Big names tied atop tight TOUR Championship leaderboard

NAPA, Calif. – Notes and observations from round two of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort & Spa.  LEADING LIGHTS SNEDEKER SPRINTS AHEAD. Brandt Snedeker was the star of a hot group (Fred Couples, Patrick Cantlay) as he shot 65 to take the solo lead by three heading into the weekend. Ryan Moore (67), Phil Mickelson (69) and Michael Thompson (65) lead the chase pack. A nine-time TOUR winner who won the 2012 FedExCup, Snedeker, 37, has racked up four of those victories in California, two each at the Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Through two rounds at Silverado, though, he’s been even more inspired by the state of 59-year-old playing partner Fred Couples, who also shot 65 (6-under). “It’s always fun to play with Freddy,� Snedeker said. “I don’t get to see him enough. When I made the turn, as good as I played, I was still tied with Freddy, and there was no way some 59-year-old guy who’s semi-retired is going to come out here and whip my tail. We kind of spurred each other on today and had a great time, and we saw a bunch of putts go in, which is nice.� Snedeker has made just under 200 feet worth of putts and is fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through two rounds. NOTABLES PHIL’S BIG SHOCKER. Admittedly exhausted as he plays for the eighth time in the last 10 weeks, Phil Mickelson came to Silverado fully expecting to miss the cut but is well in contention at 10 under after a second-round 69. “Well, I’m cautiously optimistic,� Mickelson said as he goes into the weekend three back in search of his 44th PGA TOUR victory. “It’s certainly turning from pessimistic, because I didn’t think I was going to be here on the weekend, and the next thing you know I’m up on top of the leaderboard.� Mickelson has made over 227 feet of putts over the first two rounds despite making his eighth tournament start in the last 10 weeks, which he said is too much golf. For more on Mickelson’s plans to cut back, click here. COUPLES MAKES 500TH CUT. Fred Couples, who turned 59 earlier this week, marked another milestone as he shot 65 to make his 500th cut on the PGA TOUR. He came into this week with 491 made cuts, officially, but he’d also made eight cuts at The Open Championship prior to 1995, before the TOUR started counting that as an official event. Add it all up and he hit the 500 mark Friday. “I played well,� said Couples, who hit 10/14 fairways for the second straight day, but went from 141st to 3rd in Strokes Gained: Putting. “It’s not an easy course, but I feel like some of my strongest clubs are my 8, 9 and wedge, and I hit a lot of those.� One day after he played Silverado’s four par-5s in 1 over, he played them in 4 under as he soaked up a magical, sun-splashed day with playing partners Snedeker and Cantlay. OBSERVATIONS MULDER HANGS TOUGH. Sponsor’s exemption Mark Mulder, a pitcher for nine years with the Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals, improved by one with a second-round 74 to accomplish his goal of not finishing last—he beat Ollie Schniederjans and Wesley Bryan—and beat, by two strokes, the over-under of 151 set by his friends. CAULEY COMES BACK STRONG. Making his first TOUR start since suffering several broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken leg in a car crash during the week of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at the start of the summer, Bud Cauley shot a second-round 69 to easily make the cut at 5 under. GET TO KNOW … SEPP STRAKA. Was born in Austria and lived in Vienna until age 14, when the family moved to Valdosta, Georgia. Played for Georgia Bulldogs and won 2016 SEC Championship before turning pro and capturing 2018 KC Golf Classic on the Web.com Tour last season. Dream foursome: Tiger, Moe Norman, twin brother Sam. 2nd EFFORT. The par-3 second hole is 240 yards on the card but played 247 on Friday, when the field averaged 3.313 strokes, making it the toughest of the day. Couples birdied it. “I really didn’t want to hit a 3-wood,� he said. “I swung and hit my little rescue as hard as I could, and lo and behold it went right at the flag and ended up about six feet away and birdie-birdie start.� THE REBOUND. Ricky Barnes shot 75 on Thursday, but roared back with an 11-under 61 in the second round to tie the course record. His Strokes Gained: Putting went from -2.714 (135th) in round one to +6.797 (1st) in round two. Barnes said the round, which began on the back nine, reminded him of his 10-under 62 at the 2010 Memorial with Tiger Woods. “I had a putt on the last hole and he told me to knock it in,� Barnes said. “I went just low side, and he walked by me and called me an amateur. So I knew I was going to get the ball in the hole on 9 today for birdie.� QUOTABLES I couldn’t lose to a 59-year-old.I’m surprised I haven’t hit any out of bounds. It hadn’t really sunk in until I got to the airport and they handed me the keys to the courtesy car. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 61 by Ricky Barnes (8-under total). Longest drive: 359 yards (Peter Uihlein/No. 4) Longest putt: 82’ 2� (Kyle Jones/No. 1) Toughest hole: The 247-yard, par-3 2nd played to a 3.313 average. Easiest hole: The 525-yard, par-5 5th played to a 4.583 average, easiest for the second straight day. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the third round of the Safeway Open, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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He knows the history. He knows what awaits him next month and the people he would stand alongside should he win the Masters. And all that is part of the Rory McIlroy equation.

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