Daly, Campbell rebound after uneven first rounds

Maybe it was the change of scene. Perhaps it was the desperation of the situation. Or, in John Daly's case, a change of equipment.

Somehow, Daly and Chad Campbell played their way back into the Frys.com Open after each shot a 9-under-par 63 Friday at TPC Summerlin. Each made the cut as Daly sits at 6 under with a two-day total of 137; Campbell is 5 under (138).

"I knew I had to shoot low," said Campbell, a former UNLV standout. "Either you do or you go home."

Daly credited his turnaround to using a softer ball that allowed him to spin his shots onto the green at Summerlin instead of flying them on and over, as was the case Thursday at TPC at The Canyons.

"That was the big difference," Daly said. "I switched up and played a softer ball. That changed everything."

Daly began Friday's round with three bogeys in his first six holes, and it appeared he was done. But when he bounced back with birdies on Nos. 7 and 9, it gave him momentum that he parlayed into a sensational back nine. He had birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, eagled the par-5 13th and birdied 14 through 17 to get to 9 under for the day.

"I didn't play that bad yesterday," Daly said of Thursday's 3-over round at The Canyons that had put him in a tie for 140th. "I just got off to a bad start.

"Today, I felt good out there. The wedges were great, and I made a lot of putts."

Campbell had to come from even further back to make the cut. He was last in the 144-player field after his 4-over opening round at The Canyons. On Friday, he started fast, making eagle at the par-5 No. 3, then followed with a birdie on the next hole.

His round had one bogey, a far cry from Thursday's card that saw him rack up four bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey.

"I made triple and didn't let it go," Campbell said of his Thursday woes. "But this was a new day and a fresh start, so I approached it that way.

"Plus, I'm a little more comfortable on this course than the other."

• GOING HOME -- With the cut coming at 4 under and 84 players surviving, several notable players were eliminated, with defending champion Troy Matteson leading the departed. Matteson never got it going, and his two-day total of 142 left him 1 under.

Also missing the cut were Charles Howell III, Robert Gamez, Craig Barlow, Bob Tway, Lee Janzen and former UNLV standouts Chris Riley and Charley Hoffman.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.