Mayakoba Golf Classic: Second-round notebook
By Mark Stevens, PGA TOUR Staff
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- A total of 78 players made the cut, which came at 2-over 142. The cut in 2008 was 4 over.
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• Kevin Na and Mark Wilson are both at 10-under 130 and share the lead after the second-round at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
• Teeing off in the afternoon wave, Na turned in the best round of the tournament with a bogey-free 8-under 62, which is one stroke off the tournament record set by Roland Thatcher in 2008.
• Na's 62 beats his previous low round of 63 set at the 2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Kevin Na's 130 is also a new 36-hole career-best. His previous career-best was a 131 set at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii.
• Na has held the second-round lead two previous times in his career, both coming in 2005 at the FBR Open, where he finished tied for second, and at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, where he finished tied for 17th.
• Na and Wilson's 36-hole score of 10-under 130 breaks the tournament record of 131 for low first 36 holes that was set by three players in 2007 (Funk, Weekley and Beckman).
• Wilson shot a 6-under 64 in the second round to take the lead after the morning wave. Wilson's 36-hole total of 130 also represents a career best. His previous best 36-hole total was 132, which he accomplished on five occasions.
• Wilson, who picked up his only PGA TOUR win at the 2007 Honda Classic and is coming off his two best seasons on TOUR, has never led after the second round of a tournament prior to Friday. His only first-round lead was at the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson (tied ofr ninth) and his only third-round lead was at the 2007 Honda Classic, which he went on to win in a playoff over Jose Coceres, Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley.
• First-round leader Bo Van Pelt shot a 1-under 69 and is two strokes behind the co-leaders. Van Pelt's career-best finish is a tie for second at the 2008 Puerto Rico Open.
• Typically to be successful at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Driving Accuracy is a must. Last year's champion Brian Gay finished 17th in TOUR Driving Accuracy in 2008, while 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic winner Fred Funk ranked second in TOUR Driving Accuracy that season.
• Scott Piercy continued his strong play and is tied for seventh at 5-under 135. Piercy is tied for 181st in TOUR Driving Accuracy and third in TOUR Driving Distance (305.8). Rookie Gary Woodland dropped to a tie for 59th after the second round with a 1-over 141. Woodland is 175th in TOUR Driving Accuracy and second in TOUR Driving Distance.
• Along with defending champion Gay, three other players in the field are among the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy: Mark Brooks, David Toms and Olin Browne. Another, Chris DiMarco, led the field in that category last week at the Northern Trust and finished tied for 13th. At the halfway point, Toms is tied for 15th, Gay is tied for 22nd, DiMarco is tied for 35th, Browne is tied for 59th and Brooks is tied for 68th.
• El Camaleón Golf Club, designed by 2009 Presidents Cup International Team Captain Greg Norman, was ranked No. 14 among most-difficult courses on the PGA TOUR in 2008 (71.00). The par-4 third hole (462 yards) was ranked 22nd among the toughest holes on TOUR last year (4.385). Through 36 holes, the third hole is playing to an average of 4.185, while the overall course is playing to an average of 70.804.
• There are several Mexican and Spanish players in the field this year. Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara is tied for 11th with a 4-under 136. Lara's best European Tour Order of Merit finish was 30th in 2006 after winning the 2006 Hong Kong Open. Also still standing are Mexican players Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (tied for 35th) and Esteban Toledo (tied for 35th), and Spanish player Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (also tied for 35th).
• Richard Johnson (illness) withdrew prior to the second-round.
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