First-round notebook: CMN Classic

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Nov. 12, 2009
By Mark Stevens, PGA TOUR Staff

Justin Rose shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 on the Palm Course to take a one shot lead over Rickie Fowler, Greg Owen and Casey Wittenberg.

• Only three (Rick Price, Zach Johnson and Kris Blanks) of the top 10 players at T5 or better played on the Magnolia Course today. The stroke average on the Palm Course today was 70.656, while the Magnolia Course was 71.172.

• Rose led after the first round of the 2006 Children's Miracle Network Classic after shooting a course record 12-under 60 on the Palm Course. Rose has finished in the top 25 in each of his three previous appearances at Disney (4th-2006, T3-2005, T24-2004).

• Coming into the week, Rose was the Children's Miracle Network Classic scoring average leader at 67.42 (minimum 12 rounds). John Rollins (6th/68.23) and Ryan Palmer (8th/68.5) are the only other players in the field this week that are on the Children's Miracle Network Classic's top 10 list for career scoring average.

• Rose has now played 13 rounds at the Children's Miracle Network Classic without ever posting an above-par score. He has two rounds in the 70s (72 and 71) and 11 rounds in the 60s.

• Prior to today, Rose has held eight other first round leads/co-leads. He has not been able to convert any of those leads into a victory. His last first-round lead was at the 2008 Masters where he went on to finish T36. His best finish after holding a first-round lead was T2 at the 2006 Valero Texas Open.

• Eight of 43 first-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to victory on TOUR this year.

• Fowler birdied five of his last six holes on the Palm Course to finish at 6-under 66.

• Fowler is playing in just his third PGA TOUR event as a professional (T7 at Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and P2 at the Frys.com Open). He had played five previous TOUR events as an amateur.

• At 20 years and 11 months, Fowler would be the youngest winner on TOUR since Phil Mickelson won in 1991 at 20 years and 6 months.

• Fowler, who turns 21 on Dec. 13, has now shot in the 60s in his first nine rounds as a professional on the PGA TOUR. No records are kept on scoring streaks such as this, but below are some of the top TOUR players and the number of consecutive rounds in the 60s to start their career:

Player Rounds Before Recording a 70 to start career
Rickie Fowler 9 (active)
Anthony Kim 5 (73 in the first round of the 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic)
Tiger Woods 3 (73 in the third round of the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open)
Sergio Garcia 3 (71 in the third round of the GTE Byron Nelson Classic)
Tom Watson 3 (74 in third round of 1971 Kaiser International Open)
Phil Mickelson 2 (81 in the second round of the 1992 U.S. Open)
Vijay Singh 0 (73 in the first round of the 1992 Memorial, followed by 8 rds in the 60s)
Ernie Els 0 (75 in first round of 1990 Buick Southern Open)
Arnold Palmer 0 (72 in first round of the 1955 Imperial Valley Open)
Jack Nicklaus 0 (74 in the first round of the 1962 Los Angeles Open)
David Duval 0 (70 in the first round of the 1993 Greater Hartford Open)
Ryan Moore 0 (71 in the first round of the 2005 Barclays Classic)

• The Children's Miracle Network Classic is the last chance for players to move into the top 125 on the money list and earn full exempt status on the TOUR in 2010. David Duval is in the No. 125 spot coming into the Children's Miracle Network Classic. Below are player's ranked Nos. 125-130 before the Disney event:

No. on Money List Player Current Standing at Disney
125 David Duval T124
126 Chris Riley T33
127 Jeff Maggert T59
128 Tim Herron T33
129 Matt Jones 127
130 Jimmy Walker T21

• Below are the four first-round leaders at the Children's Miracle Network Classic who went on to win:

Player Year
Bob Lohr 1988
Tim Simpson 1990
Rick Fehr 1994
Bob Burns 2002

• No rookie has won on TOUR this year -- something that hasn't happened since 1998, when Steve Flesch won Rookie of the Year honors. At No. 45 on the money list, Australian Marc Leishman leads all rookies. Leishman was the only rookie to play in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and finished 20th in the FedExCup standings. Below are some of the rookies on TOUR this season and their rank on the money list:

Player Money List Standing Position After First-Round
Marc Leishman 44 DNP
Webb Simpson 67 T33
Jeff Klauk 68 T21
Scott Piercy 87 T108
James Nitties 94 DNP
Bill Lunde 102 DNP
Matt Bettencourt 110 T5
Ricky Barnes 121 T99
Casey Wittenberg 159 T2
Kris Blanks 171 T5
Rick Price 220 T5

• The Kodak Challenge continues this week with the 485-yard, par-4 17th hole at Walt Disney World Resort's Magnolia Course as the featured hole this week. Players must play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to compete for $1 million and the Kodak Challenge title. A player's lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will be counted.

Kevin Streelman, who has a two-shot lead in the Kodak Challenge, played the Palm Course in the first round. Bo Van Pelt, the only other player in the field that can catch Streelman, also played on the Palm Course today. Both golfers will take their first shots on the Magnolia Course on Friday.

Charles Warren's improbable eagle today at No. 17 on the Magnolia Course is the first on that hole since 1998 and only the fifth since 1983. Bo Van Pelt needs to eagle Magnolia's No. 17 this week to tie Kodak Challenge leader, Kevin Streelman and force a playoff. Streelman can clinch the Kodak Challenge at any point with a birdie on No. 17.

• Overall Statistics on the 485-yard, par-4 No. 17 at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course (since 1983 and prior to today):

Bogies 764
Pars 4133
Birdies 910
Eagles 4 (last one in 1998 by Lanny Wadkins)

• Golf Channel's Big Break Winner Haymes Snedeker received a sponsor exemption for the 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic. Haymes Snedeker, a municipal judge in Alabama, who played collegiately at the University of Mississippi, secured his sponsorship exemption after winning Golf Channel's Big Break X: Michigan in 2008. Haymes was paired with his brother Brandt who was the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2007. Snedeker has four top-five finishes this year, including T2 at the John Deere Classic. Brandt, making his first career start at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, shot a 2-under in the first round, while brother Haymes shot a 2-over.

• Seven players turned in bogey-free rounds today including Daniel Chopra, Bill Haas, Johnson, David Mathis, Rick Price, Rose and Matt Weibring.

Bob Tway, Brad Faxon and Rocco Mediate are making their 20th appearance at the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

• Defending champion Davis Love III (neck) withdrew following a first-round, 1-over 73.

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