Farmers Insurance Open

SAN DIEGO—It’s become a recurring theme so far on the PGA Tour in 2010 – what’s happening off the golf course is bigger than what’s happening on the course.

Friday was no different in the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, as the controversy persisted over grooves and what could be the end of John Daly’s professional career overshadowed a tournament led by two players – Ryuji Imada and D.A. Points – whose names aren’t exactly household.

Thursday, La Quinta resident and Tour veteran Scott McCarron called out certain players for using old Ping-Eye 2 wedges, which technically have non-conforming grooves based on the new USGA rule but are legal for play because of a 1990 legal settlement between the USGA and Ping.

McCarron, who has missed the cut at Torrey Pines, specifically referenced Phil Mickelson, who put an old Ping-Eye 2 lob wedge in his bag this week after hearing that players like Daly and Dean Wilson did so during the Sony Open, the first event of the year.

“I think it’s a ridiculous rule. But whoever wants to play them, they’re approved,” said Mickelson, who is tied for 10th place at 7-under par after posting a 67 on the North course.

The hubbub over this loophole figures to be an ongoing story, as does the abrupt supposed retirement of Daly. The 43-year-old missed the cut after rounds of 79-71, and following play he told a Golf Channel producer, “I’m done with golf. I’m tired of embarrassing myself. I just can’t do it anymore.”

Whether his farewell will stick remains to be seen, but besides groove depth and the apparent good-bye of one of the sport’s most charismatic and controversial figures, there was plenty of solid golf on both courses at Torrey Pines.

Points and Imada both fired bogey-free rounds on the treacherous South course in the second round. They enter the weekend pacing the field at 11-under par, while Matt Every and Michael Sim (who shot a 10-under 62 on the North course) are two back at 9-under.

Points shot the low round of the week on the South, a 65 that included an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. A 33-year-old with five top-10 finishes in 95 career Tour events, he won’t necessarily be a favorite on the weekend, though any player who’s shown the ability to shoot 7-under on such a difficult layout has to be considered a factor.

“The main thing for this course is obviously just making putts and driving the fairway, and those are two things that I’ve done the last two rounds,” said Points, who missed only three fairways and needed only 25 putts Friday. For the week, he leads the field in driving accuracy at 82.1 percent.

While Points has never come close to winning on the PGA Tour, Imada won the AT&T Classic in 2008. Perhaps more importantly, the native of Hiroshima, Japan has a superb track record at Torrey Pines – he’s never missed the cut in five appearances and has finished inside the top 20 the last three years, including a second-place showing in ’08 when Cypress native Tiger Woods cruised to an eight-stroke victory.

“I struggled a lot with my putting last week [at the Bob Hope Classic], and I come here, and all of a sudden my putting feels great. I don't know what it is, but maybe it's the poa annua greens or speed of the greens,” said Imada, who shot a 4-under 68 on the South and has been bogey-free through 36 holes.

Torrance native Chris Tidland backed up a 7-under 65 on the North Thursday with a 1-under 71 on the South Friday, leaving him tied for fifth at 8-under par with four others – George McNeill, Ben Crane, John Rollins and Robert Allenby. Rollins was the runner-up to Nick Watney here one year ago, while Allenby has sided with McCarron this week by publicly disagreeing with players’ usage of old Ping-Eye 2 wedges.

Murrieta native Rickie Fowler charged up the leaderboard early in the day with a 3-under 33 on the back nine of the South course heading out, but couldn’t record any more birdies on the front. The 21-year-old has made his first cut as a full-time PGA Tour member and will start the third round tied with several others at 7-under, including Mickelson, North Hills resident Charlie Wi, Murrieta resident Tom Pernice Jr. and Marc Leishman.

Here’s how other notable Southern Californians have fared through 36 holes:

--First-round leader Scott Piercy, a San Diego State alumnus, struggled on the South course Friday with a 3-over 75. He is tied for 21st at 5-under par, which also is where Orange native Hunter Mahan finds himself after a 5-under 67 on the North course.

--The halfway cut fell at 2-under par, and a host of locals missed that number by one stroke, including San Diegan Chris Riley, former USC men’s golf team member Kevin Stadler, and Long Beach natives John Merrick and Paul Goydos. Escondido native John Mallinger and Poway native Charley Hoffman finished at even-par, two strokes off the cut line.

--What happened to Pat Perez? The former San Diego resident seemed to be sitting pretty after a 3-under 69 on the South course in the first round, only to come to the easier North course Friday and plummet with a 4-over 76, sending him home for the weekend.

 

For a complete leaderboard, visit PGATour.com.

Check back throughout the week for more coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open.

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