Consistency paces Furyk, Donald at Tour Championship

If East Lake has ever demanded consistent play, this is the week. With perhaps the firmest and fastest conditions in the 10 years the course has hosted The Tour Championship, the winning formula demands a player hit fairways in order to have a chance to attack the sometimes obscenely quick greens.

That's why it's no surprise that Jim Furyk and Luke Donald, two players who take pride in their high level of consistency, are tied for the lead after two rounds. Furyk shot a 5-under 65, and Donald, one of three co-leaders after the first day, responded with a 66, leaving them knotted at 8 under.

It also moved the duo into the two top places in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Donald currently ranks first in the race for the $10 million bonus, followed by Furyk. Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson and Charley Hoffman, the top three in the points standings when the tournament began, are third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the Tour Championship, Geoff Ogilvy is alone in third at 7 under after an up-and-down 67 that included seven birdies and four bogeys. K.J. Choi shot his second consecutive 68 and is in fourth place at 4 under. A three-way tie at 3 under includes Kevin Na (68), Retief Goosen (66) and Paul Casey (71).

Despite the big money that's on the line, neither Furyk nor Donald said they're watching the ever-changing points projections, instead preferring to concentrate on winning the tournament.

“The only thing I can really control is to go out and play good on the weekend, try to win the golf tournament, and at that point there's nothing else I can do about it,” Furyk said. “On Sunday, if any of us have a chance to win ... I'm sure it'll weigh on your mind. [Saturday] it's not going to be an issue, and I'm not going to be worried about the projections that are up on the leaderboard.”

Furyk had only one bogey on his card to go along with six birdies, two of them coming on the difficult par 3s. He chipped in for birdie from 26 feet on the first hole to set the pace.

“I hit a bunch of greens (13 of 18), but not as many fairways (seven of 14),” Furyk said. “I was a little wild off the tee, but managed to get the ball around the green or on it.”

Donald hit fewer fairways (five of 14) and greens (12 of 18), but continued his streak of fine putting. He was especially proud of the birdie at No. 4, a 25-footer, and at No. 16, a 30-footer that mined a bogey from a poor tee shot.

“I hit the short game a little bit on the back side, which kind of kept my score together,” Donald said.

Ogilvy wasn't as sharp Friday, blaming a few “loose” tee shots. But he hung around because of good putting and said, “I hit a lot of really good shots and I'm putting pretty well at the moment, so it added up 3 under.”

Casey was done in by the three closing holes, which he bogeyed because of poor shot placement. “This course is so difficult, if you get on the wrong side of it, you're going to pay the price,” he said on his way to the range to hit balls after the round.