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Published: Saturday May 9, 2009 MYT 9:14:00 AM
Updated: Saturday May 9, 2009 MYT 2:06:45 PM

Golf: Cejka opens the lead at Players, Woods still behind(updated)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (AP) - Alex Cejka ran off three straight birdies in shooting 5-under 67 to build a two-shot lead over Ian Poulter at The U.S. Players Championship on Friday.

Neither of the top two have ever won on the U.S. PGA Tour, and only one player in the 35-year history of this event has ever made this his first tour victory.

An eclectic group four shots behind include Masters champion Angel Cabrera, former U.S. PGA champion David Toms and Jason Dufner, an alternate when he showed up on Monday who earned a tee time through someone else's misfortune.

Tiger Woods did his best to get back into the hunt, with a delicate pitch out of the mounds for a short birdie, and making an important save on the par-5 16th by trying to land short of the green with his third shot, even though he was only 45 yards away.

"I got myself back in the ball game," Woods said after a 69 left him seven shots behind.

Seven shots sounds like a lot, but perhaps not at TPC Sawgrass, where even small mistakes can lead to big numbers.

Cejka avoided that better than most.

He didn't hit the ball as pure as the first round, when he hit every fairway and missed only one green on his way to a 66, but he made six birdies in 11 holes to reach 11-under 133 and get into the final group on the tour for the first time in nearly five years.

"I'm pretty excited to sit here two days in a row," he said.

Kevin Na, who played with Cejka before no more than a few dozen people for most of the round, tried to make up ground and had a 66 to finish in the group at 7-under 137, along with Cabrera (65), Dufner (70), Toms (70), Henrik Stenson (69) and John Mallinger (71).

Cejka didn't seem overly surprised to be leading, despite his recent health issues.

He had surgery to replace a disk in his neck last year and everything was going well until he couldn't feel his arm two weeks ago.

He had an epidural, regained some feeling in his arms, hands and fingers, then got right back to work.

"In New Orleans, where I didn't feel anything at all, I really played from tee-to-green phenomenal," he said.

"I just had no feeling, and I couldn't make putts. The feeling is better, and I can see it on the greens. So we'll see what happens the next two days."

Phil Mickelson was thankful he gets to play for two more days.

He struggled with his putting most of the round and shot 1-under 71, making birdie on the last hole to make the cut on the number.

"You never want to give up here, because too many things can happen on this golf course," Mickelson said.

Cejka proved that anything can happen off the golf course.

Born in Czechoslovakia, he was 9 when he fled communism and traveled through four countries before settling in Germany, not known as fertile soil for golf.

But he took interest in the game, especially after watching Bernhard Langer win the Masters in 1985.

"For me, it was a vacation," he said.

"Of course, probably my dad was nervous as hell just leaving everything behind, taking the son and a little backpack and just weaving through three of four countries into the west."

Poulter is well known in these parts, despite never winning.

He has played on two Ryder Cup teams for Europe, a questionable captain's pick last year until winning four matches in a U.S. victory.

He loves the big stage, whether it's the Ryder Cup or his runner-up finish at the British Open last year.

As long as he can eliminate the mistakes and avoid rash decisions - no small task at Sawgrass - he feels his time is coming.

"It would mean everything," he said.

Woods, meanwhile, is lurking.

He hit a few wild tee shots, but managed a birdie from one of them on the 14th hole when he caught a flat lie at the bottom of a slope and hammered an 8-iron over an oak tree to 25 feet.

"I'm hitting it good enough where I can miss that tree," he said.

He nearly ended in spectacular fashion, punching a 7-iron under the trees and bouncing it up the 18th fairway to 10 feet, but he missed the birdie putt and was in the large group at 4-under 140.

Woods thinks he can make a move on Saturday.

He just isn't sure in which direction.

"The way the pins are for tomorrow, you can probably shoot a good one if you play well," he said.

"But you have to hit the ball well. You've got to take advantage of the slopes. Because if you don't, and you hit the wrong side, then you're going to be in some tough spots." - AP

Scores Friday from The Players Championship, a $9.5 million US PGA Tour event on 7,215-yard, par-72 Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass:

