Briny Baird took the lead at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after his second round 69 put him at -8.

However, it was the drama between shots that garnered much attention. During his approach shot to the 10th green, Bubba Watson spied Steve Elkington walking up the fairway as he addressed the ball. A frustrated Watson turned around, and let an expletive fly in Elkington’s direction which was captured by Golf Channel’s microphones. There was an obvious tension between the two the rest of the round which culminated in some heated words at the scoring tent.

Elkington left without comment, but Watson was apologetic afterwards, "I made a bad decision, and I want to apologize everybody in the tournament, everybody in the — whoever heard it, whoever saw it, especially Steve and Shigeki and their caddies. You know, I don’t drink or smoke, but every once in a while I get a little angry, and I said some stuff I probably shouldn’t have said." In the end, the confrontation did little to hinder either player’s game. Watson shot -3 to get himself back into contention while Elkington’s solid ball striking kept him three shots back of Baird.

The off course theatrics may have distracted many as to just how difficult the course is playing. The lowest round of the tournament was Tim Clark’s 66 with the majority of the field working hard to break par. Briny Baird commented, "The conditions are easier today, but there’s a couple pins out there that can sneak up on you, and it makes it hard to get the ball close. You can struggle if you miss it in the wrong spot; you’re going to have a really tough time getting up-and-down."

This is a unique position for Baird, a journeyman pro who has struggled to keep his playing privileges on the PGA Tour. Despite just one top ten finish in 2007, a T-9 at the AT&T, Baird is realistic about what he needs to do to win, "Stay patient. I think that’s the main thing… Just be patient and play your game. It’s boring, it’s not fun to print, but if I go out there and can stay focused on what I’m doing and play each shot the best I can play each shot, then that’s the hardest part about this game."

Baird will also have to contend with some established players anxious to catch him. Defending champion Nick Watney is just two strokes behind Baird while PGA Tour winners Jay Williamson and Peter Lonard are just one stroke back.