Vijay Singh is definitely getting comfortable with this defending champion stuff. Singh successfully defended his Houston Open title this past Sunday by edging out John Daly on the first playoff hole, and he will be looking to do the same this weekend in New Orleans. Last year at this venue, Vijay shot an awesome 63 in the final round to win by one stroke over Phil Mickelson and Joe Ogilvie. He will be looking to do the same this week because he is once again closing in on the world number one ranking. Vijay used a mistake-free (and nearly birdie-free) round of 70 to hold off Daly in Houston this past weekend, but he will need many more birdies than that this week to come out on top.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans Preview
Vijay will once again be looking to defend his title this weekend at the TPC of Louisiana.
Retief Goosen is just another solid golfer from South Africa, right? That statement is the opinion of some, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. The 36-year-old Goosen turned pro way back in 1990, but it wasn’t until 2001 that he joined the PGA Tour. That is also the year he began to make his mark in a big way! When the 2001 U.S. Open came to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, OK (my home state by the way), it was almost certain nobody picked Retief Goosen to win that week. He had a two-footer on the 72nd hole to seal the deal, but he missed the putt and had to make one equally as long to get into a playoff with Mark Brooks. He made that putt and defeated Brooks in an 18-hole playoff the next day to earn the first of his two U.S. Open titles.
Gavin Coles once again holds a share of the overnight lead at the Shell Houston Open, but this time he is tied with the second ranked golfer in the world. 
The PGA Tour stops in the Midwest for the first time in 2005. 
All the golfers at the MCI Heritage forgot to tell Darren Clarke that the course was playing pretty tough on Friday. He carded six birdies and zero bogeys in the second round to take a six-shot lead into the weekend. His total of 12-under par after two rounds is only one off the record set by Jack Nicklaus in 1975. Clarke attributes his great play at this golf course to just feeling comfortable. “I knew I liked the golf course and that’s why I’ve kept coming back,” he said. “It’s easier to play on a golf course you’re comfortable on than one that you’re not. I’m enjoying myself and playing pretty solid golf.”
When play resumed Friday morning at The Masters, players hoped to finish their first and second rounds before going into the weekend.