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Title: Davis, Oosthuizen share lead in Houston Open
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Blog Entry: Davis, Oosthuizen share lead in Houston Open abercrombie ukBrian Davis changed his life last year, and he's finally seeing the adjustments translate to better golf scores.Davis shot a 65 in his second round Friday and shares the lead at 11 under par with Louis Oosthuizen at the rain-delayed Houston Open.The second round was suspended due to darkness at 7:36 p.m. CT with 70 players still on the course.Houston resident Jeff Maggert was at 10 under, but he had eight holes left to play in his second round. Defending champion Phil Mickelson (70), J.B. Holmes (67), Tommy Gainey (67), and Greg Owen (69) finished their second rounds and were two shots behind the leaders at 9 under.Three-time major champion Ernie Els, who must win to qualify for next week's Masters, was in the group at 5 under after a second-round 69.A thunderstorm dumped 1 1 / 4inches of rain Thursday, causing the backup. The players enjoyed sunny and calm conditions Friday, but the fairways were damp, and players were permitted to lift, clean and place.Davis played a total of 32 holes on Friday, finishing a first-round 68 and then making seven birdies on his way to his best score of the year.The 37-year-old Englishman took a hard look at his life late last year after his father, Robert, died of cancer. He changed caddies, hired a sports psychologist and retooled his swing. abercrombie fitch"Probably the highlight of the offseason and to this season was taking a look at everything I did on and off the golf course," Davis said. "I think I'm more prepared going forward now this year."Davis, a father of three, also worked with sports psychologist Bob Winters on managing his time more precisely."I really struggle when my kids say, 'Can we do this?' and I should be practicing," Davis said. "It's hard to juggle that around. You've got to give yourself some time as well. Obviously, we looked over that at the end of the last year and changed my practice routines, changed a lot of things."Davis felt recharged at the start of the season, but missed the cut in three of his first four starts. He finally saw signs of improvement when he tied for 47th at the Honda Classic, then tied for 63rd in Puerto Rico the following week."It's one of them things, you've got to stay the course and keep at it," Davis said.Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, is also making changes, though far less dramatic. He's tinkering with his swing and gone back to the driver he used when he won at St. Andrews.The 29-year-old South African hit 11 of 14 fairways off the tee in his second round on his way to a 66."I hit it well at the Open in 2010, and I feel like I'm very close to hitting it like I did there," Oosthuizen said. "Swing-wise, I feel confident." abercrombie outletMickelson finished a 65 on Friday morning and started his second round on No. 10 about an hour later. His afternoon round stalled after he birdied 13 and 15, the two par 5s on the back nine. He hit his tee shot over the green on the par-3 16th and bogeyed, then parred the next five holes."I played pretty well the second round, but I didn't get the score that I had hoped," Mickelson said. "I've got to light it up this weekend."Mickelson played with Fred Couples, who won on the Champions Tour last week. Couples, who played at the University of Houston and has made 18 consecutive cuts at the event, is 4 under through two rounds.Couples moved within two shots of the lead, but dropped back when he dunked his tee shot in the water on the 488-yard, par-4 18th hole and took a double bogey. The 52-year-old Couples shot a 73 in the afternoon.The Houston Open became the run-up event to the Masters in 2007. Despite the delay, tournament director Steve Timms is hoping to finish the tournament by 5 p.m. Sunday to accommodate not only television, but also the players heading to Augusta.Like Els, Davis must win here to earn an invitation to the Masters next week. Davis has five runner-up finishes in seven years on the tour, but he's never won."Obviously, I'm well aware that I need to start winning," Davis said. "It's one of those things where you can't force it. You've just got to keep putting yourself in position."Mickelson says he's prefers playing a tournament the week before a major to get into a "competitive frame of mind." Last year, he shot 63-65 over the weekend to win by three strokes over Chris Kirk and Scott Verplank. abercrombie onlineClarke injured: British Open champion Darren Clarke is facing a race against time to shrug off a groin strain ahead of next week's Masters.Clarke limped off the course at the Shell Houston Open on Friday, having strained a groin muscle during his second round of 71 which put him 1-under for the tournament.The Northern Irishman felt the injury while completing his rain-delayed first round on Friday and played on through the pain barrier to complete his second."It's a really long walk around this golf course and I could have come in after three to four holes this morning but it seemed okay when I finished my first round today but it's just got progressively worse in the second round," he said."I wanted to keep going, keep going and keep going as I need to play all four rounds before the Masters."Clarke was one shot outside the projected cut and a weekend away from the course may be a good thing with the Masters beginning next Thursday.It was suggested by Clarke's personal trainer he attend a local doctor to assess the full extent of his injury but Clarke declined."I've had these type of injuries in the past and there's not much you can do but rest," said Clarke.Clarke earned a five -year Augusta National exemption in winning last year's British Open and he will be competing in the event for the first time since 2007, when he missed the cut. abercrombie saleRafael Nadal’s knee trouble has sidelined him again, and he hopes for a quick recovery to avoid missing any of the upcoming clay-court season.Nadal withdrew hours before the start of his semifinal Friday at the Sony Ericsson Open because of a left knee injury that bothered him in recent matches.With his withdrawal, 2009 champion Andy Murray advanced to Sunday’s final. His opponent will be top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who advanced by beating Juan Monaco 6-0, 7-6 (5).Nadal said his knee has been getting worse and extensive treatment Thursday failed to help. He said he’ll see a doctor soon and is optimistic he’ll be out only briefly. “It looks like it’s nothing really different than happened a few times in the past,” he said. “Hopefully with a few days off and with the right treatment, I will be in the right conditions to start to practice on the clay. I know what to do to get better quick, and that’s what we’re going to try.”The six-time French Open champion still plans to begin his clay season April 16 at the Monte Carlo Masters.Nadal has dealt with knee problems for several years, and his left knee has bothered him since Indian Wells. He lost there to Roger Federer in the semifinals two weeks ago.Shortly before this year’s Australian Open in January, Nadal hurt his right knee while sitting in a chair at his hotel and feared he might miss the tournament. Instead he reached the final, where he lost to Djokovic in a six-hour epic. cheap abercrombie clothesNadal played no tournaments in February to rest his knees. Even then, he said, his left knee bothered him some while training at home in Spain.Knee problems prevented Nadal from playing at Wimbledon in 2009 — the only major tournament he has missed since 2006. He retired with knee trouble from a quarterfinal match against Murray at the Australian Open in 2010. “I try my best in every moment, with pain or without pain,” he said. “But when I see the situation is done and I cannot, I cannot.”The 10-time Grand Slam champion had hoped to claim his first Key Biscayne title. His withdrawal left the tournament without a singles match for the afternoon session. “I am very sorry for the fans,” Nadal said. “I’m very sorry for the tournament. I’m very sorry for everybody who was ready to watch the match on the television, for television, for everybody. “I don’t have pleasure. I feel very sad to have to go out before a beautiful match for me — semifinals against Andy.”The No. 4-seeded Murray has played only seven sets in the tournament, because he also advanced to the third round with a walkover. He’ll go into the final with three days’ rest but perhaps a bit rusty. “I don’t really know how I’m going to feel,” he said, “but I’ll definitely be fresh.”