Shingo Katayama (64): “The second hole I bogeyed so I felt like I'm not going to play good today. But after 9, I started making birdies, good shots and I ended up as the leader, so I'm pretty happy. I'm in really good condition. I want to keep up the pace in the final rounds on Saturday and Sunday. I want to play well. I'll have a lot of pressure on me but I have been playing in the last group in Japan so many times, so I should play well.”

Jim Furyk (64): “I'm obviously very happy the way I played today. Got myself back in the tournament. I felt more comfortable with the putter today than yesterday. I felt good with my irons and hit a lot of crisp iron shots and gave myself a lot of 15-to-18 foot birdie putts today and even closer.”

David Toms (65): “I feel good. If it were not a major, maybe I would feel better because I have won some PGA Tour events. But I like my chances, if I can just keep it up. I know I’m nine-under par, but that’s not as low as I could have been. I left some shots out there today. Early in the round, I hit some good shots and didn’t make the putts. I’m not surprised that I’m nine-under.”

Bob Estes (65): "I'm just having fun playing golf right now for the first time in a long time. I just started with a new teacher and my swing is getting better and better. I'm hitting the ball better than I actually thought I would be able to. He helped me find my golf swing and if I can match that up with the short game that I always had, maybe I can start making a little noise in the golfing world."

Steve Lowery (67): "Today was a lot more solid than yesterday. Yesterday I scrambled a lot. I really putted well today. I feel like I've got my game where I can do it. It's been a while. I have struggled a bit with the ball striking but it seems to be better."

Chris DiMarco (67): “I made no bogeys, three birdies and 15 pars. I've been playing really good coming into this week. When you're playing good, you just take that roll, and right now, it's on a good roll. I am hitting the ball very crisp and hitting the ball where I'm aiming.”

Paul Azinger (67): “I feel like I'm driving it better than my stats will probably show. Green-wise, my iron game is pretty steady. I hit it awful in the practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. But something came to me on the sixth tee when I set up over a shot and I've gradually gotten better as yesterday progressed and today. I'm not putting poorly in any way but I have missed a few that I should definitely have holed.”

Robert Allenby (67): “I played really well. I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I was happy with the way I was swinging. I will just keep working on my putting. The harder you work the more luck you create. I don't think I am in a position where I can excited yet. I'll get excited if I've got a three-shot lead coming down the last hole.”

Charles Howell (67): “Today was a good day. The golf course is tough. For someone to be at nine-under par leading is amazing. If the wind was blowing it would be really interesting. I assure you, this is not that easy.”

Nick Price (67): "I played really good today. I missed one fairway. I'll give my putting six out of 10. I'll need to improve if I want to have any chance this weekend. There is a logjam up there with the leaders, so realistically I'll look for just a nice strong weekend."

Ernie Els (67): "I'm playing good. I'm hitting the ball well and I am trying to hang in there. From three coming in, I hit every green and had a lot of birdie putts. At the 18th (where he doubled yesterday) I almost had the same yardage and had three clubs difference. It shows you how the water plays an effect."

David Duval (68): "I've made nothing so far this week. I made the putts on 14 and 15 and that's it, nothing else. It's a combination of me being in bad spots on the greens and the greens not being in very good shape. I've hit it really, really well. I've hit 32 greens in regulaton so far which is pretty good. It's hard to speculate what score will be neeed to win. As long as it's mine, I'm fine."

KJ Choi (68): “I'm very happy.”

Greg Norman (68): “I'm happy with the way I am striking the ball. In the last 12 months I think this is probably the best I've played. We've got two rounds to go here and you never know. You shoot a couple of rounds in the mid 60's and you've got a real good chance of winning the tournament.”

Lee Westwood (68): “I'm quite capable of shooting 63 or 64 if I can get the putter working. If I'd gotten my fair share of putts to fall I could be nine or 10-under-par. Majors generally don't start until the last two rounds, when the pressure is on it is certainly going to be interesting.”

John Huston (68): "I played pretty well today, not great, but I got around pretty well and finished low enough to be in position to contend. I am definitely going to have to hit a few more fairways and putt really well over the weekend to have a chance."

Colin Montgomerie (69): (After coming home in 31 to make the cut) “That was a good effort. I had a lot of work to do and I did it. I started driving the ball better and gave myself a chance. That's possibly my most courageous nine holes of the year and I don't think I'm too far back to win."

Fred Couples (69): “I hit the ball well. I'm excited. You always want to do well in any tournament and I haven't been making that many cuts lately. I'm thrilled.”

Scott Hoch (70): “I hit a lot of good putts today that just didn't go in. I hit a lot of putts over the edge. The greens were in great shape. They were better for me today than yesterday since I played in the morning – but gosh, I just rolled it over the edge all day.”

Bob May (70): “I felt good. I just didn't hit it as well as I would have liked to yesterday. I hit it okay today, but I just didn't make that many putts. But it's been great. The people here have been wonderful. With all the fans out here, it's nice to have them giving you all of the support.”

Stuart Appleby (70): "I need to keep swinging like I am swinging. I definitely need to putt better, get more consistency on the greens. That's what has stopped me from being six, seven, eight or nine under. Those guys leading the tournament have been doing it on the greens."

Jerry Pate (70): “I played well considering I've only played five times (pro events) in the past six years. For 14 holes it seemed like I could beat anyone in the world. Then again you don't go to 15, 16, 17 and 18 and think you will finish two-under in that four-hole stretch, although I did to win the US Open in 1976.”

Kenny Perry (70): “I kind of stepped on my feet a little down the stretch with bogeys on 16 and 18 and finished two-under for the tournament and nine-under is leading. In the majors it all happens on the weekend. If I can go out and shoot four-under or better tomorrow I'll be in pretty good shape.”

Stewart Cink (72): “Usually there are a couple of guys who go out early on Saturday and light it up. Hopefully, I can be one of those guys. I'm playing great. I've been awesome from tee to green this week, so my time is coming.”

Andrew Coltart (72): “I am a bit disappointed with 72. I was looking for a bit better. The putting was okay today but I hit it in the rough and that kind of stalled the score a bit. It was not a particular shot that was causing any trouble, it was just a couple slightly right and a couple slightly left.”

Grant Waite (74): "Today, I don't think I made a putt over three feet. On a course like this you've got to play well. I played well enough, but didn't do the little things you need to play well. I probably left four, five or six putts within 18 inches dead nil short."

Sergio Garcia (75): “It was a bad day, especially after playing so well the last few weeks. I'm going back to Spain now.”