Stricker, Watney lead Transisitions
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 Transitions Championship | Round Two | 21 Mar 2009
In form golfers Steve Stricker and Nick Watney lead at the half way stage of the Transitions Championship near Tampa, their respective second rounds of 67 leaving them at 6 under and one ahead of a group of seven players at five under.
“It does mean a lot,” said Stricker referring to his good start to the year.
“Every year, I think for everybody, every year you enter into the year with a lot of unknowns, and you’re not sure how your game is going to be. And I think the start of the year, to me, has always been very important, just so you feel like you get off to a good start, and I did this year, and I feel like I’ve just kind of continued on with the momentum.”
“And it really even started at Tiger’s event, because that was my start of the year, the Merrill Lynch and Tiger’s event, and hit the ball well there.”
Watney finished runner up to Phil Mickelson at last week’s WGC event in Miami.
“I don’t feel like I’m – well I guess I’m playing very well, but it really seems like this is just what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m keeping the game pretty simple, and putting well,” said Watney. “So hopefully that will continue. It doesn’t really seem like I’m unconscious or anything. It’s just kind of the way I’m supposed to be playing.”
Amongst the group at five under is Stuart Appleby who, after a horror start to his 2009 season, has finally found some form.
“My game physically has been okay,” said Appleby. “I think mentally I sort of struggled to get my game to move on forward. And I’m really trying to improve the mental side of my game a lot, and trying to not let the game muscle me into becoming a worse player. But if I can get in the right frame of mind more, and be more committed to shot selection, I’ve found that I tend not to get worried about the results as much.”
Also at five under are Troy Matteson, J.J. Henry Charles Howell 111, Retief Goosen, Jonathan Byrd, Joe Ogilvie and Tom Lehman.
The next best of the Australians behind Appleby was Mathew Goggin who slipped from 3rd to 26th with a round of 74, Nick O’Hern continues his return from surgery and is in 39th position at even par, Nathan Green slipped to 39th after his second round of 74, while Steve Elkington and Aron Price made the cut on the number at 1 over.
