Fourth-round notebook: CMN Classic
By Mark Stevens, PGA TOUR Staff
• Stephen Ames won his fourth PGA TOUR event by defeating George McNeill on the second playoff hole (No. 15) with a par-3. McNeill made bogey on the final playoff hole. Justin Leonard was eliminated on the first playoff hole (No. 18) with a bogey-5.
• This marks the 13th playoff on the PGA TOUR this season. The most ever on TOUR is 16, which came in 1988 and 1991. It is also the fourth consecutive playoff on TOUR dating back to the Turning Stone Resort Championship. The record is five consecutive playoffs, which came in 1946.
• The last playoff at the Children's Miracle Network Classic was in 1997 when David Duval beat Dan Forsman.
• Ames had four top-10 finishes coming into the week, but only one top-5 (T5-Bob Hope Classic).
• This was Ames' first playoff in 291 career starts on TOUR.
• Ames wins his fourth event on the PGA TOUR and first since he won at Disney in 2007.
• Ames joins Jack Nicklaus, Larry Nelson, Tim Simpson, John Houston and Tiger Woods as multiple winners of the Children's Miracle Network Classic.
• Ames' final round 64 ties four players for the second-best final-round score by a winner on TOUR this season. Kenny Perry's 63 at the Travelers Championship is the best final-round score to win this season.
• Ames finishes the money list at 37th, which is his worst finish since 2005 when he was 83rd. Ames earned over $2 million for the fourth consecutive season on the PGA TOUR.
• In eight of the last 10 years, the winner of the Children's Miracle Network Classic has posted all four rounds in the 60s. Ames has recorded a round of 70 in both years he won. When Ames won in 2007, he posted a 70 in the third round and has a 70 this year in the second round. Woods is the last player to win this event with a round above par. In 1999, Woods carded a final-round 73 but still nipped Ernie Els by a stroke at Walt Disney World. Of the three players in the playoff this year, McNeill is the only golfer to post all four rounds in the 60s.
• At 45 years old, Ames is the second oldest player to win on TOUR this season (Perry/48).
• The last four winners of the Disney event have been in their 40s.
• Ames' 2009 Children's Miracle Network Classic Statistics:
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• This was McNeill's second career TOUR playoff. The other playoff came in October at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open when he lost on the third playoff hole to Martin Laird.
• McNeill came into this week's Children's Miracle Network Classic with four eagles all year. He made two within the first five holes on the back nine during the third round and another eagle on No. 4 in the final round.
• McNeill took advantage of the par-5s this week. Below is a breakdown on how McNeill has played this week:
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• Leonard drops to 5-for-10 when holding the 54-hole lead/co-lead.
• Leonard finished T6 at the 2007 Children's Miracle Network Classic and missed the cut in his only other appearance at Disney in 2006.
• At this event, Leonard now has 10 consecutive sub-par rounds, including five rounds in the 60s, two rounds at 70 and three rounds at 71.
• Leonard drops to 2-5 in playoffs on the PGA TOUR.
• Brian Davis finished T7 to record a personal-best four top-10s this year on TOUR. His 43rd place finish on the money list is also a personal-best on TOUR.
• No rookie won on TOUR this year -- something that hasn't happened since 1998, when Steve Flesch won Rookie of the Year honors.
• Below are the round-by-round stroke averages for the Palm Course and the Magnolia Course this week:
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• Nicholas Thompson and Jimmy Walker are the only players to move into the top 125 on the money list following the Children's Miracle Network Classic. Duval and Robert Garrigus dropped out of the top 125 this week. Below is the cut line for the final 2009 PGA TOUR Money List:
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