Piller backs up 67 with solid afternoon 71

Even though he completed his second round four shots higher than his first-round score, Martin Piller was in no mood to complain about his second-round 71. Piller said he drove the ball well again Friday, and kept himself from making many mistakes.

On the testy Victoria National track, what else could you ask for?

"It was a good round," Piller said. "I was pleased with the way I played."

Piller backed up his opening 67 with the Friday 71, to reach 6-under par on the week. Currently tied for 5th, Piller is in good position for the weekend, two strokes back of leader Alistair Presnell.

And after struggling for much of the year, the Texan is enjoying the chance to get in contention again.

"It's definitely a better feeling," Piller said. "It's more nerve-wracking, but it's a better feeling. I think everybody's goal out here is just to be in contention."

Piller played steady golf Friday, spreading four birdies and three bogeys over his card. The one he would probably most want back came on the 15th, when he bogeyed the reachable par-5.

But still, Piller knows the course is playing fairly tough, and he knows that bogeys are inevitable on this layout.

"Anything under par is pretty good," Piller said. "That's just what I was trying to do."

Especially considering the omnipresent sauna-like conditions that, according to Piller, only worsened as the round progressed.

"I was sweating so bad, I was worried the club would actually slip through my hands," Piller said. "So I was constantly drying my arms and my hands, trying to stay dry. That was really the hardest part, of the back nine."

Piller said that Thursday's round was maybe one of the best ball-striking displays of his life, and he seemed positive about his ball-striking on Friday as well.

"I hit my irons really well today," Piller said. "I didn't drive it as well, but I didn't drive it that bad. I was never really in bad spots. It wasn't as good, but it was still pretty good."

He also said Thursday that he cut his toenails and got a haircut before the round, and that it seemed to be enough for him to play well (in jest, of course).

And what was he planning to do after his round Friday to ensure success over the weekend?

"I'm hoping to get some Chick-fil-a after this," Piller said.

Nothing wrong with that.

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-The cut Friday came at 1-under, with 62 players making the cut. I was fairly surprised, as I had figured the cut would be even or 1-over, especially with higher scores anticipated in the afternoon heat.

But most players seemed to handle the weather, and the field scored just fine.

-For the second day in a row, I missed the bus back to the parking lot. Again, a volunteer was kind enough to drive some of us back. I got to talking to a 60-year old guy, who said he plays golf every day. He said he owns his own plumbing business, and that he limits his appointments in order to play golf almost every day.

At 60, you can't blame him. One of ten children, he said he moved to Evansville 15 years ago to be closer to his mom. When he told his brothers that he was volunteering at the tournament, they looked for him on the Golf Channel - and called him last night, asking why they didn't see him on TV.

He said he enjoys the volunteer experience so far, despite the heat that made it difficult to perform his duties as standard bearer (carrying a heavy scoring sign) in Thursday's oppressive heat.

But Friday, tournament staff adapted to the conditions - limiting the assignment of standard bearers to groups that would be shown in TV coverage.

So what was his task Friday? Holding the 'Quiet, please' sign in front of the beer tent on 18.

Which just may have been tougher than carrying a bulky sign.

-Talked to a guy on the 9th green who is housing Nate Smith (a conditionally exempt Web.com player) for the week. The man said that Smith, who got in as first alternate, was looking for a caddie for the week.

When the man (a sales manager) mentioned this at work, one of his employees got all excited and said he would love to caddy. But the employee forgot one important thing: he was responsible for schmoozing with clients at the event this week, which would be difficult if he were fulfilling caddying duties.

The man made his employee a wise suggestion: stick to your real job.

But then again, the employee missed some late-round heroics on the part of Smith, who finished birdie-eagle to make the cut on the number. Turns out that if the employee decided to caddy, he would have made a little money.

Still, unless Smith plays lights-out on the weekend to surge onto the leaderboard, it's safe to say the employee made the right call.