Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson Atop Pebble Beach Favorites

Sports News - February 13th, 2010 - Written By Bryan

Day two at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am produced a log-jam atop the leader-board, as by the day's conclusion, six players were at 10 under-par.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson followed up his 64 on Thursday, with two under-par round of 68 at Monterey Peninsula on Friday. Johnson was very consistent throughout the course of his round, but could not convert several close approach shots.

"Hit 'em all good and had three or four lip out," Johnson said in a post-round interview.

For the second day in a row, the unpredictable nature of the weather in the area remained calm, with clear, sunny skies.

"There is no defense on any of these golf courses," Co-leader Paul Goydos said, referring to the placid winds and lack of rain that plagued the practice rounds, but has stayed away during tournament competition.

As per Thursday, the newest course addition to the tournament, Monterey Peninsula, remained the lowest stroke average during the second round. Keeping with the theme, Spyglass Hill played the most difficult, with Pebble Beach claiming the middle spot.

Sitting one shot behind the leaders, is former no.1 ranked player in the world David Duval. Duval has staged a remarkable comeback over the last eight months. Entering the 2009 U.S Open, he ranked 882nd in the official world golf rankings. Duval opened with a 67 at the difficult Spyglass Hill in round one, and followed up that impressive performance with a 68 at Pebble Beach on Friday.

"I'm hitting the ball pretty good. Had to shake a few putts in on these greens," he said after his round. "Kind of the recipe you need to have out here."

This season, Duval will play most of the tournaments on his schedule by way of sponsors exemptions, with exceptions for the Masters and U.S Open. He qualified for those the basis of his runner-up finish in last year's U.S Open. Despite his success over the first two days, Duval feels that his 2010 campaign will be about proving himself.

"I have the opportunity right now to convince them on the golf course," Duval said.

Duval, along with other players in the field, will play their third course on the schedule during Saturday's third round, with the final round commencing on the signature Pebble Beach.

Third-ranked player in the world Phil Mickelson climbed his way up the leader board on his front-nine yesterday, but a double-bogey on his 10th hole caused him to fall down the line. Still, he closed with a 67 at the difficult Spyglass Hill to finish at seven under-par for the tournament, three shots behind the leaders.

Oddsmakers believe that Mickelson will have success on the weekend, as they have re-established the left-hander as the favorite to win the tournament, despite trailing by three shots. He has been installed as an 11/2 favorite to claim the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am according to the PGA Betting Lines as Bodog sportsbook.

Following Mickelson in the line of favorites is Johnson, who looks to improve on his weekend performance from a week ago at the Northern Trust Open where he squandered a lead. Johnson has been set as a 7/1 favorite, as he and Mickelson headline the the field for Saturday's third round.

Coverage for Saturday can be seen beginning at 3pm Est on CBS.