SPANIARD SHOOTS A SEVEN-UNDER SECOND-ROUND 65 TO HIT THE FRONT IN TEXAS

GARCIA LEADS BY ONE FROM KUCHAR

 

 AT HALFWAY IN SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

 

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE HUMBLE, Texas -- Sergio Garcia will start the third round of the Shell Houston Open with a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar. Garcia matched the week's low round with a 7-under 65 on Friday at the Golf Club of Houston and is at 12-under 132.
Matt Jones will round out the final threesome; he's in a four-way tie for third -- along with Cameron Tringale, Shawn Stefani and FedExCup leader Jimmy Walker -- at 8 under par.
Garcia missed just one fairway Friday and hit 13 of 18 greens, and leads the field in strokes gained-putting (3.402). He's finished no worse than 16th in five PGA TOUR starts this season, including three top-10s.
"I do feel like I'm playing nicely," Garcia said. "I feel very comfortable with my equipment. I feel comfortable with myself in and outside the golf course.”
SHELL HOUSTON OPEN: Leaderboard | Tee times | Daily Wrap-up | Rd. 2 highlights | FedExCup

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GOING WAY BACK: Garcia and Kuchar have a history that extends to their amateur days. They met in the quarterfinals of the 1998 U.S. Amateur as the reigning British and U.S. Amateur champions. Garcia prevailed.
They’ll play in Saturday’s final group at the Shell Houston Open.
“He’s fun to watch swing a golf club,” Kuchar said about his likely Ryder Cup foe later this year. “He’s been putting it really well for a couple years now, he’s switched over to the claw grip and really rolls it nicely.”
Kuchar is continuing his good play in Texas. He finished fourth at last week’s Valero Texas Open. He has to be considered among the Masters favorites, having finished in the top 10 at Augusta National in each of the past two years.

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MAKING AMENDS: Matt Jones is T3 at the Shell Houston Open, which represents the final opportunity to qualify for the Masters. Jones shot consecutive 68s at the Golf Club of Houston to stand at 8-under 136 after two rounds.
A victory here would qualify him for his first Masters, and make amends for a near-miss in September that kept him out of Augusta National. Jones finished a career-best 32nd in last season’s FedExCup; the top 30 qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, an accomplishment that also comes with a Masters invitation.
“I had a chance on the last hole at BMW (Championship) from 6 feet, and I hit a great putt that I thought was in, and it lipped out, and that was the difference between me finishing top 30 and not,” said Jones, who finished T8 at last year’s BMW. “But I had a good year, I can’t complain at all.”

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IN THE MIX: Phil Mickelson added last week’s Valero Texas Open to his schedule to try to grow re-accustomed to being in contention in advance of the Masters. He had to birdie his 36th hole there just to make the cut on the number, then withdrew in the third round with a pulled muscle.
He’ll start the weekend at the Shell Houston Open in ninth place after opening with 68-70.
“I’m excited about the weekend because first of all I haven’t had many opportunities this year,” he said. “I haven’t been in contention and I can feel my game start to get sharp.”
Mickelson said he “feels great” after last week’s withdrawal. He won the 2011 Shell Houston Open after shooting 63-65 on the weekend.

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SPONSOR VALUE: Two of the Shell Houston Open’s sponsor exemptions are making the most of their starts. Local boy Shawn Stefani will start the weekend in third place after shooting 67-69, while Jason Gore is T9 after rounds of 67-71.
Stefani, who was born in nearby Baytown, is making the final start of a minor medical extension. He needs to earn approximately $84,000 or 36 FedExCup points