The ACE Group Classic: First-Round Notebook

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NAPLES, Fla. -- With Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller, Bruce Fleisher and Loren Roberts tied for the first-round lead, this is the most players to share the first-round lead in this tournament since 1989 when five players were tied at 2-under-par 70. That group included Bruce Crampton, Chick Evans, Miller Barber, Harold Henning and Gene Littler, who went on to a two-stroke victory.

Peter Jacobsen carded six birdies and 12 pars on Friday to sit one shot off the lead. (Miller/WireImage)

• Fuzzy Zoeller has posted top-10 finishes in each of his last two starts in Naples and his 7-under-par 65 gave him seven straight sub-par rounds in the ACE Group Classic. Zoeller starred as a junior college player at Edison Junior College in nearby Fort Myers, where he won a Florida State Junior College title and earned Junior College All-American honors.

• Loren Roberts' 7-under-par 65 gave him six rounds in the 60s in seven starts at this tournament. He won the 2006 ACE Group Classic when it was played at The Club at TwinEagles.

• Peter Jacobsen, a resident of nearby Bonita Beach, was making just his second start of the campaign on the Champions Tour on Friday and posted a 6-under-par 66.

• Bob Gilder had one of the day's best shots when he sank a 9-iron from 139 yards for an eagle-2 on No. 8.

• Gilder also made his 97th consecutive Champions Tour start on Friday. It is the Champions Tour's longest current streak. The last event Gilder missed was the 2004 Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. Dana Quigley holds the all-time record for consecutive events played with 264.

• Defending champion Bobby Wadkins shot a 3-under-par 69 and is currently tied for 26th place.

• A total of 43 players finished with sub-par rounds to 48 in the opening round a year ago. The field averaged 70.696 on Friday compared to 70.747 in 2007. A total of 33 players had rounds in the 60s in the opening round.

• The most difficult hole was No. 17 with an average score of 4.266 (+.266), while No. 13 was the easiest at 4.443 (-.557).

• Loren Roberts, Peter Jacobsen, Bruce Lietzke, Joe Ozaki, Wayne Levi, Tom Purtzer, Jeff Sluman, John Cook, Ron Streck, Keith Fergus, Denis O'Sullivan, Scott Hoch and Allen Doyle all posted bogey-free rounds on Friday.

• Bruce Lietzke continued his strong play. He tied for second last week at the Allianz Championship after weekend rounds of 65-68. He opened with a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on Friday.

• Eduardo Romero had the day's best showing on the front nine, posting a 6-under-par 30 on his way to a 5-under-par 67. Bruce Lietzke and Bruce Fleisher each had 5-under-par 31s on the back nine.