Canadian Open round two: Tripped up by an insect

There was plenty of buzz at Angus Glen Friday, some of it decidedly troublesome. Tripp Isenhour had just a little over 6 inches for par on the 17th when an insect took a fancy to him. Instead of backing away he misfired and lost out on a three-way tie for the lead by a single shot.

Instead we have a couple of rookies staring fortune in the face this weekend. Unfortunately for Steve Allan and John Mallinger, they are also staring down the golfing barrels of Vijay Singh, sitting with Isenhour just a shot behind, and Jim Furyk, far from out of it two shots further back.

Singh is lucky the troublesome afternoon wind failed to materialise in round two, but even then quite where his three extra birdies came from is a bit of a mystery. If anything his game went ever so slightly backwards. He has certainly benefited from more benign fairways than expected. Indeed, the entire course is a bit of a pussy cat when the wind don’t blow. The only thing the players really have to fear is awkward pin positions on the large and undulating greens.

With the weather likely to improve and dry out the course, it might start to play harder and bring putting to the fore. That could pose a problem for Furyk for one. The three who have impressed the most with their putters at the top are Mallinger, Isenhour (when he’s not being bugged), and Brandt Snedeker. They each have a case to make for losing their Tour virginity. Isenhour notched a fifth place at the Honda Classic while Mallinger has two third places this season. Snedeker already has four top 10s and two more top 20s.

But you can’t get away from Singh’s looming presence. Certainly the market likes the idea of him joining Tiger Woods on three wins for the season.