Turtle Bay Championship: Second-Round Notebook
By Phil Stambaugh, PGA TOUR Staff
KAHUKU, Hawaii -- Sixty-one year-old Gil Morgan is attempting to become the 18th player age 60+ to earn a win on the Champions Tour, and is shooting for his 26th Champions Tour career title as well. Morgan's only other victory in Hawaii came at the 1998 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.
| Inside the Numbers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36-Hole Leaderboard | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
• Should Morgan win the Turtle Bay Championship on Sunday, he would become the fifth wire-to-wire winner of this event and the second consecutive -- Bob Murphy (1994), Jay Sigel (1998), Bruce Fleisher (1999), Fred Funk (2007).
• A total of 240 Charles Schwab Cup points will be awarded to the winner on Sunday. Fred Funk is the current leader with 300 points following his victory in last week's MasterCard Championship at Hualalai. At the end of the official season, the player earning the most Charles Schwab Cup points will receive a $1 million annuity.
• Morgan's 36-hole score of 7-under 137 is the highest to lead this event after two rounds since 2003, when Tom Kite was at 6-under 138 for two days, two strokes better than Rex Caldwell.
• In his Champions Tour career, Morgan has won 16 of 31 events when he has led or been tied for the lead going into the final round. The last time he was in this position was when he was locked in a three-way tie for the lead through 36 holes at last year's Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and went on to win by two strokes over Hale Irwin. Morgan's best career finish in the Turtle Bay Championship is a tie for 14th in 2006.
• Fred Funk's second consecutive 2-under 70 Sunday gives him 15 consecutive sub-par rounds on the Champions Tour dating back to last year. Funk, a winner last week at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, is trying to become the first player since Loren Roberts (2006) to claim the first two starts of the year.
• In the previous 21 events, the player leading or tied for the lead after two rounds has gone on to win 12 times, including eight of the last 11 years. Jose Maria Canizares, the 36-hole leader in 2000, is the only front-runner to finish worse than fourth in the event (tied for 11th). Bruce Summerhays, the 1997 second-round leader, tied for second, while Tom Kite, the 2003 leader, finished second to Irwin.
• Don Pooley's 3-under 69 was the only round in the 60s Saturday. Pooley's score vaulted him up 43 places into a tie for 15th.
• Saturday's stroke average of 74.416 was the highest for a round on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay since Saturday of 2003, when the scoring average was 74.864. There were 11 rounds under par Saturday compared to 33 Friday. Through 36 holes this year, the cumulative stroke average is 73.297 compared to 71.339 last year when the conditions were more benign.
• The par-4 10th hole played as the most difficult Saturday (4.416), yielding just two birdies (Chip Beck, Jeff Sluman). The par-5 ninth hole played as the easiest (4.883), yielding 21 birdies. Only one eagle was made Saturday and that came at the par-5 third hole (Kenny Knox).
• Scott Simpson's 72 Saturday ended his run of sub-par rounds at Turtle Bay at seven straight. Tom Kite's 1-over 73 Saturday stopped his streak of par/better rounds at the Palmer Course at 10 consecutive.
• Tim Simpson withdrew before the start of the second round with a bad back and shoulder.
• Through 36 holes, Phil Blackmar has made only one bogey. ... Loren Roberts leads in fairways hit with 25 of 28. ... Gil Morgan leads in Greens in Regulation with 30 of 36. ... Don Pooley had 14 one-putts Saturday. ... Jim Thorpe hit the longest measured drive of the day, 366 yards at the par-4 16th hole.
• Sunday's final round begins at 7:50 a.m. (HT) with all 77 professionals going off the first tee.
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FANTASY
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 