The Live Report, Round 2: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
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UNCHARTED TERRITORY (7:50 p.m.): Retief Goosen, who has a three-shot lead at the halfway point, will be trying to achieve something only one other player has done since 1952 -- win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in his first start in the tournament.
Australian Brett Ogle pulled off the trick in 1993 -- it was his first TOUR win -- but other than that, every winner since '52 has played in at least one previous AT&T Pebble Beach event.
That doesn't mean, however, that Goosen had never played at Pebble Beach until this week.
In 2000, he finished tied for 12th at the U.S. Open here, shooting 77-72-72-71 for a total of 8 over -- 20 shots behind winner Tiger Woods. -- PGA TOUR staff
FORMER MLB COMMISH NO STRANGER TO SUCCESS (7:30 p.m.): Peter Ueberroth, the former Major League Baseball commissioner and United State Olympic Committee chairman, had a first-hand seat for Retief Goosen's second-round 64 on Friday. That's because Ueberroth is Goosen's amateur partner this week.
"It was magical," Ueberroth said after their round. "I'm reminded of a craftsman who knows his craft very well. He's very unflappable. His irons were just wonderful. It was beautiful to watch."
Ueberroth is no stranger to watching a TOUR pro light up Pebble Beach with a 64. In fact, he saw back-to-back 64s in 2000. That year, Ueberroth was partnered with Jim Furyk, who shot 64 in the third round to allow the Furyk-Ueberroth team to make the cut. They were paired in the final round with Tiger Woods -- who ended up shooting 64 to win his first and only AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. -- Mike McAllister
GOOSEN ON TARGET (7:14 p.m.): Retief Goosen got an early boost in Friday's second round when he eagled the par-5 second hole at Pebble Beach after driving the green in two with a 3-iron and making his seven-foot putt.
But the real key to his round came on the par-3 fifth. A poor tee shot left him 15-20 yards left of the green and had him staring at bogey. But he holed his chip shot for birdie. There was no looking back as he rolled to an 8-under 64 and two-day total of 12 under that leaves him three shots in the lead.
"That was a big momentum shift," Goosen said of his chip at the fifth.
Goosen was deadly accurate with his approach shots, which is why he didn't need to sink any long-distance putts en route to his 64. His longest putt of the day was 12 1/2 feet, and nothing else was longer than 8 feet, 5 inches.
In fact, during his stretch on the back nine when he one-putted six consecutive greens from hole Nos. 10-15, the distance of his putts were: 3 feet; 7 feet, 5 inches; 4 feet, 5 inches; 8 feet, 5 inches; 6 feet, 1 inch; and 4 feet, 1 inch.
The belly putter which he started using last week at the Buick Invitational is obviously paying off. -- Mike McAllister
Here's a look at Goosen's scorecard from today:
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (6:35 p.m.): Retief Goosen is in with a 64 -- the lowest round of the day here and his lowest score since last year's World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral, where he also shot 64.
Goosen will take a lead to the weekend for the first time since 2005. Given the weather forecast, however, it'll be interesting to see if he can hold it.
There's a 70 percent chance of rain tonight and a 40 percent chance of showers tomorrow with possible wind gusts as high as 41 mph late in the day.
More of the wet stuff is also expected Sunday, with forecasters calling for a 90 percent chance of rain and winds around 38 mph and gusts as high as 47 mph.
If the tournament is forced into a Monday finish, things don't look much better with the forecast calling for an 80 percent chance of rain on Presidents Day.
Ironically for Goosen, last year's CA Championship also went to a Monday finish because of inclement weather. -- Brian Wacker
STROUD IN STRIDE (6:10 p.m.): Third-year PGA TOUR player Chris Stroud has never made the cut in two previous trips to the Monterey Peninsula, but that may be about to change in a big way.
Stroud has jumped from 29th to third today -- for the moment -- on the strength of five birdies and no bogeys through his first 13 holes at Pebble Beach.
Stroud is first in putts per round here, second in eagles and fifth in birdies and all that is adding up to another strong start this season for the 27-year-old Texan. Two weeks ago at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer, Stroud started 65-63 before ultimately finishing in a tie for 14th.
Last year, Stroud had top 10s at the Children's MIracle Network Classic and the Valero Texas Open, but he also missed 14 cuts in 29 events so this could be shaping up to be a pretty good tournament for Stroud heading into the weekend. -- Brian Wacker
GOOSEN GOING LOW (5:40 p.m.): With Retief Goosen going low -- he's 7 under today through the first 15 holes today at Pebble Beach and in the lead -- it looks like the South African could be headed for one of his best rounds of the past two seasons. Take a look at Goosen's lowest scores from 2008 below. -- Brian Wacker
| Best rounds of 2008: Retief Goosen | ||||||||||||
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LOWERY HANGING AROUND (5:05 p.m.): Steve Lowery is doing his best to back up his win last year here at Pebble Beach when he beat Vijay Singh in a playoff.
