Valero Texas Open: Second-round notebook
By Chris Reimer, PGA TOUR Staff
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- A total of 75 players made the cut at 1-under-par 139 from a starting field of 132 professionals.
| Players Between Nos. 120-132 on Money List Through Two Rounds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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• Grobes, Texas, native and Lamar University graduate Chris Stroud shot a 6-under-par 64 Friday to move to 10 under for the tournament to lead Paul Goydos, Tim Petrovic and Tim Herron by two strokes. Stroud, who has been battling knee and wrist injuries for most of the 2008 season, shot his career-best round on the PGA TOUR (63) in the third round of last year's Valero Texas Open. He finished tied for sixth here last year for one of his two career top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR.
• This is the first time in Chris Stroud's career that he has held or shared the lead in a PGA TOUR event following any round. The 36-hole leader has gone on to win 18 of 42 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this year.
• At 26 years old, Stroud is attempting to become the 14th winner on the PGA TOUR in their 20s in 2008 vs. 7 winners in their 20s for 48 events in 2007. The players in their 20s who have won in 2008 are D.J. Trahan at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, J.B. Holmes at the FBR Open, Sean O'Hair at the PODS Championship, Andres Romero at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Johnson Wagner at the Shell Houston Open, Trevor Immelman at the Masters, Adam Scott at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Anthony Kim at the Wachovia Championship and the AT&T National, Sergio Garcia at THE PLAYERS Championship, Chez Reavie at the RBC Canadian Open, Parker McLachlin at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, Camilo Villegas at the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship, and Dustin Johnson at the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
• Two-time PGA TOUR winner Paul Goydos shot his second consecutive 4-under-par 66 and is two off the lead at 8 under par. Goydos, who lost in a memorable playoff to Sergio Garcia at THE PLAYERS this year, is playing in this event for the 12th time in his career, dating back to 1993 and has never missed the cut. He has finished in the top 10 (tied for eighth in 2006, tied for seventh in 2003) in his previous two appearances here at La Cantera.
• Tim Petrovic is ranked No. 123 on the PGA TOUR Money List. A good finish this week would help the 42-year-old Austin, Texas, resident secure his 2009 PGA TOUR card. This is Petrovic's seventh consecutive year playing in the Valero Texas Open. He has yet to record a top-10 finish. The 65 matches his lowest round in 22 rounds at La Cantera with the second round of last year's event and the third round in 2003. Only once has Petrovic recorded all four rounds in the 60s -- in 2003, when he tied for 24th.
• Rookie Matt Jones, who entered the week ranked no. 124 on the PGA TOUR Money List, shot a 6-under-par 64 to move to 7 under par for the tournament and is tied for fifth through two rounds. The 28-year-old has two fourth-place ties finishes in his rookie season. He held a share of the 54-hole lead at the Honda Classic with Luke Donald and Mark Calcavecchia. He hit his tee shot in the water on the par-3 17th on Sunday and made double bogey, eventually finishing three behind winner Ernie Els.
• Kevin Streelman got himself back into the tournament with a front-nine 29 on Friday. Streelman shot an opening-round even-par 70 and began Friday's round tied for 71st. His second-round 7-under-par 63 moved the 29-year-old rookie to a tie for fifth. Streelman has enjoyed some memorable moments during the 2008 season, including holding a share of the first-round lead at the U.S. Open. He also birdied two of his last three holes and a narrowly missed putt on the final hole left him one shot out of a playoff with Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland to finish tied for fourth at The Barclays, his best finish of his PGA TOUR career in the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
• Streelman called San Antonio his second home in 2002 and 2003 while playing mini-tours. He played out of the Golf Club of Texas, where several members helped sponsor him as he attempted to make it to the PGA TOUR.
• Another familiar face for local fans, San Antonio's Jimmy Walker finished his second round at 7-under-par for the tournament. The 2004 Nationwide Tour Player of the year ranks No. 191 on the 2008 PGA TOUR Money List.
• Sponsor Exemption Michael Thompson, a 2008 first-team All-American at Alabama playing in his first PGA TOUR event as a professional, shot a second-round 5-under-par 65 to move to 7 under for the tournament. The runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Amateur was named the 2008 Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year and was medalist at the 2008 SEC Championships.
• Thompson made headlines earlier this year while playing in the Masters as an amateur by calling a penalty on himself after his ball moved on the putting surface. Thompson had a 15-foot birdie putt attempt on the 15th green and, at the time, was on the projected cut line at 4 over. Thompson had to take a one-stroke penalty, and replace his ball as close to the original spot as he could. Instead of a birdie attempt, Thompson was putting for par. He missed it and tapped in for bogey to go to 5 over. Thompson went on to bogey Nos. 16 and 17 and shot 78 to finish at 7-over 151.
• The 23-year-old has since made two straight cuts playing as an amateur at both the U.S. Open (tied for 29th) and the Travelers Championship (tied for 59th). Thompson spent the first two rounds of the U.S. Open paired with Rocco Mediate.
• Tim Herron, winner of the 1997 LaCantera Texas Open, is two strokes off the lead with rounds of 65-67-132 at 8-under-par, two strokes off the lead. When Herron won in 1997, he opened with a 1-under 71. Herron comes into the week No. 103 on the money list. This is Herron's ninth time playing at La Cantera. After recording back-to-back top-10 finishes in 1996 and 1997 (tied for sixth in 1996 and a win in 1997), Herron is in search of his first top-10 at this event in more than a decade. He is tied for second despite hitting just 10 fairways in two days.
• Olin Brown is three off the lead at 7 under par and has hit 35 of 36 greens in regulation through two rounds.
• Craig Kanada, who teed off on the 10th hole on Friday, recorded seven birdies in an eight hole stretch during his round (hole nos. 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 1 and 2). Kanada finished the day with a 5-under-par 65 and 6 under for the tournament.
• Playing in the next-to-last group, Scott Sterling made a 16-foot putt to birdie the final two holes of his round and make the cut on the number. Sterling, who is ranked No. 165 on the Money List has now made eight consecutive cuts after missing six of the previous seven.
• Six players recorded bogey-free rounds on Friday -- Kevin Streelman, Kevin Stadler, Jeff Overton, Brian Gay, Richard S. Johnson and John Senden.
• Marco Dawson withdrew prior to the start of the second round. David Lutterus was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard.
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