Notes: Barcelo, former Little League World Series player, out front

By Joel Schuchmann
PGATOUR.com Staff
 

Notes on 36-hole leader Rich Barcelo:
• Played sparingly on both the PGA TOUR (one start, MC) and the Nationwide Tour (eight starts, two top-25s) in 2006.
• Made the cut in eight of 19 starts on the 2005 Nationwide Tour, with two top-10 finishes. Finished the season No. 93 on the money list, with $50,468.
• Rookie on the 2004 PGA TOUR after finishing T21 at the 2003 PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament at Orange County National outside Orlando. Made the cut in eight of 26 starts on TOUR last year, finishing No. 186 on the final money list, with $223,597. Career-best T16 at the Booz Allen Classic was one of two top-25 finishes.
• Finished in the top 50 on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2002 and 2003.
• Winner of the 2000 California State Open. Honorable mention All-American selection at University of Nevada in 1998. Named 1998 Big West Conference Player of the Year. Medalist at the 1998 Stanford U.S. Intercollegiate and the 1995 Colorado State Invitational.
• Was an all-city basketball player during high school. Played in the 1986 Little League World Series. Brother Marc had a six-year professional career as a pitcher in the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs organizations.

Former PGA TOUR winner Cameron Beckman made the largest jump of the day into the top-10 – he entered the day T74 after a 3-over-par 75 on Thursday and rebounded with an 8-under-par 64 on Thursday at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. He enters Friday’s third round T3.

Brian Bateman, playing in the finals of PGA TOUR Qualifying School for the sixth time in seven years, sits T3 after a second-round 7-under-par 65 at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. Bateman has been successful in his last four trips to the finals (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005).

Bob May recovered from a first-round 3-over-par 75 to post a 7-under-par 65 at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course and sits T7 through 36 holes. May finished the season No. 141 on the money list in 21 starts, with a best finish of second at the B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort. Prior to the 2006 season, May had not played on the PGA TOUR since the 2003 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, where he injured his back teeing off on the 72nd hole. He missed the majority of the 2003 season after the injury, along with the entire 2004-05 seasons.

Here’s a look how the medalists from the Second Stages have fared through two rounds this week

 Second Stage City	Medalist (s)		Position through 36 
						holes at Finals
Dade City, FL.		Andrew Johnson		T57	
Kingwood, TX.		Chris Stroud		T112
			Adam Rubinson		T85
Maricopa, AZ.		Garth Mulroy		T142
Beaumont, CA.		Jason Day		T131
			Boyd Summerhays		159
McKinney, TX.		Anthony Kim		T21
Panama City Beach, FL.	Nick Malinowski		T112

•18 of the 163 players in the field this week have won PGA TOUR events:
Cameron Beckman -- 2001 Southern Farm Bureau Classic
Guy Boros -- 1996 Greater Vancouver Open
Michael Bradley -- 1998 Doral-Ryder Open (also won 1996 Buick Classic, unofficial 36-hole victory)
Bob Burns -- 2002 Disney Golf Classic
Tom Byrum -- 1989 Kemper Open
Jose Coceres -- 2001 WORLDCOM Classic; 2001 National Car Rental Golf Classic
Glen Day -- 1999 MCI Classic
Brent Geiberger -- 1999 Canon Greater Hartford Open; 2004 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro
Mike Heinen -- 1994 Shell Houston Open
Lee Janzen -- Eight wins, most recently the 1998 U.S. Open
Jonathan Kaye -- 2003 Buick Classic, 2004 FBR Open
Dennis Paulson -- 2000 Buick Classic
Dicky Pride -- 1994 Federal Express St. Jude Classic
Chris Riley -- 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open
Tom Scherrer -- 2000 Kemper Insurance Open
Paul Stankowski -- 1996 BellSouth Classic; 1997 United Airlines Hawaiian Open
Duffy Waldorf -- Four wins, most recently the 2000 National Car Rental Golf Classic
Garrett Willis -- 2001 Touchstone Energy Tucson Classic

Mamoru Osanai withdrew after 14 holes in the second round – he was 10-over-par on the day and 23-over-par for the tournament.

The top first-time participant through 36 holes is Steven Bowditch (T3), who is attempting to improve his status for 2007, currently a Minor Medical Exemption. Bowditch will be granted a Minor Medical Exemption after his 2006 season was limited to 22 events. Coupled with 2006 winnings of $11,160, has five events to earn $649,738, equaling No. 125 from 2006. If he is successful, he will play out of the Major Medical Extension category for the remainder of the 2007 season. Bowditch was a rookie on PGA TOUR in 2006 after finishing fifth on Nationwide Tour money list, highlighted by season-opening Jacob's Creek Open Championship, where he became the second-youngest winner in Nationwide Tour history at 21 years, 8 months and 12 days.

Five players posted bogey-free rounds on Thursday: Rich Barcelo (JN), Cameron Beckman (JN), Maarten Lafeber (JN), Bob May (JN) and Ryan Armour (PW).

The PGA West Stadium Course (74.163) played more than three shots more difficult than the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course (71.142) on Thursday.