Saturday, January 21, 2012
Staff/wire reports
LA QUINTA, CALIF.
When Mark Wilson got to 8 under through 11 holes on the Palmer Private course Friday, he seriously discussed golf’s magic number with playing partner Harrison Frazar, who once shot a 59 on another Humana Challenge course.
“I don’t know why the conversation went there ... but I thought about it,” Wilson said.
Wilson ended up posting the lowest score of his career, and that 62 wasn’t even the best round of the day in the desert. Bob Hope’s name is no longer on this reformatted tournament, but its tradition of stunningly low scores is still going strong.
Wilson pulled even with Ben Crane and David Toms at 16-under 128 to share a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Humana Challenge on Friday, topping a leaderboard covered with bogey-free rounds and personal bests.
Warren’s Jason Kokrak, a PGA Tour rookie, started his second round right where he left off the day before.
Kokrak closed day one with an eagle on the par 5 No. 18, then eagled No. 11 today after starting off on the backside.
Kokrak continued to streak with three straight birdies on No. 18, No. 1 and No. 2.
Throughout the day, Kokrak flirted with the top 10, but finished tied for 23rd with a day total of 66, -6.
Overall, Kokrak is -10 for the tournament, just six shots off from the leaders. Thirty others are tied with Kokrak.
Extremely low numbers always dominate the erstwhile Bob Hope Classic, which features two of the PGA Tour’s three easiest courses. Add a second day of ideal Palm Springs weather, and exceptional play is necessary just to stay in contention.
For example, Ryan Moore tied the Nicklaus course record with a 61, yet he was still five strokes back of the lead — and he wasn’t even among 23 players who played bogey-free rounds Friday.
“Everything has been much improved, and we got a much better field because of it,” said Crane, who had just 48 putts in his first two rounds. “This is a great place for players to start their year, because it’s like playing indoors.”
To illustrate his point, Crane mimed his caddie picking grass blades and dropping them from shoulder height.
“I’m like, ‘Where’s the wind?’ ” Crane said. “He’s like, ‘I don’t know.’ I’m like, ‘OK, let’s just hit a normal shot here.’ ”
Crane shot a 63 on the three-course tournament’s Palmer Private course, and Toms had a 65 on the Nicklaus Private course to match Wilson at 16-under 128. Rookie Harris English had a 62 on the Nicklaus Private course to join five players in fourth place at 13 under.
“That’s what you’ve got to do out here,” said English, the University of Georgia graduate playing his sixth round on the PGA Tour. “Put it in the fairway and then try to go out and get after it. I was getting my putter hot, and it was a lot of fun.”
Moore tied Charlie Wi’s 2009 record on the Nicklaus course despite starting with consecutive bogeys on his second and third holes before an eagle on the fourth. He then birdied 11 of 12 holes, including six straight around the turn.
“Really the last thing I remember was being 2 over through three, and then I just walked off the 18th hole,” said Moore, who rose 103 spots on the leaderboard. “Maybe that just freed me up. I just let go. ... I don’t know if I ever putted that good in my entire life.”