Tour Report: No one able to catch Watson yet (PGATOUR.com)

The afternoon wave is on the back nine and guess what? No one has been able to catch Bubba Watson.

Webb Simpson and Matt Bettencourt each looked like they were going to make a move, but both are back to 2 under through 13 and 11 holes, respectively. Each is four shots off Watson’s lead of 10 under.

Joe Durant, who ended the first round just one shot off the lead, hasn’t made up any ground either. He’s even through 12 holes today.

Meanwhile, the cut line remains at even par. Rickie Fowler, who was on the wrong side of that number, has since moved inside the cut line by two strokes at 1 under for the tournament.

Watch: Weekley’s close call with gator

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Boo Weekley got in a few gator calls between shots Thursday.

Boo Weekley got a little close to an alligator Thursday at TPC Louisiana. Click here for the video.

Cut check: Fowler in trouble

The cut line is currently at even par. which is bad news for Rickie Fowler, who is 1 over on the tournament.

The good news for Fowler is he has time to recover after playing his first six holes Friday in 3 over with a triple bogey on the par-4 fourth and a bogey on the par-4 fifth.

Other notables on the wrong side of the number include 2009 winner Jerry Kelly, who is 5 over for the week (and 2 under through nine holes Friday) and Justin Rose, who is also 5 over (and even par through eight holes).

Jeff Overton, a runner-up here a year ago, is also flirting with missing the cut. He’s 1 under through eight holes today and right on the number for the week.

Watson’s comfort level growing

For a course that apparently doesn’t suit his eye, or his game, Bubba Watson is doing alright.

Watson

“There were a lot of tough tee shots for me,” Watson said. “A lot of times the water’s on the left for me being left‑handed. So when I look up at the target, there is always water glaring at my face.

“For me, it’s daunting. It’s tough. It’s hard to overcome, but somehow I’m overcoming it right now.”

He sure is. Watson shot 68 Friday, hitting 11 fairways for a second straight day and 16 greens in the process. He’s 10 under going to the weekend and in position to make a run at his second win of the season.

“It’s fun,” Watson said. “This is what we strive to do. We always want the pressure. We always want the nerves, want the butterflies.”

Watson will certainly have plenty of the latter. He grew up just 2 1/2 hours from TPC Louisiana in the panhandle of Florida.

That also means plenty of fans are there pulling for Watson.

“Any time you have fans, it means you’re doing something right,” Watson said. “Hopefully I can play good and not embarrass myself in front of this crowd. So far, so good.”

Donald puts himself in hunt again

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Luke Donald has his sights set on a second win — and the No. 1 ranking.

Luke Donald had an early wake-up call Friday morning when his alarm went off at 5 a.m., giving him just enough time to catch a glimpse of the royal wedding.

”My wife, on the other hand, got up at 4 to watch a little more,” Donald said. “She’s royal wedding crazy. So she watched a bunch of it.”

Donald didn’t waste any time making birdies once he got to the golf course with three of them over his first seven holes. Unfortunately for the Englishman, though, he made just one birdie the rest of the day to go with a bogey and a double bogey and shot a 1-under 71.

At one point, Donald had gone 29 holes without a bogey.

“Up until then I played pretty solid golf,” Donald said.

Still, that was good enough to leave him in contention heading to the weekend at TPC Louisiana, where he has a shot to reach No. 1 in the world with a win.

If there is one thing that does concern Donald, it’s the fact that he’s taken 30 putts in each of his first two rounds, especially when you take into account that he leads the PGA TOUR in putting average.

“Yeah, 30′s a lot for me. So I’ll go hit the putting green and try to figure it out,” Donald said. “I think the greens are only going to get firmer. They’re already starting to turn a little yellow color, so it will be a tough weekend. And hopefully I can find my speed on the greens which wasn’t that great the last couple of days and make some putts.”

Rollins could turn season around

Friday marked just the third time this season that John Rollins has posted consecutive rounds in the 60s. And he’s been well-rewarded at the midway point of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, too, standing just two strokes off the lead held by Bubba Watson.

