Merrill-Lynch Shootout: First-round notebook  PGA TOUR Media Official • Of the four players in the top spot, Mark Calcavecchia is making his 14th appearance at the Merrill-Lynch Shootout, followed by Jeff Sluman (8), Fred Funk (6) and Woody Austin (1).  Greg Norman is the host of the Merrill-Lynch Shootout. (Cannon/Getty Images)
• Woody Austin is looking to become the seventh player to win the Merrill-Lynch Shootout in his first start: Mark O'Meara (1989), Curtis Strange (1989), Fred Couples (1990), Scott McCarron (1997), Hank Kuehne (2003) and Rod Pampling (2006). • Tournament host Greg Norman, playing Friday with Bubba Watson, equaled his lowest start in tournament history with a 7-under 65. Norman, making his 19th start here, also opened with a 65 in 1990 (w/Jack Nicklaus), 1995 (w/Raymond Floyd) and 2004 (w/Scott McCarron). • The only teams with bogey-free rounds on Friday were Greg Norman/Bubba Watson (65), Steve Elkington/Scott McCarron (68), Anthony Kim/Mark O'Meara (68) and Chris DiMarco/Camilo Villegas (68). • Defending champions Jerry Kelly and Rod Pampling got off to a hot start at the 2007 Merrill- Lynch Shootout. With a 6-under 66, they are just two shots behind the lead groups. They are seeking to become the third team to repeat at the three-day event. The others were Brad Faxon/Scott McCarron (2000, 2001) and Hank Kuehne/Jeff Sluman (2003, 2004). • The format for the first-round was Modified Alternate Shot. Saturday will feature the Better Ball format, followed by Sunday's Scramble format. |
