AT&T Classic round two; Masters champ Johnson in the rear view mirror

Everyone interviewed after coming off the Sugarloaf course has been singing the same tune: it’s a really tough test. Can someone give me the latest definition of tough? The place has been leaking birdies and eagles like there’s no tomorrow.

What is especially different from the previous two weeks at least is the rush to the finishing post. At the Wachovia and even more so the Players, the last three holes were killers waiting to destroy the most spectacular of rounds. Here the 18th especially is a candy store - Eagle sir? Take this and here’s one for your friend.

Of our two co-leaders Ryuji Imada has accepted the gifts gladly, taking an eagle in the first round and a birdie Friday, while Troy Matteson has just a miserly birdie on day one to show for it. But that’s a mirror image of their overall games. It’s Troy Matteson who is posting the more impressive overall figures after his career best 64 on Friday: 18th for distance, 15th for accuracy, fourth for putting and third for greens in regulation. All Imada can boast is that he leads the field for putting.

Matteson’s other big advantage is that he’s been there and done that, winning the Frys.com last year and almost notching a back-to-back victory the week after. So in this contest of the college chums, I’d take him to come out on top any day, although where that game comes from after a string of missed cuts is anyone’s guess.

Matteson’s problem lies lower down the field. In these birdie-fest conditions I’d look at least as far as Henrik Stenson and Rory Sabbatini five shots back, although Rory often starts imploding right about now.

Clearly the biggest danger is our Masters champ and winner here three years ago before Phil Mickelson barged him aside. Strikes me there are worse things to do than ride Zach Johnson’s horse into town over the weekend.

PS: With 29 eagles Friday, including two holes in one, against nine on day one, everyone has supposed much easier pin positions made the task far easier. The stats say no: the scoring averages are almost identical (72.2 Thursday, 72.5 Friday). Conversely, the conventional wisdom is that the wind didn’t play so many tricks Friday. Think again: the afternoon proved ever so slightly harder than the morning on day two. That’s an object lesson in never making assumptions.