Thanks to back-to-back rounds of 5-under 67, Martin Laird will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Frys.com Open. Here’s what you may have missed from Day 2 of the 2014-15 season opener:
Leaderboard: Laird (-10), Sang-Moon Bae (-9), Zachary Blair, Scott Langley (-8), David Lingmerth (-8), Mark Hubbard (-8)
What it means: Laird has made just one bogey through two rounds, on Friday at the par-4 sixth. Though he’s hitting just over 50 percent of his fairways, Laird has found 27 of 36 greens and cashed in for 11 birdies. The 31-year-old Scotsman is in search of his second win on Tour following a victory at the 2013 Valero Texas Open and looking to rebound from a ’13-14 campaign that produced just one top-10 finish – at the Barracuda in August, an event played opposite the WGC-Bridgestone.
Round of the day: Following a 1-under 71 Thursday, Hubbard posted the low number for the tournament with a 7-under 65 in Round 2. Hubbard's round included one bogey against six birdies and an eagle - an ace on No. 7. Hubbard finds himself two back through two days.
Best of the rest: Nine players are within four shots of Laird heading into the weekend. First-round co-leader Bae is just one off the pace, while Langley and Blair are two behind after matching rounds of 66.
Biggest disappointment: Rather than follow Bae up the board, his Thursday co-leader, Andres Gonzales, fell backwards with a 2-over 74. In a separate, minor disappointment, Andy Miller – son of Johnny and director of design at Silverado – will not be playing the weekend. Miller, who received a sponsor exemption despite being absent from the Tour since 2003, missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 78.
Shots of the day: Hubbard's hole-in-one at the seventh from 212 yards and Billy Hurley III's own ace at the 15th from 181. Not the shot of the day - Hunter Mahan's double hit on a flubbed chip at the same hole.
Storyline heading into the weekend: Who will win the first event of the new season – and how far will it take him? Walker claimed the honor last year, which propelled him to two more titles and a Ryder Cup appearance. With the wrap-around season featuring an increase in opportunity for younger players and older journeyman, a win at the Frys can apparently do wonders.
