 4, Nos. 6-11
Stuart Appleby, Buick Invitational, Round 1, Nos. 14-1 (started on the back nine)
* ties the mark for the lowest 9-hole score on the PGA TOUR in 2008 –
Brian Gay, 29 (6-under) Mayakoba Golf Classic, Round 3, back nine
First-round leader Luke Donald ran into trouble midway through his opening nine holes on Friday afternoon. Donald suffered a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par-4, 14th hole, dropping him from 5-under to 1-under at the time. Donald shot a 4-over 74 Friday.
Scott Hoch made his 643rd career PGA TOUR start this week but his first in nearly three years. Hoch last teed it up on TOUR at the 2005 Bay Hill Invitational (79-wd). This is also his ninth career start in this tournament, but the first since 1996. Hoch turned 50 two years ago and joined the Champions Tour. He won once in 22 starts last year with the Champions Tour. This year, he has two wins in four starts and is currently No. 1 on the money list. Hoch shot rounds of 75-69, finishing birdie-par-par and made the cut. The last time Hoch made a cut on the PGA TOUR was the 2005 Ford Championship at Doral (T32), which finished up on March 6, 2005.
Davis Love III rolled in a birdie putt of 15 feet, 9 inches on the final hole today. Love has posted rounds of 70-73 and will be around for the weekend. This is Love’s third start in 2008. He tied for 24th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open. Love had four birdies and shot 70 on the first day. He made five birdies and shot 73 today.
Brian Davis is making his fourth start at this event. He has progressed each of the first three years and is position to continue that climb this week:
2005 T70
2006 T65
2007 T46
2008 ???
Brian Davis has never held the 36-hole lead in a PGA TOUR event. The best position that Davis has been in after two rounds, prior to this week, is T3 at the 2005 Nissan Open – which was plagued by rain and shortened to 36 holes. Davis was 8-under and one stroke back of Adam Scott and Chad Campbell.
Ernie Els is making his fifth career start in this event but the first since 1999. In his four previous tournament appearances has made the cut twice. Els has posted scores of 67-70 and is tied for 6th at the halfway point.
1993 m/c
1997 T23
1998 m/c
1999 T46
Past tournament champions in the field this week and how they’ve fared over the first two rounds:
2007 Mark Wilson 73-73—146 +6 m/c
2006 Luke Donald 64-74—138 -2
2004 Todd Hamilton 73-72—145 +5 m/c
2003 Justin Leonard 69-71—140 E
2002 Matt Kuchar 73-67—140 E
2001 Jesper Parnevik 68-75—143 +3
2000 Dudley Hart 68-66—134 -6
1998 Mark Calcavecchia 70-67—137 -3
1996 Tim Herron 69-73—142 +2
Chris DiMarco missed the cut this week, the first time in his career that he hasn’t advanced to the weekend in this event. DiMarco was a perfect 11-for-11 in cuts made. He made his first appearance here in 1994. He shot scores of 75-76 and missed the cut.
There was only one eagle during Thursday’s opening round – Glen Day, No. 3 – and three during Friday’s second round. Carl Pettersson chipped in from 90 feet on the par-5, 3rd hole, Anthony Kim holed his second shot from 52 yards on the 320-yard, par-4, 4th hole and Dustin Johnson holed his third shot from 37 yards away (left of the greenside bunker) for an eagle-3 at No. 3 as well.
Kevin Stadler had an interesting two days, shooting scores of 81-68—149. Stadler hit 7 of 14 fairways in round one and had 33 putts. He hit only 6 of 14 fairways in round two but had 26 putts.
Tim Petrovic withdrew during the second round with a neck injury.
Bogey-free rounds on Friday –
67 Billy Mayfair
Scoring averages for the week – par 70
Front 9 Back 9 Total
Thursday 35.566 36.559 72.126
Friday 35.275 36.655 71.930
Biggest improvement/decline in scores over the first two days:
13 strokes Kevin Stadler 81-68
11 strokes Billy Mayfair 78-67
10 strokes Luke Donald 64-74
Brad Adamonis 76-66
2000 Honda Classic champion Dudley Hart fired a second-round 66 in his first start since a T3 effort at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Hart is playing on a Major Medical Extension in 2008 and was given 15 events to earn $485,931, which would combine with his 2007 earnings ($299,249) to equal No. 125 on the 2007 money list ($785,180). After his finish at Pebble Beach (his third start), Hart now has 12 events (including this week) to earn $162,960 in order to become fully exempt for 2008. Hart was limited to 12 starts on the PGA TOUR last year after his wife Suzanne was diagnosed with a non-smoking related tumor in her lungs in May and subsequently had two-thirds of one of her lungs removed.
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