Arnold Palmer Invitational: Second-round notebook
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The 36-hole cut came at 5-over 145 with 74 players making it to the weekend. Third-round tee times will be between 8:26 a.m. and 1:50 p.m.
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• After birdies at Nos. 10, 11 and 12, his first three holes of the day, Sean O'Hair distanced himself from the field in Round 2 by tying this week's tournament-low 5-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead over Jason Gore.
• O'Hair has previously held at least a share of the 36-hole lead just once. At the 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, he began the weekend tied for first with Brett Wetterich before ultimately finishing second.
• O'Hair is off to a solid start this season. Prior to his lone missed cut at last week's Transitions Championship (an event he won in 2008), he has posted three top-10s and finished no worse than 25th. He finished fourth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, tied for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied for 25th at the FBR Open, tied for fifth in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and tied for 13th at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship.
• Should he go on to claim victory, O'Hair could move as high as fourth in the FedExCup standings.
• The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win five of 12 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Phil Mickelson at the CA Championship.
• The 36-hole leader/co-leader of the Arnold Palmer Invitational has previously gone on to win 16 of 43 times, most recently Kenny Perry in 2005 and Tiger Woods in 2000, 2002 and 2003.
• Jason Gore followed his opening-round, 5-under 65 with an even-par 70 in Round 2 to remain at 5 under for the tournament.
• Gore has faced a bit of an uphill battle so far this year. After three missed cuts and a withdrawal, he posted his best finish of the year two weeks ago with a tie for 44th at the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. Based on his 134th-place finish on the 2008 PGA TOUR money list, Gore has partially exempt status for 2009.
• Robert Allenby continues his solid play as he backed up a 1-over 71 in Round 1 with a 5-under 65 in Round 2 to claim a share of third place with Ryuji Imada.
• In his first start since the recent death of his mother, Allenby tied for 17th at the Northern Trust Open in February. Two weeks later at the Honda Classic, he claimed his first top-five finish of the year, a tie for fifth.
• Allenby, who didn't play the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year, is competing for the 11th time at Bay Hill. His best finish here came in 2006 in the form of a fourth-place finish. By sticking around to compete on the weekend, both Allenby and Tiger Woods remain tied for most consecutive cuts made at 32.
• Defending champion Woods fired a 1-under 69 that included chip-ins for birdie-3s at Nos. 8 & 10. At the halfway point of last year's Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods was tied for 20th.
• Vaughn Taylor used a 6-iron from 191 yards to ace the par-3 seventh hole. He also recorded holes-in-one at the 2004 FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort and the 2008 Frys.com Open on the PGA TOUR as well as the 2003 Alberta Calgary Classic on the Nationwide Tour.
• Taylor followed his ace with back-to-back birdie-3s at the eighth and ninth holes Friday, combining for a 4-under total over the last three holes on the front side. Taylor posted a 2-under 68 for the round and sits at 2 under after two rounds. Taylor shared the lead here after the first round in 2007 and held the outright lead after the third round on his way to a third-place finish.
• Webb Simpson used a 5-iron from 220 yards at the par-3 17th hole to claim the second ace of the day. It was the first ace of his professional career. Simpson followed an opening-round even-par 70 with a second-round 1-over 71 and holds a share of 27th place.
• The good news for Jeff Klauk is that he has a job for the weekend thanks to his second-round, even-par 70. The bad news is also that he has a job for the weekend. If he had missed the cut, he would've raced home to be a part of his brother's wedding in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday. All parties involved, however, agreed that if he made the cut he should stay and compete. Klauk tees off in Saturday's third round at 8:53 a.m.
• With increased winds in Round 2, bogey-free rounds were virtually non-existent. The only bogey-free round of the day belonged to Allenby, who shot a 5-under 65.
• The 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational was the third PGA TOUR event for Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa. He missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open, finished 71st at last week's Transitions Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., and missed the cut this week after rounds of 76-71.
• Vijay Singh, at 4-over 144, is now a perfect 17 for 17 in made cuts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Singh has finished inside the top 10 a total of seven times at the event, including a win in 2007 and runner-up finishes in 1993, 1994 and 2005. He has finished inside the top 10 the last four years here (tie for third in 2008, win in 2007, seventh in 2006, tie for second in 2005).
• Ross Fisher was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after his second round.
• The scoring average at the par-70 Bay Hill Club & Lodge remains high this week. The average on Thursday was 72.118, while on Friday it edged down to 72.093.
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