Baddeley climbs leaderboard in style

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By Eric Page | Saturday, July 12, 2008 |

Aaron Baddeley watches his ball after teeing off from the sixth hole Friday at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Buy this Photo

SILVIS, Ill. — Like any fashion diva, Aaron Baddeley was prepared to answer the most pressing of questions Friday after completing his second round at TPC Deere Run.

Who was he wearing?

“The Original Penguin,” Baddeley said with a smile, pinching the brand logo on the breast of his aqua blue polo.

Dressed to the nines — plaid pants, white belt, polo and cap — the 27-year-old Aussie carded a second-round low 7-under 64 Friday, rebounding from an even-par opening round to plant himself firmly in contention as the John Deere Classic enters the weekend.

“I knew if I could get a good score, 6 or 7 under, I’d be back in the tournament,” Baddeley said. “It was nice to do that, because I know if I can go out (today) and shoot another good score, I’ll be right there on Sunday.”

Baddeley, who was 3-over at the turn on Thursday, started Friday with an eagle on the par-5 10th and put together a streak of five straight birdies midway through his round. He started it with a 19-foot putt on the par-3 16th and carried the momentum to the front with a chip in on 18.

He had a masterful up-and-down for birdie on No. 6, landing his second shot within 4 feet from 118 yards out, and shaved another stroke on the par 4 eighth. If not for a bogey on No. 9, his final hole of the day, Baddeley would have posted the low round of the tournament.

The second-day surge should come as no surprise. With two career wins and six top-25 finishes already this season Baddeley is one of the bright young stars on Tour.

After finishing 2007 ranked 18th in the FedEx Cup standings, the player who lists fashion as his chief hobby in his PGA bio has a pair of top-10 finishes this year — second at the Verizon Heritage and ninth at the World Match Play Championships, where he fell to eventual champion Tiger Woods in 20 holes.

Last month, he tied for 29th at the U.S. Open, his second-best finish in a major, and then took three weeks off to stay home and care for his wife, Richelle, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Thursday, especially the 3-over score on the front nine, was spent shedding rust.

Friday, trailed by a large gallery following hometown favorite Zach Johnson, Baddeley posted his low round of 2008. The key, he said, was a putting adjustment made early in the morning while watching video from rounds played earlier in his career.

“I was standing a bit too close, a little bit too upright,” Baddeley said of his Round 1 stroke. “So, I got a little bit further away and just bent over a little bit more and let my arms just hang a little bit and just (tried to) be a little bit softer. It certainly made all the difference.”

Baddeley, who ranks 20th on Tour with an average of 28.5 putts per round, rolled only 25 on Friday as he outplayed Johnson, the 2007 Masters champ who climbed the leaderboard with a 3-under 68.

“It’s always great when you play with a good friend like Zach, especially when he’s playing well,” Baddeley said. “It’s good to see good shots being hit, seeing the ball go down the fairway, on the green, putts going in the hole. It definitely gives you good feedback and a good visual of what you need to do.”

Sitting six shots back of leader Will MacKenzie, who matched Baddeley’s low round Friday after going 6-under Thursday, Baddeley will need to continue to be lethal through the weekend.

Surely, he’ll be dressed to kill.

Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.