A TRAFFIC JAM AT TOP OF NISSAN TWO LEAD, FIVE OTHERS ONE BACK AT TOURNAMENT MIDWAY POINT.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer The Nissan Open The Northern Trust Open, formally known as the Nissan Open and originally known as the Los Angeles Open, is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in February in Pacific Palisades, California. struck back at rainy, cold and breezy Riviera Country Club The Riviera Country Club is a country club with a championship golf course. It is located in Pacific Palisades, California, within the city limits of Los Angeles, California. The country club opened in 1926, with George C. Thomas, Jr. as the course architect. on Friday, Michael Muehr denting the grand dame of Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). for a tournament-best 63 - two shy of the course record - and Robert Allenby Robert Allenby (born 12 July 1971) is an Australian professional golfer. Allenby was born in Melbourne. He turned professional in 1992 and was soon successful, topping the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in his first season and again in 1994. adding a 64. It was enough to get both near the top of a typical weekend pack at Riviera, where co-leaders Davis Love III Davis Milton Love III (born April 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer. Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. and Miguel Jimenez are at 135, a stroke ahead of five others, including fast-starting Brandel Chamblee Brandel Eugene Chamblee (born July 2, 1962) is an American professional golfer. He was born in St Louis, Missouri. He has one PGA Tour victory. He lost his PGA Tour card in 2003, and since then has worked as an analyst for The Golf Channel. , who slogged through morning rain to shoot 68. Chamblee took the early lead, but the droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle University of Texas alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. did not take to the course without a fight. He said he lobbied two officials before his 7:18 a.m. starting time Noun 1. starting time - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her" commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, start, kickoff, beginning, first to ``Come on, cancel it. Nobody's going to come out and watch in this weather.'' Turned out, Chamblee was a mudder mud·der n. A racehorse that runs well on a wet or muddy track. Noun 1. mudder - a racehorse that runs well on a muddy racetrack bangtail, race horse, racehorse - a horse bred for racing , striking for four birdies while bundled up so much against the cold, ``I could hardly make my backswing back·swing n. The initial part of a stroke, in which one moves a racket or club, for instance, to the position from which forward motion begins. .'' ``It looks like we got the worst of the weather,'' said Love, another morning starter who made the most of the conditions. The tour's leading money-winner, who has been first and third in his last two outings - losing once in a playoff- remained on track for the $500,000 West Coast-swing bonus by making six birdies Friday in a round of 67. Jimenez proved as proficient starting later, also posting six birdies while shooting 66. ``The putter is working very good today,'' said the Spaniard, one of the top players on past European Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Biennial team golf event first held in 1927. It was originally played between teams of golfers from the U.S. and Britain; since 1979 players opposing the U.S. have been chosen from all of Europe. The trophy was donated by the British seed merchant Samuel Ryder. teams. The efficiency of the leaders was matched by others once rain yielded to clear skies but cold and windy weather. Muehr had eight birdies in a bogeyless round to make the cut from so far off the pace, ``I brought my checkbook with me so I could pay my caddie before I left,'' He ended up one of eight players within two shots of the lead at 137, including Allenby and first-round co-leader Tom Scherrer (71). Another 13 were packed at 138, including first-round co-leader Sergio Garcia (72) and Sylmar's David Berganio Jr., who shot 67 Friday. Tiger Woods rallied from a slow first-round start to shoot 68, working in a 17th-hole eagle in a round that left him tied with four others at 139. The world's top-ranked golfer played in front of a gallery large enough to make Chamblee's no-crowd plea bogus. More are likely to swell attendance today, when Woods will be one of 44 players within four strokes of Love and Jimenez. Woods was happy to qualify for the weekend but not with all of his play: ``When I hit the ball close, I seem to sink the putts,'' he said. ``But I'm not hitting it close often enough.'' Jason Gore of Valencia, a tour rookie making his first appearance in the Nissan, struggled on his back nine again, watching his score go from 4-under-par to 2-under in the final five holes for a second straight day, but he advanced at 140. Riviera proved tougher to others on cut day, sending home such tour standouts as Mike Weir (74-143), Jose Maria Olazabel (74-144), Fred Couples (72-145) and Phil Mickelson (74-147). The 75-year-old course did worse to defending champion Kirk Triplett, who started Friday one of the four co-leaders. He finished 81 for a 147 midway score that missed the cut by five strokes - the first time since the 1999 British Open a first-round leader has failed to advance. Brent Schwarzrock, the other of four first-round co-leaders, shot 71 Friday for a midway score of 141, making the cut with a stroke to spare. Fourteen players tied at the final qualifying score of 142, including John Daly, course record-holder Ted Tryba (who shot 61 in 1999), and 16th and final alternate Dan Forsman, who was added Thursday. Chamblee was happy to be able to break through in what has been a slow-starting season for him. ``I've played awful this year,'' he said. ``Really lousy. It's probably the worst start I've ever had. I haven't driven the ball well, haven't putted it well. It's one of those horrific starts.'' It's been just the opposite for Love, who has been red-hot since he won this month's AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach by reaching 8 under par on his first seven holes of a record closing round of 63. ``The weekend is the most important part,'' he said. ``I'm scoring well. I'm not playing perfect. I'm playing determined and confident.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Miguel Jimenez, co-leader at the midway point of the Nissan Open, follows through on a shot. (2) Nissan Open co-leader Davis Love III watches the ball after teeing off during Friday's second round of the Nissan Open. Andy Holzman/staff Photographer |
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