Lowery is 4 under on the day and 6 under for the week and so far has been among the best in the field off the tee and on the green, ranking seventh in driving distance and 14th in accuracy as well as fourth in putts per greens in regulation.
The last person to successfully defend at Pebble Beach was Mark O'Meara, who won in 1989-90. -- Brian Wacker
OTHER COURSES SOON IN THE ROTATION? (4:40 p.m.): Of the three courses in the AT&T Pebble Beach rotation, the tournament has contracts through 2014 to use Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. But Poppy Hills may be out.
PGA TOUR officials have visited two courses, Bayonet and Black Horse, in nearby Seaside to check their potential as a venue, Golf Digest recently reported.
PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem told reporters this week the TOUR is "just going through the process. Where it leads, I don't know."
Ollie Nutt, president of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation that runts this week's tournament, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the TOUR might consider Bayonet or Black Horse as a site for a first or second stage of q school. -- Mike McAllister
WI IN CONTENTION (4:25 p.m.): Charlie Wi, who finished second at the Valero Texas Open, T4 at the John Deere Classic and T9 at the PGA Championship last year, is in contention again this week.
The 37-year-old journeyman from Korea who now calls California home is 3 under today and 7 under for the week. Currently, that's good for seventh on the leaderboard, just two strokes off the current pace.
Wi's been able to get there by making more birdies than anyone else this week and by leading the field in putts per greens in regulation. -- Brian Wacker
CUT REMINDER (4:05 p.m.): A few people have e-mailed or sent instant messages asking about the cut line here at Pebble Beach. Because there are three courses in play and everyone has to play each course at least once, the cut won't come until after Saturday's third round.
Once the cut is made, everyone will play on Pebble Beach as opposed to being spread out among Pebble, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills. -- Brian Wacker
BUCKLE UP (3:52 p.m.): Big, fancy belt buckles are the latest fashion statements among some players -- and that extends to the celebrities this week at Pebble Beach.
Comedian George Lopez, for instance, wore a belt buckle with a big red and blue "GLO" in the middle during Thursday's first round.
"I have to keep up with Anthony Kim," Lopez told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He can't be the only one rocking some glitter." -- Mike McAllister
CALC CLIMBING LEADERBOARD (3:35 p.m.): Mark Calcavecchia seems poised to make his first cut of the 2009 PGA TOUR season. He's 2 under today and 7 under for the tournament after shooting in the 70s in five of his first six rounds this year.
Calcavecchia, who will turn 49 later this year, is coming off a 2008 season that was cut short by surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus.
His opening-round 67 at Poppy Hills tied for the lowest score of the day on that course, which is a little surprising considering Calc has played in this event just four times in the last 10 years with the last time coming in 2004. During that stretch, he missed the cut twice and finished T20 in 2000 and T21 in 1999. So far this week, Calcavecchia is third in putts per round and tied for third in birdies. -- Brian Wacker
MORNING MOVERS (3:25 p.m.): Vijay Singh, Kerry Perry and J.B. Holmes got their rounds going early today, before any bad weather was expected to move in at Pebble Beach.
How are they faring? Check out our Morning Movers with Win McMurry 
to find out.
CELEBRITY CHECK (3:14 p.m.): Former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is paired with Retief Goosen this week and so far the two are off to a good start at 12 under, just one stroke off the pace on the amateur leaderboard.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, partnered with Webb Simpson for the week, is also in contention at 11 under. Bill Murray, meanwhile, and Tim Herron are at 7 under.
Expect to see a lot more of the celebrities this weekend when they'll be playing Pebble Beach. So far, a lot of the big-name celebrities have been scattered on Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills. -- Brian Wacker
BROOKS IS BACK (2:55 p.m.): If Mark Brooks can maintain a top 10 or better position the rest of today -- he's currently tied for fourth at 7 under while playing Spyglass Hill in the second round -- it will be just the fifth time since the start of the 2003 season that he'll finish the second round among the top 10 on the leaderboard.
Brooks' best second-round position during that time came last year at Colonial, a course he knows well as a Fort Worth, Texas, resident. Brooks was in fifth after the second round at the Crowne Plaza Invitational before finishing tied for 33rd. -- Mike McAllister
| Mark Brooks' best second-round positions since 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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JOHNSON COMFORTABLE AT PEBBLE (2:45 p.m.): Maybe it's coincidental, but Dustin Johnson seems to be a player that isn't bothered much by less-than-perfect weather.
