Singh Switches Putters And Enjoys the Result

CHASKA, Minn., Aug. 14 -- Vijay Singh is nothing if not a diligent -- all right, obsessive -- worker, and he will try anything if he believes it will make his golf game better. Two weeks ago, though, Singh changed from something radical -- a long putter -- back to something more traditional. Now in his second week with his regular-length putter, he's rolling the ball well enough to be in the mix at the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Singh shot an even-par 72 in Friday's second round and is 3 under through the first two days of the tournament to leave him in a group four back of leader Tiger Woods. Into the weekend, as he goes for his third PGA title, Singh has that long stick close by.

"It's in the locker," he said. "It's not too far away."

There is, though, no temptation to switch back, Singh said.

"I'm putting well," he said. "I'm not thinking about it at all. I'm stroking well. I'm going to go with the good flow I'm having."

Singh, too, is also feeling good about his right knee, on which he had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus. He has said he came back a little too quickly, which fits his personality.

"You never know until you're out there and you start favoring it," Singh said. "You don't even know when you're favoring it. Took me a long time to figure that one out. By the time we figured it out, your swing's all messed up."

Playing Like a Pro

The PGA of America, which stages this event, prides itself on allowing club pros to qualify, and it serves as their marquee event. The man who stole the show this year: Grant Sturgeon, an assistant pro at Oakmont Country Club (Pa.), who is at even par through two rounds.

"I never played a golf course setup that's this tough, that's this challenging, and never played in front of this many people," Sturgeon said. "Never played against the best in the world."

Sturgeon's week started with a missed three-foot putt -- and a bogey -- on his first hole. But he backed that up with 17 straight pars, then shot a 1-under 71 in Friday's second round.

Cink Soaks It Up

British Open champ Stewart Cink played in a major, as a major champion, for the first time and shot back-to-back 73s to end the second round at 2 over. He was grouped with Masters winner Angel Cabrera (4 over) and U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover (3 under), and raved about the response he gets now that he has won a major event.

"There's a lot of confidence in the group, and the crowd is very supportive," Cink said. "It was really fun." . . .

Fairfax native Steve Marino, a graduate of the University of Virginia, shared the second-round lead at the British Open with 59-year-old Tom Watson, who Cink eventually beat in a playoff. But Marino's fortunes here weren't as good. He shot 76-75 -- 151 to miss the cut.

Marino opened his second round double bogey-bogey, and he ended up with more bogeys (six) than pars (five) for the round. His bright spot: an eagle at the par-4 14th, which was drivable Friday. . . .

Phil Mickelson spent much of the afternoon wondering if he would make the cut after his second consecutive 74 left him at 4 over. But some struggles by players coming in late pushed the cut line -- the top 70 players and ties advance -- from 3 over to 4 over, and Mickelson survived.

"I'm not going to beat many people putting the way I am," Mickelson said.