- Not What It Once Was, But... :  The Johnnie Walker Classic may not have the powerhouse field it once did, but at the halfway mark it certainly is shaping up as a competitive affair nonetheless.  India’s homestanding Shiv Kapur and little-known Unho Park (hint: he’s Australian) share the lead on 10-under-par 134, one ahead of Japan’s Taichiro Kiyota and India’s top-ranked player Jyoti Randhawa.  Lurking quietly among a group of four players two back is world number five Adam Scott, who would be tied with Kapur and Park but for a double-bogey at the par-3 16th on Thursday.  The field’s next highest-ranked player, Vijay Singh (#11) is also very much in the hunt, joining #44 Soren Hansen among a group of six players logjammed at six-under-par.
 
- A New Era In Golf:  A few words are probably necessary (well, applicable) regarding the PGA Tour’s recent changes to the now infamous “Rule 78,” as well as to the mystery that is the FedEx Cup point system.  Regarding Rule 78 – which essentially said that if more than 78 professionals made the cut, those tied in the lowest position would be paid for last place but not participate on the weekend – a plan has officially been adopted which postpones the application of the cut until Sunday.  This figures to greatly enhance the Tour’s ability to complete final rounds within their allotted TV time slots, yet also leaves open the prospect of a player making the cut on the number going low enough on the weekend to win, earn significant money, land valuable Ryder Cup or World Ranking points, etc.  But lets not forget that none of this falls under “the nature of things” or is mandated by the cosmos.  Indeed, none of it would be necessary at if the boys would just PLAY FASTER!  Regarding the FedEx Cup, I must confess that I haven’t the faintest idea what changes have been made, mostly because I don’t know a single person (save a player or two) who actually cares.  Truthfully, I’m not as down on the FedEx concept as some, but only because I judge it not in the context of a major golfing event (which it isn’t) but rather as a ruse mechanism for getting the networks to pony up major TV dollars at a time when Tim Finchem’s negotiating hand was not otherwise its strongest.  That the Tour let ABC/ESPN get away (and along with them, those invaluable first-five-minutes slots on Sportcenter) is going to be a long-term problem, but otherwise the FedEx Cup must be seen fundamentally as a success, for it was just the sham concept necessary to get CBS, NBC and the Golf Channel to empty their pockets (again).  As far as who gets how many points and what their chances are at East Lake, I really don’t know anyone who’s interested, but here’s a link for those whose livelihood depends on it.

Friday’s Round of the Day

The 65s shot by Lorena Ochoa, Shiv Kapur or Jyoti Randhawa would all be sound choices, but instead we’ll repair to relative anonymity of the Sunshine Tour where Brazilian expatriate Adilson da Silva bogeyed the Mount Edgecombe Country Club’s par-3 second, then promptly eagled the third and never looked back, adding eight more birdies for a second-round 63.  He’s tied for the lead (on –12) with England’s Jeff Inglis at the halfway mark of the Mount Edgecombe Trophy.

- Overnight UPDATE:  Now it’s officially a rout.  While the five players immediately behind her all carded two-under-par 70s, world number one Lorena Ochoa managed to shoot a 69, extending her lead to eight through three rounds of the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.  Tied for 2nd are Annika Sorenstam (#2) and Paula Creamer (#5), while Karrie Webb (#4) sits alone in 4th, nine back.  Among the world top five, only #3 Suzann Petterssen missed the party as she’s tied for 23rd, some 18 shots in arrears.

- Overnight UPDATE #2:  The plot is thickening in India where last week’s SAIL Open winner Mark Brown has mounted a third-round charge, standing six under par through 13 holes, and tying Shiv Kapur atop the board.  There are currently 21 players within three shots of the lead (including both Adam Scott and Vijay Singh), setting up a potentially exciting finish on Sunday.