Aaron Baddeley continued to show why he is a rising star Friday at the Honda Classic.
Baddeley, an 18-year-old amateur from Australia, made the cut in his first PGA Tour event. In the second round, Baddeley shot a 4-under-par 68 to put him at 7-under through the first two rounds.
He remains in contention and is tied with several notables, including Davis Love III, Stuart Appleby and Mark Calcavecchia. Baddeley birdied his final hole to bring up his score after missing about five other chances for birdie putts.
“I saw Davis’ caddie this morning and he said he shot a 68,” Baddeley said. “So when I went for my birdie [on the final hole], I told myself, ‘This is to tie Davis’ and I knocked it in.”
Baddeley, the 1999 Australian Open champion, has played well in his first United States pro event and seems to feel comfortable at Heron Bay. He has even worn different caps from prominent college teams.
Thursday he wore a Wake Forest cap, which he will wear again Sunday, Friday he wore a Michigan cap and today he will wear a North Carolina cap.
Wardrobe aside, Baddeley is pleased with his performance.
“My goal was to play as good as I could and be in contention,” Baddeley said. “My goal wasn’t to come out and make the cut. You always come out thinking about winning.”
Painful round
The tendinitis in Carlos Franco’s left wrist got a little worse Friday, and Franco complained of soreness for the last five holes. Franco, who started on the back nine, missed a putt for par on No. 8 and bogeyed the hole, dropping him two strokes back of the leader.
He finished they day with a 3-under-par 69 and is tied for fourth at 10-under through the first two rounds.
“I have a little pain,” Franco said. “I need good rest before I come back out. [Friday] was a different day. I didn’t have a good ball and many times I missed the fairway.”
Martin makes cut
Casey Martin made an early run at the leader Friday, but he was thankful to make the cut after his mishap in the middle of the round.
Martin, who started on the back nine, was at 9-under, one shot off the lead, when he made triple-bogey 7 at the 18th. He left a shot in a fairway bunker, and later found himself up against a tuft of grass in another fairway bunker. He shot 72 and is six shots off the lead.
“It kind of rattled me a little bit,” Martin said of his triple bogey. “It stings. I hope I learn from it and don’t do it again.”
Fehr on upswing
Rick Fehr wasn’t sure he wanted to play the tour anymore much less win.
Fehr, who briefly got a “real job” and almost quit golf two years ago, relishes playing again, and he thinks he might be ready to win again.
A round of 4-under-par 68 on Friday moved Fehr into second place at the Honda Classic two shots behind J.P. Hayes. Fehr is looking for his third PGA Tour victory, his first since the 1994 Walt Disney World Classic.
He said his game slipped as he wrestled over golf vs. family responsibilities. He has boys 9, 6 and 3. He took a job as vice president of business development for First Tour Junior Golf in November 1998 to be closer to his family.
“More than anything, it was a lack of desire,” Fehr said. “I felt like it was time to quit, to stay home.
“A lot of guys, when their kids are a certain age, it’s a real rough period. You either ignore those responsibilities and see things fall apart at home or you wrestle with it. Rarely does a guy step out.”
Fehr, 27th on the PGA Tour money list in ’94 and a regular on tour since ’85, dropped to 138th on the money list in ’98 and lost his fully exempt playing privileges.
He returned to Qualifying School the past two years to regain playing privileges. He rededicated himself to staying on tour while adjusting his schedule to balance golf and family.
“My wife is supportive,” Fehr said. “She says, ‘Hey, we’re fine here.’ Obviously, I’m on the phone a lot, missing a few Little League practices this week. I miss them more than they miss me. Their lives moves on.”
Langham out
Franklin Langham, who lost that six-shot lead to Jim Furyk over six holes on the back nine at the Doral-Ryder Open on Sunday, missed the cut after shooting 74-67. … Eric Booker, who lost his five-shot lead over the back nine Sunday of the Honda Classic last year, made the cut with rounds of 68-71. … The number of birdies dropped from 602 on Thursday to 493 on Friday. … Of the 93 sub-par rounds posted Friday, 57 came in the morning.
