Round 2, Valero Texas Open

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May. 15, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's second round of the Valero Texas Open. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
8:45 am ET No. 10		Justin Leonard, Chad Campbell, Brian Bateman Leonard, a three-time champ in San Antonio, chipped in on his last hole to share the lead Thursday. Track 'em
1:25 pm ET No. 1		Dean Wilson, David Duval, Stephen Leaney Duval carded his best score of the year in the first round on Thursday with a splendid 4-under 66. Track 'em
1:45 pm ET No. 10		Cameron Beckman, Scott Verplank, Paul Goydos Goydos fired a front-nine, 6-under 29 on his way to a 7-under 63 in the first round on Thursday. Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Bob Stevens previews Friday's first round:

Confidence matters more than just about anything on the PGA TOUR. As much as we try to make this game about 300-yard drives and 20-foot putts, it's even more importantly about the 6 inches between a player's ears.

Two players I spoke with after their excellent opening rounds, Paul Goydos and Stephen Ames, are coming in from the TPC Sawgrass, where they have great memories and feel very comfortable, to a place that, while completely different stylistically, also makes them feel good just by showing up.

Goydos has never missed a cut here in 11 years and has finished in the top 20 each of his last two visits. Ames was sixth last year, and you know their records at THE PLAYERS (if you don't, Goydos nearly won last year and Ames has a win and a second at TPC Sawgrass).

Friday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 95 high/74 low
Friday should be partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain in the morning. The wind will blow from the south-southeast at 16 mph.

That confidence is tempered with realism. Goydos and Ames admitted that no matter how confidently they played Thursday, 7 under isn't going to do it this week. In Goydos' words, "I'll just have to keep digging." Spoken like a Long Beach "Dirtbag." Ames also admitted that as happy as he was with his opening 66, four of them might not be enough this week.

While Ames told me he has seen improvement lately and thought something good might happen soon, Goydos, who missed the cut at THE PLAYERS last week, was honestly surprised, telling me that, "my game often shows up unannounced." He did admit he's been putting better lately, and, "that's how we measure ourselves out here."

He got the measure of LaCantera's greens quicker than most players, greens he thinks are a little slower in springtime than they are in the fall, leading me to believe lower scores are coming the more the players dial in to the "different" green speeds.

Speaking of confident and comfortable, watch out for Aussie Marc Leishman. Even though he was playing the Resort Course at LaCantera for the first time competitively, he'd just come off a visit with his swing coach, so he teed it up with positive swing thoughts. He'd missed three cuts since his last made cut, a tie for 42nd in Houston. So maybe Texas had something to do with it? Leishman also reminded me that his Nationwide Tour win last year came in the west Texas heat in Midland. The man with the boxing kangaroo on his bag felt the heat, the wind and the tree-lined course made him feel like his native Australia.

Stat of the day

Paul Goydos matched his tournament personal best low nine-hole score with a 6-under 29 on the front side on the way to a 63 on Thursday. Goydos also turned in a 29 in the final-round at this event in 2000. Goydos' career low nine-hole score is a 28 at the 1999 Byron Nelson Championship.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS:
• Jeff Maggert turned in a 64 Thursday, which is his best round since the 2008 Valero Texas Open when he shot a 64 in the third-round and finished tied for 15th.

• Leishman, who tied for the 20th and final spot to qualify for the PGA TOUR through the Nationwide Tour money list in 2008, turned in his best round on TOUR with a 64 in the first round. Previously, Leishman shot a 65 at the Sony Open in Hawaii on his way to a personal-best tie for 12th. Leishman has missed six of 11 cuts this season.

Haas

• Bill Haas accomplished something Thursday that his father, Jay Haas, was not able to do in over 30 years and 797 events on the PGA TOUR. Bill shot a 29 on the back-nine (his first nine) in his first appearance at the Valero Texas Open. Father Jay, an assistant captain on this year's Presidents Cup team, played in the Valero Texas Open 23 times in his career, winning the event two times. Jay's lowest career nine-hole score was a 30, which he accomplished six times.

• Only two players have been able to successfully defend their titles so far in 2009, and it just happens to be the No. 1 and 2 ranked players in the world. Phil Mickelson defended his Northern Trust Open title, while Tiger Woods was able to defend his Arnold Palmer Invitational title. Otherwise, K.J. Choi's tie for 12th was the best finish by a player trying to defend their 2008 TOUR win. During the 2008 TOUR season, only three players were able to defend their 2007 titles (Tiger Woods-Buick Invitational, Boo Weekley-Verizon Heritage and Padraig Harrington-British Open). Zach Johnson won the 2008 Valero Texas Open only seven months ago and will try to become only the third player this season to defend successfully.

Thus far at the Valero Texas Open

Round	Leader	Low round (par 70)	Key links
	Paul Goydos, Justin Leonard (-7)	63: Paul Goydos, Justin Leonard	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Player Spotlight \| Notebook

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the first round of the 2009 Valero Texas Open and looks ahead to the second round. Watch it
	Shot of the day Marco Dawson hits a stellar approach shot from the trees to set up a birdie putt on No. 18. Watch it
	Round 1 highlights Justin Leonard and Paul Goydos are on top of the leaderboard after the first round at LaCantera GC. Watch it