The Daily Wrap-up, Rd. 2: Mercedes-Benz Champ.

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Geoff Ogilvy
Greenwood/Getty Images
Geoff Ogilvy has made just one bogey through two rounds of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
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Jan. 10, 2009

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) -- Geoff Ogilvy three-putted his last two holes Friday, which ended his impressive streak without a bogey, but didn't cost him the lead in the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Flawless over the first 34 holes, Ogilvy stumbled home to a 5-under 68 on a gorgeous and generous day for scoring, giving him a one-shot lead over D.J. Trahan going into the weekend of the PGA TOUR's season-opener at Kapalua.

Ogilvy was at 11-under 135, still in the lead but losing a chance to separate himself from the field.

Trahan holed a 40-foot eagle putt on the 15th and closed with a birdie for a 66. Ernie Els, despite missing a short par putt and dumping a chip into the bunker, did enough things right for a 69 that left him only two shots behind.

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CHANGE IN WEATHER COULD SCRAMBLE ALL-STAR LEADERBOARD
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Two rounds to go. Kona winds on the horizon.

Looks like the Mercedes-Benz Championship could get even more interesting. And that's saying a lot with a leaderboard that includes the likes of Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els and Anthony Kim -- to name a few.

Ogilvy, who won the 2006 U.S. Open, is 11 under and owns a one-stroke advantage over D.J. Trahan and a two-shot edge on Els, a three-time major champion. The Aussie's round of 68 Friday included a sizzling 31 on the front side, too.

The wind inexplicably changed direction on Ogilvy during the latter stages of second round, though. And if the Kona winds blow in from the south and Sunday's expected rains materialize, the Plantation Course will certainly be at its most challenging.

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SHOT OF THE DAY ROUND OF THE DAY
Adam Scott had the shot of the day when he sank a 32-footer for an eagle on the 663-yard, par-5 18th on Friday. He ended the day with a 6-under 67. Watch his shot. D.J. Trahan had the lowest round of the day with a 7-under 66. He shot a 32 on the back nine that was highlighted by an eagle and four birdies. Check out his scorecard
Friday's Best
EASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE
The par-5, 532-yard 5th was the easiest with a Friday scoring average of 4.364.
EAGLES: 2 BIRDIES: 20
PARS: 9 BOGEYS: 1
OTHERS: 0
The 203-yard, par-3 8th was toughest with a Friday scoring average of 3.303.
EAGLES: 0 BIRDIES: 4
PARS: 18 BOGEYS: 8
OTHERS: 3
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I just misread the whole back side. I was playing either too much break or not enough break, and it started wearing on me. Finally, right here, when I hit that putt on the front of the green, I misread it totally, 15 feet away, that's just a total misread. We should be pros and I should be better at this by now. But I just get aggravated." -- Boo Weekley when asked if he was frustrated over missing some putts late in the round.

INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Friday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.com.

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KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Geoff Ogilvy is a frustrated tournament leader. The Aussie is 11-under-par after shooting 68 in the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship and yet walked away from the Kapalua course having to check his temper. Ogilvy was bogey free for the tournament's first 34 holes but three-putted the par-4 17th from 86 feet and then three-putted the par-5 18th hole from 72 feet after having reached the green in two. However, 10 minutes after finishing Ogilvy was smiling and looking forward to the weekend.

Michael Collins, of the PGA Tour Network, was a combination announcer and caddy on Friday. Walking off the first tee both Kenny Perry and Ernie Els handed Michael their umbrellas. Sunny skies were in the forecast but rain can always appear on Maui. Collins carried the umbrellas as a "just in case" favor to the players and the skies remained sunny all day.

It was a great day for whale watching. The giant mammals were constantly breaking water just off the shoreline of the Kapalua course. Under sunny skies, their splash was clearly visible to the gallery who were treated to eagles on the golf course and whales in the ocean.

What the top finishers said...
Player Position Score Comment
Geoff Ogilvy 1st 11 under "The previous two times I've played here, it was a lot harder, I thought. This is the easiest I've played this course, because it has not been as windy as it was."
D.J. Trahan 2nd 10 under "I've been off almost 3 1/2 months. I finished up at THE TOUR Championship last year and didn't play again. You just really never know after you take a layoff that long. You just kind of have to get here and see how everything goes."
Ernie Els 3rd 9 under "I never really made the putts I made yesterday. If I made some putts, I could have had a low one, and I knew today was the day to get a low one."
Read full interview transcripts
Geoff Ogilvy D.J. Trahan Ernie Els Full archive

MERCEDES-BENZ CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND-ROUND NOTEBOOK
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- In his third consecutive appearance at Kapalua (tied for 13th in 2006, tied for 19th in 2007), Australia's Geoff Ogilvy maintained a one-shot lead after Friday's second round. Ogilvy followed his opening-round 6-under 67 with a 5-under 68 to maintain his lead heading into the weekend.

• At the halfway point in the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship, Ogilvy leads D.J. Trahan by one stroke. Geoff Ogilvy previously held the 36-hole lead at the 2008 World Golf Championships-CA Championship, where he ended up winning.

• The odds of a 36-hole leader hanging on to win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship since moving to the Plantation Course in 1999 are 50-50. In the past 10 years, those who have managed to win after holding the 36-hole lead are: David Duval (1999), Tiger Woods (2000), Ernie Els (2003), Stuart Appleby (2006) and Vijay Singh (2007).

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KODAK CHALLENGE: A first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players will officially crank up at the Plantation course.

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The Kodak Challenge celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. The Kodak Challenge offers $1 million to the winner There will be one designated Kodak Challenge Hole at 24 different PGA TOUR tournaments in 2008, with this week's featured hole the 663-yard 18th hole.

Players, who must play at least 18 of the holes during the season to be eligible, will count their lowest score relative to par on the Kodak Challenge Hole made during an official competition round. The player, with the lowest cumulative score in relation to par at the end of the challenge, wins.

For more on the Kodak Challenge, click here.

This week's Kodak Challenge hole
HOLE: The par-5, 663-yard 18th at the Plantation course at Kapalua
LAST YEAR: The 18th played to a stroke average of 4.766, with players recording one eagle, 40 birdies, 71 pars, 11 bogeys and one double bogey
DESCRIPTION: Nicknamed "Home," the hole around which the rest of the course was formulated is an extremely long downhill, downwind par 5. The hole is made reachable in two powerful blows by the assisting winds and slope. The large, receptive fairway and green are difficult to judge owing to the vast panoramas and the scale of the background. Here, the scale and drama are uncommon; the challenge is within reason, while the surrounding beauty is unparalleled. (Click here for Plantation course tour)
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