Atwal shares lead with Snedeker in Greensboro

Greensboro, August 21, 2010: Arjun Atwal followed up his opening-round 61 with a three-under 67 Friday to assume a share of the lead at the halfway point of the Wyndham Championship.

The Indian was tied with American Brandt Snedeker (65) at 12-under 128, one stroke ahead of Americans Lucas Glover, John Rollins and Kevin Streelman on a day that dawned cloudy but soon gave way to brilliant sunshine.

“I didn’t hit it as good as yesterday but they say that it’s hard to back up a really low number with another one,” said Atwal, who picked up four birdies on the front nine, before playing the back nine in a pedestrian one-over.

“I missed a couple of fairways today. That’s why I made a couple of bogeys (but) other than that I’m pretty happy.”

Atwal, 37, does not have exempt status on tour, so the quickest way to regain his card is by winning.

“I’m going to definitely be thinking about winning,” he said. “If I get in contention on the back nine on Sunday, I won’t be scared. Hopefully my swing holds up.”

Co-leader Snedeker won in Greensboro three years ago, the final year the tournament was held at Forest Oaks before moving to its current venue at Sedgefield Country Club.

“The courses are different (but) they’re the same kind of grass and greens, very similar to what I grew up on,” said the 29-year-old Tennessean.

“The only thing off today was my putting. I missed four putts inside eight feet, which is very unlike me. Besides that I played fantastic.”

Slow Greens

Snedeker was not the only player who had trouble adjusting to the extremely slow greens, although they were not quite as heavy for Friday’s second round as they were the previous day.

Glover improved his position with a 65. The clock is ticking for last year’s U.S. Open champion to impress Corey Pavin enough to earn a captain’s pick on the American team to defend the Ryder Cup against Europe in October.

“Corey knows how bad I want to play and make the team and to do that I have got to relax and play golf and shoot good scores,” said Glover.

“If I play good the next three weeks and prove to him that I’m playing well, then I feel like the year-and-a-half I’ve had, I’ll make it.”

Glover narrowly failed to be among the eight players who made the team automatically, finishing 10th in the final standings last week.

Anthony Kim, who barely failed to make the team after finishing ninth in the standings, did not help his cause for a captain’s pick when he missed the cut, which fell at three-under 137.

Kim, who missed the cut by five strokes, described his performance as “borderline embarrassing.”

Others to bow out early included Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Mike Weir and last year’s champion, Ryan Moore.

Weir’s early exit means he has no chance of qualifying for the Fed Ex Cup play-offs that start next week. The top 125 players on a points list are eligible but the Canadian is ranked 126th.

Kapur drops to 14th in Czech Open, Chowrasia misses cut

Celadna (Czech Republic), August 21, 2010: Shiv Kapur managed just one birdie on the second day as he dropped from sole lead to shared 14th at the midway stage of the Czech Open 2010 at the Prosper Golf Club in this holiday resort.

Kapur added a two-over 74 to his 66 from first day to drop to four-under 140 Friday. His compatriot SSP Chowrasia missed the cut with rounds of 76 and 81.

Peter Hanson shares the lead on seven under par with fellow Swede Fredrik Widmark. Hanson, who received an invitation to the event Monday, added a 70 to his opening 67.

One behind the leaders are Ireland's Peter Lawrie, who in contrast bogeyed two of the last four, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, Argentina's Clodomiro Carranza and another Swede, Fredrik Andersson Hed.

England's Simon Dyson, who is one spot below Hanson in the cup race with only one more week to come, is on five under.

Thirteen players are separated by only two shots at the halfway stage.

“I left four or five shots out there, but I'm feeling good about my game. I'm driving okay and hit my irons shots very nicely. It is all about making those putts. I felt I could go low today and had a lot of opportunities on our front nine,” Hanson said.

Widmark is 1,354th - joint last - on the world rankings after having a shoulder surgery and then breaking his wrist falling off the roof of his home. The injury was so severe that he was told at one point he might have to have his arm amputated and had only a ten per cent chance of playing golf again.

The 34-year-old not only made his first halfway cut of the season on The European Tour, but caught Hanson by grabbing three birdies in his last four holes for a 67.

Shiv Kapur tied 10th at Czech Open

Celdna, August 21, 2010: Indian golfer Shiv Kapur recovered from an early slump to card a modest one-under 71 and rise four rungs to tied 10th in the third round of the Czech Open here on Saturday.

The Delhi-pro's total stands at five-under 211.

In a topsy-turvy front nine, Kapur managed birdies on the second and fourth before letting it slip with bogeys on the third, fifth, sixth and seventh.

Two-over at the turn, Kapur went on damage-control mode in a bogey-free back-nine.

Kapur slotted in birdies on the 12th, 15th and 18th to make amends for the front-nine slip and remain in contention for a strong finish in the European Tour event. Celdna: Indian golfer Shiv Kapur recovered from an early slump to card a modest one-under 71 and rise four rungs to tied 10th in the third round of the Czech Open here on Saturday.

The Delhi-pro's total stands at five-under 211.

In a topsy-turvy front nine, Kapur managed birdies on the second and fourth before letting it slip with bogeys on the third, fifth, sixth and seventh.

Two-over at the turn, Kapur went on damage-control mode in a bogey-free back-nine.

Kapur slotted in birdies on the 12th, 15th and 18th to make amends for the front-nine slip and remain in contention for a strong finish in the European Tour event.