Merrill Lynch Shootout: Second-round notebook

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NAPLES, Fla. -- Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry stormed to the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the Merrill Lynch Shootout on Saturday with a stellar 12-under 60 (the round of the week so far at the par-72 Tiburon Golf Club). They'll enter Sunday's final round with a four-stroke cushion over Boo Weekley/J.B. Holmes (62).

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Tournament host Greg Norman has played in all 20 editions of the Merrill Lynch Shootout.

• By comparison, the best second-round score in Merrill Lynch Shootout history is a 57, set by Fred Couples/Raymond Floyd (1990) and Craig Stadler/Lanny Wadkins (1996).

• Hoch (12 starts) is seeking his first victory at the Merrill Lynch Shootout, while Perry (six starts) is looking for his second win in his sixth start. He teamed with John Huston to win the tournament in 2005.

• Hoch and Perry also held the 36-hole lead at the 2003 Merrill Lynch Shootout before a final-round 68 left them in fifth place, four shots behind the winning team of Jeff Sluman/Hank Kuehne.

• First-round leaders Nick Price and Sluman posted a 6-under 66 on Saturday to fall five shots behind the leaders. Sluman is looking for his third victory at the Merrill Lynch Shootout, having teamed with Kuehne to win in 2003 and 2004.

• The best turnaround on Saturday was turned in by the team of Paul Azinger and Rocco Mediate, rebounding from an opening 1-over 73 with a 10-under 62 on Day 2. At 9-under 135, they'll enter the final round in eighth place and 10 shots behind Hoch/Perry.

• Defending champions Woody Austin and Mark Calcavecchia, at even-par 144, will enter the final round a distant 19 strokes behind the leaders. Only two teams in the history of the Merrill Lynch Shootout have successfully defended their title: Brad Faxon/Scott McCarron (2000-01) and Kuehne/Sluman (2003-04).

• Tournament host Greg Norman leads the field with 20 appearances at the Merrill Lynch Shootout, followed by Calcavecchia's 15 starts. The top four all-time: Norman (20), Steve Elkington (16), Peter Jacobsen (16) and Calcavecchia (15).

• Of the four players seeking to add their name to the seven players who have won the Merrill Lynch Shootout in their first attempt, Weekley sits in the best position with 18 holes remaining, currently in second place. The others include Steve Stricker (tied for fifth), Graeme McDowell (ninth) and Ian Poulter (ninth). The last player to win the Shootout in his first start was 2007 victor Austin.

• Norman, playing this week with two-time PGA TOUR winner Camilo Villegas, posted a 7-under 65 on Saturday to move to 10-under 134. They are tied for fifth place along with Jerry Kelly/Stricker (64) and Cink/Couples (66). Norman posted his only victory at the Merrill Lynch Shootout in 1998 (along with then-teammate and fellow Aussie Elkington). He has finished runner-up twice -- in 1991 with Jack Nicklaus and in 2007 with Bubba Watson.

• Nine of the 12 teams had bogey-free rounds on Saturday. The only teams with bogeys on their cards during the second round were Faxon/McCarron (69, two bogeys), Austin/Calcavecchia (71, four bogeys) and Cink/Couples (66, one bogey).

• The teams of Hoch/Perry (65-60) and Price/Sluman (64-66) have posted bogey-free rounds each of the first two days.

• Sunday's format will be a Scramble, with each player hitting a drive on every hole and then selecting the best of the two. Each player than plays a second shot from the spot where the selected drive lays and the best second shot is then selected. The process is repeated until the hole is completed.

• Sunday's winning team will split the $730,000 first-place prize, with each taking home $365,000. The final round will be televised on NBC from 3:00-6:00 p.m. ET.