Second-round notebook – HP Byron Nelson Championship
* Rory Sabbatini (68-64—132), a South African who resides in Dallas, made four consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-7) on his back nine to post 6-under 64 for his low round this season. Sabbatini is coming off consecutive missed cuts at the Quail Hollow Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship after posting his best finish this year, a T2 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.* This marks the fifth time in his career that Rory Sabbatini has held the lead/co-lead at the conclusion of round two.
Year Tournament Eventual Finish
1999 BellSouth Classic T3
2003 FBR Capital Open Won
2006 Nissan Open Won
2007 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational T2
2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship TBD
* In 10 previous starts, Rory Sabbatini’s career-best finish at the HP Byron Nelson Championship is a T3 in 2007, the only time he has finished in the top 10.
* Rory Sabbatini is currently ranked No. 43 in the Official World Golf Rankings and is not yet exempt for the British Open. If Sabbatini stays in the top 50 he will avoid the 36-hole International Final Qualifying event scheduled for Monday in the Dallas area.
* Due to expected inclement weather on Saturday, the third round will begin at 7:30 a.m. off No. 1 and 10 tees in groups of three. The last group will begin at 9:30 a.m.
* The cut came at 1-under 139 with 74 players advancing to the weekend.
* John Mallinger (67-65—132) earns the second-round lead/co-lead for the second time in his career. Mallinger was tied for the lead after the second round of the 2007 Canadian Open, eventually finishing T7.
* John Mallinger’s career-best finish on the PGA Tour is a third at the 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He also has five T3 finishes, the most recent at the 2009 PLAYERS Championship.
* John Mallinger eagled both par-5s in the second round. He holed a 15-yard bunker shot for eagle at the seventh hole and a 16-foot putt for eagle at the 16th hole. Mallinger closed out his round with four consecutive 3s on Nos. 15-18 (birdie-eagle-par-birdie).
* John Mallinger is making his third start in the HP Byron Nelson Championship. After missing the cut in 2007, Mallinger finished T31 in 2008. His 65 betters his previous best round of 66 in round two last year by a stroke.
* Brian Davis (68-65—133) and James Driscoll (67-66—133) are two players who have come into some good form recently and continue to perform well this week. Davis, a 34-year-old Englishman, has a pair of T5 finishes in his last two starts (THE PLAYERS Championship, Valero Texas Open) while Driscoll, runner-up to Jeff Quinney at the 2000 U.S. Amateur, lost a playoff to Zach Johnson at last week’s Valero Texas Open. Both players have now posted their sixth consecutive rounds in the 60s.
* Brian Davis has the longest active streak of 18 consecutive rounds of par or better on the PGA Tour. During that stretch he has finished T19 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T38 at the Quail Hollow Championship and T5 at both THE PLAYERS Championship and Valero Texas Open.
* Brian Davis recorded seven birdies and a double-bogey at the 12th hole where he three-putted from five feet.
* James Driscoll holed a 170-yard 6-iron for eagle at the 455-yard, par-4 12th hole. In Thursday’s opening round, the 12th hole was ranked the fourth most difficult and relinquished just 11 birdies. In the second round it ranked the most difficult, even with 15 birdies and Driscoll’s eagle.
* James Driscoll was the only player in the field to get to 9-under during the second round but finished with bogeys at his last two holes to drop back to 7-under.
* James Nitties (65-68—133) and Robert Allenby (67-67—134) are two of 17 Australians in the field. 2008 champion, Adam Scott (71-71—142), was the third Australian to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship (Bruce Devlin/1969 and Peter Thompson/1956), but missed the cut in his title defense.
* Briny Baird (69-64—133) recorded eight birdies and two bogeys in his second round 6-under 64. It was one of three rounds (Love/Sabbatini) of 64 posted in round two. Baird finished T2 at the Verizon Heritage last month and is looking for his first Tour victory in his 289th career start.
* Dustin Johnson (68-65—133) is looking for his third Tour victory in his 45th career start. Johnson, a 24-year-old South Carolina native, won the 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship before capturing his second win at the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year.
