US Bank Championship round two: Clark and Villegas are looking interesting

Nondescript is the word that comes to mind about Joe Ogilvie. There was the odd occasion last season when he warranted a mention - most particularly when he came third at the the Reno Tahoe Open in August. But this season he’s been off the radar, not doing particularly badly, but hardly frightening many flagsticks. It’s certainly a rarity to see him among those in with a chance of breaking their PGA ducks this week. Maybe this is just his time of the year.

Ogilvie got on top of his putter well Friday to match Jeff Maggert’s opening 63. It’s long past time for Joe to get a win - more than 200 tour starts so far with scant reward. But his is just one of several compelling scenerios at the half-way stage, not least that old John Deere reunion which finally appears to be gathering pace. Tim Clark’s five under on Friday puts the pressure squarely on Kenny Perry, who matched his round to stay a shot behind. Billy Mayfair, who let himself down last Sunday after three rounds in the 60s, is also back in with a shout.

In this type of company you could trot out a plausible storyline for just about everyone at the top, with the possible exception of Jesper Parnevik, who seems to be going nowehere fast. He is too busy apparently pining for Carnoustie and earning a lashing from William K Wolfrum for slagging off Gary Player.

The stats show that Deer Park is rewarding all-round performance, with no single discipline standing out. Only in greens in regulation is the top player among the top 16 on the leaderboard.

The player with the best all-round stats at the half way stage, and maybe an interesting if ungenerous touch at 19 on the exchanges, is another overdue his first win - Camillo Villegas, four shots off the pace. He is top ten for everything except accuracy off the tee, where a poor Thursday leaves him 26th.

But Clark’s the one that has caught my eye the most after tearing up my script. He is the leader in the irons department, but needs to tame his putter to succeed.

In any event, there are more than enough hungry contenders to make Ogilvie look pretty vulnerable over the weekend.