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Greg
Owen reacts on his birdie putt on the 18th green during the
second round of the Frys.com Open golf tournament Friday in
Scottsdale, Ariz. Owen finished the day 11 under par.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. —
Rickie Fowler is making his presence felt in a hurry as a
professional golfer.
The 20-year-old
former Oklahoma State standout, in his second PGA Tour event since
turning pro, shared the lead with Englishman Greg Owen halfway
through the Frys.com Open on Friday.
Both shot 6-under 64s
in the second round in ideal conditions on the Raptor Course at
Grayhawk Golf Club to reach 11-under 129.
Justin Leonard also
shot a 64 and was one behind at 10 under. First-round leader Nick
O'Hern (68) and Ryan Moore (65) were 9 under in the third stop of
the PGA Tour's Fall Series.
Heath Slocum was in a
group of five at 8 under. Troy Matteson shot a 61 and was in a pack
with Tom Lehman (65) and Rocco Mediate (66), among others, at 7
under.
Fowler, who helped
the United States beat Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup last
month, tied for seventh in his first PGA Tour start as a pro last
week in Las Vegas at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for
Children Open.
He was even for the
round through five holes on Friday, then kicked his game into high
gear with an eagle on the par-4, 345-yard sixth.
"I swung out
about as hard as I could and hit it about as hard as I could and it
went about as straight as a ball could go," Fowler said.
"I ended up about 12 feet behind the hole and rolled in a good
putt to kind of get things jump started."
The youngster was
unflappable throughout the round, which ended with a birdie on No.
18.
This wasn't all new
to him.
He noted he had
played "a few tour events" as an amateur, including two
U.S. Opens. He also played stops on the Nationwide Tour and two
Walker Cups.
"So I feel I've
been through plenty of experiences to make me feel comfortable out
here," Fowler said. "You know, what you're seeing is
pretty much how I feel. I just feel like I'm going around and having
fun. Right now the game feels good, so that makes it even more
fun."
He plans to go to PGA
Tour qualifying school after this weekend. That would be unnecessary
if he wins the tournament, though, because a victory would qualify
him for next year's full PGA tour.
Fowler, who lives in
Las Vegas, seems a natural for the game. He says he hasn't had a
swing coach since high school.
"Other than
that, I'm basically on my own and doing my thing," he said.
Like Fowler, Owen
played his round in the morning on the north Scottsdale course, not
far from the site of February's FBR Open.
Owen entered the
event 116th on the 2009 earnings list with $677,627. The top 125
automatically qualify for next year's tour.
"First of all, a
good week would mean I've got a job for next year," he said.
Owen's best PGA Tour
finish was a tie for ninth at this year's John Deere Classic.
Leonard is a 12-time
PGA winner and part of this year's victorious U.S. Presidents Cup
team.
Asked if he came to
the tournament because he needed to just because he likes the
Phoenix area, Leonard said "it's kind of a combination."
"I played here
two years ago and enjoyed the golf course and had a nice week,"
he said. "I think the fact I had three weeks off after the
playoffs and to really get rested up is another reason I am
here."
Leonard said he spent
part of those three weeks "analyzing the year and working on a
few things, you know, toward next year. I like the way things are
going so far this week."
The Australian O'Hern
began the day with a two-shot lead after shooting a 63 on Thursday.
Starting his round on the back nine, he had an eagle on his second
hole — the par-5 11th — to go 9 under.
Then came the 18th,
when his second shot hit the water and he wound up with a
double-bogey to fall back to minus-7. He regrouped for two birdies
and seven pars on the final nine holes.
"It wasn't a
good way to finish that nine," O'Hern said, "but as I
said, I was happy with how I played the second nine just to get over
that as quick as possible."
Defending champion
Cameron Beckman shot his second 70 and missed the cut.
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