Second Round=

Alex Cejka 66-67_133

Ian Poulter 67-68_135

Kevin Na 71-66_137

Angel Cabrera 72-65_137

Jason Dufner 67-70_137

John Mallinger 66-71_137

Henrik Stenson 68-69_137

David Toms 67-70_137

Ben Crane 65-73_138

Richard S. Johnson 66-72_138

Tim Petrovic 68-70_138

Jeff Overton 71-67_138

Camilo Villegas 67-72_139

Robert Allenby 73-66_139

Paul Casey 70-69_139

Michael Letzig 71-68_139

Ryan Moore 71-68_139

Jonathan Byrd 67-72_139

Justin Leonard 70-69_139

Retief Goosen 67-72_139

Charley Hoffman 70-69_139

Kevin Sutherland 73-67_140

Brian Davis 71-69_140

Boo Weekley 73-67_140

Tiger Woods 71-69_140

Daniel Chopra 75-65_140

Tim Clark 72-69_141

Mark Wilson 69-72_141

Stephen Ames 70-71_141

Michael Allen 71-70_141

Nick O'Hern 68-73_141

Scott Verplank 67-74_141

John Senden 72-69_141

Justin Rose 70-71_141

John Merrick 70-72_142

Aaron Baddeley 71-71_142

Geoff Ogilvy 70-72_142

Steve Stricker 71-71_142

Jim Furyk 68-74_142

Ryuji Imada 72-70_142

Chez Reavie 70-72_142

Bubba Watson 67-75_142

Jeev M. Singh 68-74_142

Johnson Wagner 69-73_142

Ernie Els 73-69_142

K.J. Choi 73-69_142

Brad Adamonis 67-76_143

Scott Piercy 71-72_143

Nathan Green 74-69_143

Rod Pampling 70-73_143

Jeff Quinney 73-70_143

Jeff Klauk 71-72_143

Martin Laird 71-72_143

Bob Estes 75-68_143

Fredrik Jacobson 70-73_143

Ben Curtis 71-72_143

Stewart Cink 70-73_143

Zach Johnson 72-71_143

Vijay Singh 71-72_143

Jason Bohn 72-71_143

Hunter Mahan 73-71_144

Cameron Beckman 72-72_144

Padraig Harrington 72-72_144

Kenny Perry 73-71_144

Phil Mickelson 73-71_144

Dustin Johnson 72-72_144

Pat Perez 72-72_144

Steve Marino 72-72_144

Matt Kuchar 72-72_144

Robert Karlsson 74-70_144

Martin Kaymer 71-73_144

Heath Slocum 75-69_144

Rocco Mediate 73-71_144

John Rollins 68-76_144

Graeme McDowell 71-73_144

Fred Funk 73-71_144

Woody Austin 72-72_144

Mike Weir 72-72_144

Sergio Garcia 71-73_144

Steve Flesch 75-69_144

Luke Donald 74-70_144

Billy Mayfair 70-74_144

Tommy Armour III 74-70_144

Failed To Qualify=

Troy Matteson 73-72_145

Will MacKenzie 73-72_145

Adam Scott 71-74_145

Jerry Kelly 73-72_145

Bart Bryant 74-71_145

Ken Duke 70-75_145

Andres Romero 74-71_145

Joe Ogilvie 72-73_145

George McNeill 70-75_145

Soren Kjeldsen 70-75_145

Scott McCarron 74-72_146

Chad Campbell 75-71_146

Todd Hamilton 74-72_146

Nick Watney 68-78_146

Charles Howell III 73-73_146

Steve Elkington 73-73_146

Nicholas Thompson 73-73_146

Greg Kraft 74-73_147

D.J. Trahan 74-73_147

Eric Axley 72-75_147

Bill Haas 74-73_147

Cliff Kresge 72-75_147

Davis Love III 73-74_147

Stuart Appleby 71-76_147

Bo Van Pelt 71-76_147

Ross Fisher 74-74_148

Brett Quigley 72-76_148

Sean O'Hair 73-75_148

Kevin Streelman 74-74_148

Briny Baird 72-76_148

Vaughn Taylor 72-76_148

Lucas Glover 73-75_148

Charlie Wi 74-74_148

J.B. Holmes 72-76_148

Paul Goydos 78-70_148

Thongchai Jaidee 74-74_148

J.J. Henry 73-76_149

Parker McLachlin 75-74_149

Dean Wilson 77-72_149

Ryan Palmer 75-75_150

Tim Herron 75-75_150

Peter Lonard 77-73_150

Y.E. Yang 73-77_150

Fred Couples 80-71_151

Corey Pavin 74-77_151

Marc Turnesa 76-75_151

Rory McIlroy 74-77_151

Tom Pernice, Jr. 74-79_153

Rory Sabbatini 81-72_153

Webb Simpson 76-77_153

Mathew Goggin 76-77_153

Tim Wilkinson 77-77_154

Anthony Kim 73-82_155

Matt Bettencourt 76-79_155

Trevor Immelman 73-82_155

Michael Bradley 80-78_158

Steve Lowery 81-78_159

Dudley Hart 73_WD

Brian Gay 80-WD

Carl Pettersson WD - AP


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