Tampa Bay Pro-Am
Friday Apr 13 – Sunday Apr 15, 2012

Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am: Second-Round Notebook

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Apr. 19, 2008
By Phil Stambaugh, PGA TOUR Staff

LUTZ, Fla. -- Mark Wiebe shoots for his third career win on the Champions Tour Sunday in his 13th start on the circuit. Last month, Bernhard Langer claimed the Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach, his third title in his 12th career appearance on the circuit.

Tom McKnight
Tom McKnight is hitting about two out of every three greens in regulation this week. (Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
Inside the Numbers
36-Hole Leaderboard
Player Score
1. Mark Wiebe 131 -11
T2. Scott Hoch 134 -8
T2. Tom Watson 134 -8
T4. Mike Reid 136 -6
T4. Tom Jenkins 136 -6
6. Mike Hulbert 137 -5
T7. Nick Price 138 -4
T7. John Cook 138 -4
T7. Gary Koch 138 -4
T7. Craig Stadler 138 -4

• If successful, Wiebe would surpass his career victory total on the PGA TOUR (2) and would join Scott Hoch as the second player to win consecutive events on the Tour this year. Wiebe's best-ever finish on the PGA TOUR in the Sunshine State was a T7 at the 1986 Hertz Bay Hill Classic.

• By reaching 11-under 131 through two rounds, Mark Wiebe tied the record for low first 36 holes in Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am history. Bruce Fleisher also reached 11 under in both 2000 and 2002. In 2002, Tom Kite reached 10 under, while Mark McNulty got to 10 under through 36 holes in 2004.

• Even though Mark Wiebe enjoys a three-stroke lead after two rounds, the largest at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am since 2000 (Bruce Fleisher, five strokes), the odds don't favor the leader going on to win. In five of the last six Outback Steakhouse Pro-Ams, including Tom Watson last year, the winner has come from behind on Sunday. Through eight events this year, only three 36-hole leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win this year.

• Watson is in contention to become the first player ever to successfully defend at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. Bruce Fleisher the 2000 champion, tied for second in defense of his title. Mark McNulty, the 2004 winner, tied for second at TPC Tampa Bay in 2005 and Hale Irwin tied for second in 2006 after winning the event in 2005. Last year, Watson trailed by three strokes at the turn on Sunday but rallied to win, ending an 0-93 victory drought in Florida.

• Scott Hoch's second consecutive 67 gives him a shot at winning a third 2008 title in the state of Florida. Hoch claimed both the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton and the ACE Group Classic near Naples during the month of February. He also made the cut at the PGA TOUR's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens and tied for 65th.

Mike Hulbert has posted rounds of 69-68 through the first two rounds of his first Champions Tour event. He has a chance to become the first player since Mark Wiebe to win in his debut, and 13th overall in Champions Tour history. Wiebe won last fall in his first start at the SAS Championship. Since Wiebe's victory at Prestonwood in Cary, N.C.

Nick Price's 6-under 65 tied Mark Wiebe for the low round and moved him up 46 spots into a tie for seventh. Keith Fergus shot 66 Saturday and advanced 49 places into a tie for 13th, the biggest move of the day.

• A total of 255 Charles Schwab Cup points will be awarded to the winner tomorrow. Bernhard Langer currently leads the Schwab Cup race with 851 points, but Scott Hoch (566 points) can close the gap on Langer with a high finish Sunday. Jay Haas currently rounds out the top three with 555 points on the season. Mark Wiebe is currently in 10th place with 300 points and could move up into a tie for third with Haas should he win. At the end of the official season, the player earning the most Charles Schwab Cup points will receive a $1 million payout.

• Saturday's stroke average of 72.347 was almost a stroke higher than Friday's first-round scoring average (71.480). There were 18 rounds in the 60s Saturday compared to 19 Friday. A total of 19 players broke par Saturday compared to 30 Friday. The cumulative stroke average for two rounds is 71.913. Last year after 36 holes, the stroke average was 73.523.

• Through 36 holes, Mark Wiebe has made just one bogey. ... Tom Watson leads in Greens In Regulation with 32 of 36 (88.89%). ... Hubert Green leads in Fairways Hit with 27 of 28...Jeff Sluman has averaged just 26.5 putts per round.

Jim Albus and his amateur partner, Robert Eanell of St. Petersburg, lead the pro-am portion of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am after 36 holes with a team score of 20-under 122. Eanell, a 12-handicapper, is the president of 1031 Exchange Group. Among the celebrities making the 36-hole cut were Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks (123), former NFL quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde (126) and Joe Theismann (128), former Major League Baseball player Fred McGriff (127) and NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett (131).

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