Friday Recap from Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Mickelson Misses Cut

Kyle Stanley shot a second round 68 to grab a one shot lead at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla.

The Clemson University product followed up on his first round 62 on the North Course, after which he had a share of the lead, by shooting -4 on the tougher South Course.

Starting on the back nine of the South Course, Stanley had to shake off a double-bogey on the par-4 14th hole. He did so, and rolled in five more birdies on th day, to add to his first-round lead.

"I got off to a good start and it was tough to take," said Stanley, a rookie in 2011. "But you've just got to be patient out there. I feel like I've got a pretty good game for this golf course and just had to focus on executing that."

Sitting just one shot back is Brandt Snedeker, who had the low round of the day, a 64 on the North Course.

Snedeker was aided by a red-hot streak of five consecutive birdies midway through his second round. Snedeker started his round on the back nine of the North Course, and after chipping in for birdie on the 17th hole, he ripped off birdies on 18, 1, 2, and 3. He also finished strong, posting birdies on holes 8 and 9 to end at -13 after two rounds.

Snedeker also birdied four holes in a row yesterday.

"I'm sure it won't happen tomorrow," said Snedeker of his propensity to string together birdies. "It's funny. I get on streaks. If anyone's followed my career, you can see I'm a streaky player. I certainly try to get out of my own way when I get on those streaks. Especially on the greens when I feel like I'm putting the ball well, I feel like I can make just about everything."

Sang-Moon Bae shot a 67 on the South Course to finish -12 and took the clubhouse lead at around 1:25 p.m. The 25-year-old South Korean made seven birdies on the day, including the par 5 18th hole on the South Course.

He was joined at -12 by Martin Flores. Bae said that he will continue to "stay aggressive" on Saturday.

"The South Course is very tough, you know. It's not easy for me. But I am very happy. I made a lot of birdies today and two bogies. So yeah, I'm happy right now."

Last year's champion Bubba Watson shot a 71 and is 10 shots behind the leader.

The cut line after Friday was -2, with 68 golfers making the cut. That list includes several local San Diego area golfers. Chris Riley (Patrick Henry HS) sits at -7, Charley Hoffman (Poway HS) sits at -5, Pat Perez (Torrey Pines HS) sits at -8, Rickie Fowler (Murietta Valley HS) is at -6.

It could have been lower for Fowler, as he missed a short birdie putt on 18 that would have taken him to -7. However, he definitely had the biggest marketing savvy of the day, as a group of Fowler Fanatics handed out bright orange towels to the gallery for spectators to wave as he walked to the 18th green. His birdie miss was followed by a large groan of disappointment by the onlookers.

Fowler is one of the game's rising stars, and is known for his brightly colored outfits, which always match from head to toe.

San Diego's most famous golfer, Phil Mickelson,(University High School) failed to make the cut. The four-time major winner, who has won three times in his career at Torrey Pines, shot a -4 on the day on the North Course, but after limping his way to five-over 77 yesterday, including seven bogeys, he had too much of a margin to overcome.

He tried to take some positives out of the last two days, as he continues to work on his game early in the year.

"I don't feel bad about my game, I really don't," Mickelson said. "I just have to take it from the practice tee to the course, and that's easier said than done sometimes. It all feels good. All that matters out here is the score. Doesn't matter how you hit it. It just matters wha tthe final number is, and right now, I'm not getting low scores."

The tournament continues on Saturday, widely regarded as "Moving Day." The leading trio of Stanley, Snedeker and Bae will tee off at 9:45 a.m. Television coverage of the tournament will be aired on CBS beginning at noon on Saturday.