CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - PGA Tour players, and especially their caddies, have been battling the hilly Castle Pines Golf Club while fighting for air in the thin Colorado altitude all week.
On Sunday, the task gets tougher when they play 36 holes, but the players are prepared to handle the challenge.
"It's what we stay in shape for, it's why we work out," said Billy Mayfair, who finished Saturday's second round tied for second. "We'll probably have plenty of bars and Gatorade in the bag tomorrow and just try and stop from being dehydrated out there and keep going."
Charles Howell, regarded as one of the tour's fittest players, agreed.
"I don't mind the fact of tomorrow being 36 holes," Howell said. "That's one of the big reasons I spend so much time working out and trying to stay in good shape."
Howell said most of the players work out and stay in shape.
"I'd say 90 percent of the players here work out and do some type of activity," Howell said. "The days of old guys hanging around and drinking and telling good stories after the rounds are over with. Golfers are athletes, and I know it's taken a while for people to understand and accept that."
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BIG HITTERS: It's no secret that a golf ball travels farther in the thin Colorado air, and no one at this year's International knows that better than Scott Gutschewski.
The 6-foot, 260-pound Nebraskan leads the field in driving distance through two rounds, averaging 342.8 yards per drive.
Phil Mickelson had the longest drive over the first 36 holes, cracking a 438-yard whopper on the 485-yard, par-4 10th during the second round.
Mickelson's drive was helped out by the cart path and set him up for a par on the hole. Gutschewski (414 yards), Jason Allred (413) and Nick Watney (400) have also reached the 400-yard plateau.
The field is averaging 300.1 yards per drive through two rounds, 13.5 yards more than the tour's season average of 286.6 yards.
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PAR-3 PARTY: For three of the top four players on the International leaderboard, the par-3s were the place to pick up points Saturday.
Tournament leader Cameron Beckman grabbed four points with birdies on the par-3 fourth and seventh, while Mayfair and Howell did him one better. Mayfair and Howell played the par-3s at Castle Pines Golf Club as good or better than they did the par-5s.
Neither player recorded a par on the 7,619-yard course's four par-3s, recording three birdies and one bogey.
Meanwhile, Mayfair birdied two of the four par-5s, while Howell was even on the par-5s.
"The par-5s aren't playing nearly as short as they normally do here," Howell said. "That's why 17 (a par-5) is so important because it's your best chance at eagle out there."
Brandt Jobe, who is tied for second place with Mayfair and Howell, played the par-3s in 1 over and the par-5s in 2 under. Jobe made his move up the leaderboard with four birdies on the front-nine par-4s.
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PRESSURE POINTS: D.A. Points, who sat in a tie for third after a 12-point first round, suffered through a painful day Saturday.
Points had to battle back pain in addition to the course and managed to grab only two more points heading into Sunday's final two rounds.
"I had a back spasm, and I played most of the day with pain," Points said. "It was painful just to bend over, so it was difficult to stay where I was."
Points could have a tough run of it during the 36-hole finale.
"I am not looking forward to it," he said. "I am going to get some people to work on my back and get some rest to have it in some kind of shape by tomorrow."
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THE UNKINDEST CUT: With Thursday's washout forcing PGA Tour officials to implement a 36-hole Sunday finish, the field was cut to 60 players and ties instead of the customary 70-player cut.
The tour also eliminated the event's 54-hole cut, which traditionally pares the field down to the low 36 players.
As a result, players who finished 64th through 74th and missed the 36-hole cut will still receive paychecks despite not playing on Sunday.
Among those who didn't make it into the money were two-time International winner Davis Love III, who came into the week ninth in the U.S. President's Cup standings, and surely lost some ground by finishing tied for 135th. Justin Leonard, ranked 11th in the U.S. standings, also missed the cut and finished 75th.
Other notables who missed the cut included Greg Norman, David Duval, Fred Couples and Jesper Parnevik.
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