Mickelson, Gay move into Compaq lead (News)
By SHELDON MICKLES
Advocate sportswriter
NEW ORLEANS -- After yielding 110 scores below par in the first round of the $4 million Compaq Classic of New Orleans on Thursday, the English Turn Golf & Country Club course showed its teeth Friday.
With the help of a 15 to 20 mph wind that started kicking up in midmorning, English Turn gained a measure of revenge even though Phil Mickelson, Brian Gay and Harrison Frazar managed to dodge the carnage thanks to early tee times.
Mickelson and Gay each fired a 6-under-par 66 for the second straight day to share the lead at the halfway point of the tournament at 12-under 132. Frazar had the best round of the day -- a 65 -- and came in with a 36-hole score of 11-under 133.
The rest of the day, however, belonged to the course and the wind that whipped across the par-72, 7,116-yard English Turn layout. Only 50 of 152 players who set out Friday managed to break par, and the aggregate score of 122-over was 378 strokes worse than the 256-under score they put up Thursday.
So with 36 holes to go, it’s anybody’s tournament. After the big three of Mickelson, Gay and Frazar, Jerry Kelly (68-67), Keith Clearwater (65-70), Chris Tidland (66-69) and Brian Wilson (65-70) are three strokes off the lead at 135.
Another swing back at 136 are Ernie Els (67-69), Brian Watts (64-72) and Jim Carter (65-71). First-round leader Paul Stankowski, who fired a course-record 61 Thursday, struggled to a 77 Friday and was tied for 15th at 138.
Portions of today’s third round will be televised by ABC (WBRZ-TV, Ch. 2) from 3-5 p.m. About 33,000 fans were on hand Friday and tournament officials are expecting a bigger crowd today.
Mickelson, the world’s second-ranked player, was happy to tee off early Friday. He found little wind on the front nine and then watched as it picked up when he made the turn to the back nine.
"Today, the front nine played much easier with the wind being calm, and then it picked up on the back," he said. "I was able to shoot 3-under on each side and I was very pleased to have done that."
After some solid play on the front side, however, Mickelson’s score could have been better if not for an up-and-down back nine. He had three birdies in his first four holes on the back, but sandwiched two bogeys around an eagle at the par-5, 542-yard 15th hole.
Mickelson missed a double-eagle by inches and his approach shot rolled about three feet to the right of the cup. He then sank the easy putt for the eagle.
"I had just made a bogey on the previous hole and as I stood on the tee, my mindset was (No. 15) is a hole you have to have respect for," said Mickelson. "But if you have an iron in, you probably go for it and try to reach in two."
When he crushed his drive 330 yards into the wind, Mickelson had only 190 yards to the front of the island green.
"I had a good 3-iron, I was trying to hit to the middle of the green because the wind was going to push it over a little bit," he said. "But (the wind) pushed it right of the pin and wound up just a few feet from the cup."
Gay’s steady round was highlighted by an eagle-3 at the par-5, 550-yard 11th hole, the same hole he eagled Thursday. He hit a driver and 3-wood to about 25 feet and then dropped in the long putt to get to 13-under.
But two bogeys and a birdie left him at 12-under for the tournament.
"Obviously, I feel real good about the tournament so far," said Gay, who got off a great start Friday with birdies on three of the first four holes. "Both days I’ve had a lot of opportunities and taken advantage of most of them. I left a few shots out there today, but I’m certainly very pleased."
Gay said he saw his name at the top of the on-course leaderboard while he was waiting to putt on the 14th green, but he didn’t allow himself to be consumed with what he had seen.
"It’s Friday morning, so it’s not going to do me any good to pay attention to that," he said. "I was playing well, so I didn’t need to start thinking about anything else."
The wind, Gay said, started picking up after the fifth or sixth hole. But he managed to post birdies at the ninth and 10th holes before sinking the eagle at No. 11. The rest of the round was a struggle, but the score is what counts.
"I’ve hit a lot of good iron shots and have given myself a lot of chances," Gay said. "I haven’t missed but a couple of fairways in two days and the ones I’ve missed have been on the right side where I’ve been able to get up and down."
Frazar is ready to make another run at the Compaq title after finishing in a tie for second in 1999 and claiming third last year. He had an eagle, six birdies and only one bogey Friday as he also made it to the clubhouse before the winds picked up.
"I don’t know what it is, but I seem to like this golf course," said Frazar, who had taken three of the last four weeks off. "But I think I’ve played enough in the past here and I think I’m rested enough that the course is a very comfortable fit.
"I didn’t do anything outstanding today and I didn’t drive that particularly well," he said. "But I hit some good wedge shots and some decent iron shots, this course just sets up good to my eye."
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