Johnson won last year at the Turning Stone Resort Championship in rainy, 50-degree weather. Even on the final day, with the rain abated, Johnson carved out a 69 that included just two bogeys.
At Pebble Beach this week, Johnson is similarly unflappable. He has four birdies and was bogey-free today until doubling No. 17 (his eighth hole of the day) and with bad weather expected to roll in over the weekend, that could be good news for Johnson.
Interesting stat -- even if temporary -- on Johnson: He is currently first in driving distance, second in greens in regulation, and third in putts per greens in regulation.
Clearly, Johnson is already comfortable with the three-course, pro-am format. He tied for seventh here last year for his first career top-10 on TOUR. -- Ryan Smithson
SOFT GREENS SHOWING MARKS (2:36 p.m.): If the greens remain soft for the rest of the tournament, the players will have to deal with a potential issue on the greens -- heel prints.
Mike Weir said he noticed some heel prints on the greens while shooting a 5-under 67 in the first round at Poppy Hills.
"There's a lot of footprints out there, so it's real hard to shoot 9 or 10 under when the greens are like that," Weir said. "I mean, they're in great shape, but they're just so soft that they're really making a lot of heel prints and things like that out there."
Weir, playing at Pebble Beach today, is now at 6 under after a birdie on the opening hole. -- Mike McAllister
GOOSEN MAKING A MOVE (2:25 p.m.): Retief Goosen is a familiar name for all golf fans, but he's been unfamiliar with the top of the leaderboard for some time now on the PGA TOUR.
Yet he's making a move Friday. Playing at Pebble Beach, he's eagled the second hole and has now posted birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 to move to 8 under for the tournament. That currently ties him for second with Rich Beem, three shots behind Dustin Johnson.
Goosen, who hasn't won on the TOUR since The International in 2005, hasn't found himself in this kind of striking distance in the second round too often in the last five years. -- Mike McAllister
| Retief Goosen's best second-round positions in the last five years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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BEEM OUT FAST (2:05 p.m.): Rich Beem, who shot a 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach on Thursday, is off to a hot start Friday at Spyglass Hill. Starting his round on the 10th hole, Beem birdied the 10th and the 12th and is now at 8 under.
Of the three courses being used this week, Beem said he definitely favors the one he's playing today.
"I feel like I can score better at Spyglass, which is crazy because nobody scores better at Spyglass," Beem said after his round Thursday. "But I think that I can."
In the first round, Spyglass Hill was the only course to play to a stroke average above par. The 60 pros who played there Thursday averaged 72.467 on the par-72 course. Pebble Beach was the easiest at 70.650, while Poppy Hills played to a stroke average of 71.750. -- Mike McAllister
FROM THE INBOX (1:45 p.m.): Reader Ted Powell of Austin, Texas wanted to know what the selection process is and what the entry fee is for this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
The answer to his first question is that it's basically the job of tournament organizers to extend invitations to some of the most recognizable names in sports, entertainment and the business world. Some spots are also reserved for title sponsor AT&T and CBS, which broadcasts the event. That said, there seems to be fewer CEOs in the field than in year's past given the state of the economy.
As for the actual cost, it's not cheap. It's costs a hefty $14,500. Keep in mind, of course, that the event also raises millions for local charities, so that's money well spent. -- Brian Wacker
WHAT WILL PHIL DO? (1:30 p.m.): Phil Mickelson still has two rounds, including today's, to right his game after a ho-hum 72 in yesterday's opening round at Spyglass Hill, where he took 29 putts.
If Mickelson misses the cut here, however, it will mark the worst start to a season in his long and storied career -- one that has seen a lot of wins or strong performances in the first month of the season. Only three times in the last six years, including this one, has Mickelson missed the cut in any of his first three tournaments of the season. During that same stretch, he has nine top 10s in 17 events, including two wins and a runner-up. -- Brian Wacker
| Phil Mickelson: Results in first three events last six years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LEADERS ON THE COURSE (1:15 p.m.): Dustin Johnson and Robert Garrigus, yesterday's leaders with opening-round 65s, are both on the course right now. Johnson is playing Spyglass Hill, the most difficult of the three courses, and is 1 under after a birdie on No. 10 (he started on the back nine). Garrigus, meanwhile, had a birdie on No. 2 at Poppy Hills before a pair of bogeys dropped him to 1 over. He's since rebounded, however, with a birdie on the eighth to get back to even par on the day. -- Brian Wacker
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