Rollins followed up a first-round 67 with a 69 on Friday that included four birdies, the last of which came courtesy of pin-point 6-iron from 172 yards that produced a 3-foot putt on his final hole. 

“It’s great to finish with a birdie,” Rollins said. “I played good for two days. Happy with the way I’ve been hitting the ball and had a lot of opportunities. I just feel very comfortable with where I am.”

Rollins is a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, the most recent coming at the 2009 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. He’s struggled putting four rounds together this year, though, and his best finish is a tie for 20th.

That’s why the week’s strong start is so encouraging.

“I played good,” Rollins acknowledged. “Three under par out here is a good score.  The greens are pretty fast, getting faster.  I don’t want to say burn out, but they’re drying up.  It’s down grain and it’s hard to control shots into the green. The ball just kind of seems to want to release out. So it’s tough to get close to some of the holes. But you can get some good scores if you’re really sharp.”

Rollins certainly has been. And as a result, he’s got a chance to turn the season around.

“I’ve hit the ball well and given myself a lot of opportunities,” he said. “So I’ve got to be very pleased with where I am and we’ll see how the week works out.”

Cejka withdraws after hitting self

Alex Cejka has withdrawn from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after apparently injuring his right foot after striking it with his golf club, according to the Golf Channel.

Cejka, who opened with a 74 on Thursday, was so frustrated with his play that he took a swipe at the ground with his club — only he hit his foot. The impact created a hole in his shoe and ultimately injured his right foot.

The German was apparently in tears in the locker room and saw a doctor, according to Golf Channel, before deciding to withdraw.

Gainey continuing to find success

Tommy Gainey managed just a 1-under 71 Thursday in New Orleans. That might not sound like much, but with the wind picking up and Gainey through two rounds at 6 under he should be in good shape going to the weekend.

Gainey

Winning on the Nationwide Tour last year also won’t hurt, at least in terms of what it did for Gainey’s confidence in what is his second full season on the PGA TOUR.

”That pretty much told me if I could win on the Nationwide Tour I could compete and win on the PGA TOUR,” Gainey said. “It’s just propelled me on the level I’m at right now.”

That level has resulted in three top-10s for the two-gloves-wearing, baseball-swinging South Carolina native.

Gainey is coming off a third-place finish at The Heritage and last month was fifth at The Honda Classic.

“Besides today, I’ve hit the ball really good and putted well for about the last month,” said Gainey, who is averaging 1.64 putts per green in regulation at TPC Louisiana. “Out here you’ve got to make putts, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Now he just hopes that wind keeps blowing.

“It’s tough out there today, especially when I hit the ball like crap,” Gainey said. “Made a couple putts here and there, but other than that, I’m glad to be 1 under out of it today.”

Teater on a roll

Given some of the numbers popping up on the leaderboard, conditions appear to be ripe for scoring at TPC Louisiana, where Josh Teater is putting together easily the day’s best round at 8 under through 15 holes.

Teater, whose best career finish was a tie for third at last year’s Turning Stone Resort Championship, has birdied six of his last 10 holes and has eight birdies in all.

So far, he’s hit eight of a dozen fairways and 13 of 15 greens on his way to what looks to be the best round of his career. As such, he currently has the lead at 11 under.

Teater is hardly the only one going low, however. John Senden is already in with a 5-under 67, while David Hearn is 5 under through his first 11 holes. Even Chris DiMarco, who for the most part has had an abysmal season, is trending up at 4 under with a couple of holes left in his round.

Your open thread: Zurich Classic, Rd. 2

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Bubba Watson is off to a hot start at the Zurich Classic, where he’s looking for his second win of the season.

Can Bubba Watson get his second win of the year this week in New Orleans? Or will it be Luke Donald, who has a shot at reaching No. 1 in the world? The second round is in full swing from TPC Louisiana. Discuss it here.

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As mentioned earlier in the week. Luke Donald has another chance at becoming No. 1 in the world. Here’s how: Donald, currently No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, needs to win or finish second at the Zurich Classic to overtake Martin Kaymer, currently No. 2 in the OWGR. Lee Westwood, the current No. …