* D.A. Points (68-66—134) enjoyed a steady, bogey-free second round on Friday. During Thursday’s opening round Points recorded three 2s, five 3s, six 4s and three 6s on his scorecard.
* Jesper Parnevik (67-68—135), the HP Byron Nelson Championship winner in 2000, is regaining some confidence after a lesson from Vijay Singh earlier this week. Singh told the Swede he “looked like he was swinging underwater and not ripping through it.” Parnevik has used the advice with good results. “I’ve been feeling like my speed has slowed down a lot since my hip surgery.” Parnevik had hip surgery late in 2000 after winning twice that year.
* Jesper Parnevik’s best finish this season is T42 at the Buick Invitational. His low round this season is 11-under 61 in the fourth round of the 50th Bob Hope Classic where he missed the cut (five-round event).
* New Zealand’s Danny Lee (69-67—136) is on track to make his second cut in three PGA Tour starts as a professional. Lee finished T38 at the Quail Hollow Championship after missing the cut in his first start as a professional at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
* 1987 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner and 2009 President’s Cup U.S. team captain Fred Couples (69-66—135) is in contention again. Couples will turn 50 and become eligible for the Champions Tour in early October, but continues to show he still belongs on the PGA Tour. Currently No. 76 on the FedExCup points list, Couples posted season-best T3 efforts at the Northern Trust Open and the Shell Houston Open.
* Not a single player can pass Zach Johnson at the top of the FedExCup standings this week. Rory Sabbatini could move as high as seventh with a victory this week. James Driscoll, Brian Davis and James Nitties could all move as high as 13th with a win this week.
* Jeff Maggert (71-66—137), a Houston, TX resident, birdied five of his last 10 holes to record his fifth round of 66 this season. Maggert’s low round this year is 64 in the first round of last week’s Valero Texas Open.
* Justin Leonard (75-63—138), a Dallas, TX native, managed a 12-stroke improvement from round one with a 7-under 63, including a back-nine 30. It was the low round of the day.
* Davis Love III (73-64—137) posted a 6-under 64 which included no fives on his scorecard. The 64 bettered Love’s low round of the season by two strokes (66/Round 1/Buick Invitational). Love is currently No. 54 on the Official World Golf Rankings and must creep into the top 50 by the end of the week to avoid International Final Qualifying for the 2009 British Open on Monday, to be held at Gleneagles Country Club in the Dallas area.
* Dallas, TX native and resident Matt Weibring advanced to the weekend after rounds of 67-69—136. His only previous start at the Tournament was a missed cut in 2005 (73-71). Weibring’s Dad, D.A., spearheaded the $10 million redesign of the TPC Four Seasons prior to the 2008 Tournament. The elder Weibring played in the Tournament 22 times, with runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1995.
* Bogey-free rounds were posted by D.A. Points (66), Robert Garrigus (66), Charley Hoffman (66), Jeff Klauk (66), Martin Laird (67) and Ben Crane (68).
* Vijay Singh (70-67—137) holed his second shot from 108 yards for an eagle at the 429-yard, par-4 18th hole. His 3-under 67 is just his fourth round in the 60s this year (31 rounds played) and equaled his low round for the season (67/Round 4/PLAYERS Championship).
* Here’s how the seven past champions of the HP Byron Nelson Championship fared this week:
2008 winner Adam Scott 71-71—142 MC
2007 winner Scott Verplank 69-71—140 MC
2005 winner Ted Purdy 74-65—139 T49
2003 winner Vijay Singh 70-67—137 T27
2002 winner Shigeki Maruyama 72-68—140 MC
2000 winner Jesper Parnevik 67-68—135 T11
1987 winner Fred Couples 69-66—135 T11
* Jose Coceres withdrew after nine holes with a wrist injury.
* Morning wave scoring average for round two was 69.79 compared with 70.70 in the afternoon.
* Scoring Averages at the par-70 TPC Four Seasons Resort:
Front 9 Back 9 Total Cumulative
Thursday 35.381 35.858 70.858 ---
Friday 34.773 34.857 69.630 70.246
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