Brian Gay Leads Field After Second Round of the Verizon Heritage

Brian Gay has been here before, shooting a 67 and 66 in the first two rounds of the 2006 Verizon Heritage. His 73-70 on the weekend was good for a T9. Ditto 2007, where he went strong for three rounds 70-70-67 and a Sunday 73 dropped him to T16.

It is a new Brain Gay with more experience, winning his first PGA TOUR event last year: the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun.

Yes, the win was before he played here last year and missed the cut. Last year, he consistently knocked on the door: a T7 at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, a T10 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, a T7 at the Buick Open, a playoff loss to Will MacKenzie at the Viking Classic and a T7 at the Ginn sur Mer Classic.

The knocking has continued this year with a T5 at the SONY Open and a T6 at the FBR Open. With all the hoopla especially at Riviera Maya-Cancun associated with defending a championship he finished a respectable T20 in the Mayakoba.

Brian Gay is knocking again; will the door be opened for his second PGA TOUR victory this week on Hilton Head Island?

“That was a big springboard for me winning last year, and having my best year ever after that. I got off to a good start this year doing the same things.”

He was obviously very pleased with his second-round 66 and one-stroke lead at the midpoint of the 41st Verizon Heritage.

“The front nine was awesome, got hot with the putter, and made five in a row there on the front. And played real solid on the back. The wind was tough and swirling a lot, and hit a lot of tough shots, just lucky to get it close to the hole.”

Is Gay looking for a victory in a tournament that awards a full FedEx Cup point allocation? His win in Mexico came opposite the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where the top 64 golfers in the world were playing.

“It would be validation to win again. And obviously this is a stronger field than Mexico was last year.”

It would also be a valid ticket to the 2010 Masters.

The Texan who became a Gator when he went to college in Florida shot 6-under 30 on the front nine but had to grind on the back nine starting with a bogey and finishing with eight straight pars.

“Yeah, it felt like a grind all day, even though I made five in a row on the front. Like I said, I can't say it enough, it was tough to pick clubs and figure out where to aim and where to pick targets based on the wind.

"You had to back off a lot with the wind changing. I felt like I played every bit as good on the back as I did on the front, and just didn't make all the birdies.”

To win the 2009 Verizon Heritage Brian Gay will have to beat a world class field with six Major Champions within six shots of his lead.

One stroke behind in second place is Todd Hamilton, the 2004 British Open Champion. His five-year exemption expires this year, and it seems that is all the motivation he needs to win again on the PGA TOUR.

After missing seven of eight cuts to start the year, Hamilton showed his major brilliance last week with a T15 in the Masters. That performance earns him a return engagement for the 2010 Masters.

A victory this week would mean a much-needed two-year exemption for the player who has not finished in the Top 10 during the last two full seasons.

“Some things I haven't been doing well over the last four years, three years, my irons are starting to get better.

"My chipping, pitching, bunker play and my putting has been a little bit better the last couple of weeks, I guess. I think that's why I've played well last week at the Masters and continue this week.”

Hamilton knows the score and knows this season is the final hour.

“I started thinking, man, you better start doing something and not waste your opportunity. You've got one year of a free pass left, you better start getting after it.”

Having the five-year exemption, did Hamilton lose the edge, the will to compete?

“You've accomplished what you've dreamt of or what you set out to do. And although I didn't quit trying to do well, it looks as though once I won The Open Championship in '04, it looks like I just kind of quit trying to achieve things. But don't get me wrong, I tried to continue to play well.”

Two-time US Open Champion Lee Janzen aced the 176-yard par-3 17th hole with an 8-iron en route to a 70, to go with his first round 65.

“If I was president of the United States, I'd change that hole-in-one business. You made a hole-in-one, you should be getting the drinks. That's the worst deal.”

Janzen echoed the words of most other golfers playing the tight fairways with overhanging live oak and pine trees to small greens in swirling and gusty winds.

“I battled all day. It was a challenge out there to try to get under par. It was tough to keep the ball on the green, much less near the hole. I just battled all day, just one shot at a time, just trying to make par, go to the next hole and do my best.”

Tied for third place with Janzen two strokes back of Gay is the first-round leader Alex Cejka who shot an even-par 71.

“I'm pretty happy with my performance today. I played pretty solid. I had a couple of really stupid bogeys in the beginning. I was in the fairway and didn't really have a shot.

"So that's how tricky this golf course is. Even par today is pretty good. It was a little bit trickier with the wind. And I think I'm in a good position for the last two days.”

Georgia resident Davis Love III missed his second Masters in a row last week after competing in 17 straight at Augusta National. He missed last year due to injury this year due to performance although he won the Fall Series event at Walt Disney World that does not carry a Masters invitation with it.

“Now I can relax and play. Obviously, I have to win. It's a lot easier to just go ahead and win one here in the next couple of months and get it over with.”

Five-time Verizon Heritage and 1997 PGA Champion Love is in sixth place alone, right after Rod Pamphling, who is alone in fifth place after starting with a pair of 68s.

Other Major Champions in the hunt only six shots back with two rounds to play are two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal, 1996 British Open Champion Tom Lehman and two-time US Open and 2002 British Open Champion Ernie Els.  

Notables who missed the cut at plus-2 include likely PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Jeff Klauk, Jim Furyk, Robert Allenby, Fred Funk and Presidential Golfing Mate Parker McLachlin.

Two-time defending champion Boo Weekley shot a 1-over par 71 which is his first over-par effort in ten rounds at the Harbour Town Golf Links.

After four-putting No. 9 and shooting a 4-over par 40 on the front nine he birdied three holes on the back nine as he chases his third consecutive tartan jacket.

“I had to miss the green to make the birdie. I was glad I made the cut to be able to stay for the weekend. You never know what can happen on the weekend.”

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]