Second Round Puts Mark Wilson Tied For The Lead At Phoenix Open

Sports News - February 27th, 2010 - Written By Scott

After Thursday's opening round at the Phoenix Open, Camilo Villegas appeared to be well on his way to a great weekend of golf. Villegas tied a tournament first round record after shooting a 9-under 66, but responded on Friday after bogeying the 18th to finish with a 69 for the day. The story on Friday was a late surge by Mark Wilson who birdied the last 4 holes and tied Villegas for the lead after the second round. Despite surrendering a share of the lead, Villegas feels confident about his day.

"It's tough to shoot 9 under in one day. To do it two days in a row, it's even harder obviously," he said. "Am I disappointed the fact I didn't go low-low today? No. You just want to stay in the tournament. I mean, after a great first day, you just want to keep plugging, keep staying there and give yourself a chance come Sunday afternoon."

Eleven players were within 2 shots of the lead after completion of the second round, including Anthony Kim, Ryan Moore, and Rickie Fowler who all were at 10-under. Wilson had been feeling ill earlier in the week, has rebounded well from being ill and knows that players can make huge runs as he did on the TPC Scottsdale course.

"I made a lot of putts, so if you're seeing the lines good you can roll off a string of birdies pretty quick," he said.

It appeared early in the second round that Villegas might be in for a long day after shooting 1-over on the front nine. He rallied back however and birdied the 10th and 15th hole, while squeezing in an eagle on hole 13.

Wilson's strong finish has put him in a good position in the tournament and Bodog Sportsbook has him as a 14/1 favorite to win the Phoenix Open. Villegas has his odds at 7/2 to win and Anthony Kim is the favorite according to PGA Betting odds at 6/1.