First-round notebook: The Shark Shootout

text size

• Jerry Kelly/Steve Stricker and Justin Leonard/Scott Verplank opened the 2009 Shark Shootout with 6-under 66s to share the first-round lead by one stroke over Chad Campbell/Tim Clark and Steve Flesch/Dustin Johnson.

• After an opening birdie, Kelly/Stricker recorded birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie (Nos. 5-9) for an outward nine of 7-under 29.

• Leonard holed a 25-foot putt from off the green at the final hole to secure a share of the lead after Round 1.

• Kelly/Stricker (2008-T5) and Leonard/Verplank (2006-2nd) are the only two teams this year who have previously teamed together at The Shark Shootout.

• The Kelly/Stricker combination is the only team in this week's field with both players posting victories on the PGA TOUR this season. Kelly won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Stricker posted three victories at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, John Deere Classic and Deutsche Bank Championship.

• Kelly won The Shark Shootout in 2006 with Rod Pampling, defeating Leonard/Verplank in a playoff. 2009 marks the second time Leonard/Verplank have played as a team at The Shark Shootout. They also played Foursomes and Four-ball together at the 2005 Presidents Cup with a 2-1-1 record.

• The tournament record in the modified alternate shot (used on Friday) format is 57, set by Fred Couples/Raymond Floyd (1990).

• South African Clark and Texan Campbell managed the windy conditions well to shoot a 5-under 67 even though they played the par-5's 1-over. Both players joined the PGA TOUR in 2002 after playing on the Nationwide Tour.

• Clark is one of six first-timers at the 2009 Shark Shootout. He is paired with Campbell, who is making his fourth appearance. Campbell came close to victory here in 2003 when he teamed with Shaun Micheel, losing a three-way playoff.

• Just seven players have won The Shark Shootout in their first attempt: Mark O'Meara (1989), Curtis Strange (1989), Couples (1990), Scott McCarron (1997), Hank Kuehne (2003), Rod Pampling (2006) and Woody Austin (2007). Six players are hoping to join that group this week, including first-timers Clark, Brian Gay, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, George McNeill and Ross Fisher.

• Of the 24 players at the 2008 event, 14 have returned to The Shark Shootout this year.

• Not a single team recorded a bogey-free round on Friday.

• Ian Poulter (No. 12) and Fisher (No. 18) have a combined Official World Golf Ranking of 30. They teamed to finish T4 for England at the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, three strokes behind winners Italy.

• Poulter and Fisher each won tournaments on different Tours on the first day of November this year. Poulter won the Barclays Singapore Open on the Asian PGA Tour, while Fisher prevailed at the Volvo World Match Play at Finca Cortesin on the European Tour.

• The team of Fowler/Chris DiMarco has a combined Official World Golf Ranking of 588 (Fowler - No. 262, DiMarco -- No. 326).

• Flesch is in good position for an early Christmas present after replacing an injured Couples on Tuesday this week. Flesch and Johnson are a stroke behind the leaders at 5-under 67.

• Only two teams have defended the title in the 20-year history of The Shark Shootout - Brad Faxon/McCarron (2000-01) and Kuehne/Jeff Sluman (2003-04) -- but that won't be happening again this year. Last year's winning team of Kenny Perry/Scott Hoch was split up because Hoch is recovering from wrist surgery. Perry partnered with fellow Kentucky native, and 2008 Ryder Cup teammate, J.B. Holmes to post a 2-under 70.

• If Perry were to win this week he would become the fifth player with three wins at The Shark Shootout, joining Elkington (1993, '95, '98), Couples (1990, '94, '99), Faxon (1994, 2000, '01) and McCarron (1997, 2000, '01). However, Perry would match Elkington and Couples as the only players to win with three different partners.

• Faxon/ Matt Kuchar, in the first group of the day, posted back-to-back double-bogeys at the first two holes before shooting 2 under on the inward nine for a 1-over 73.

• The Shark Shootout host Greg Norman was due to make his 21st start in the 21-year event before a slower than expected recovery from shoulder surgery stopped him. The players in the field with the most starts after Norman are Mark Calcavecchia (16), followed by Faxon (15), Sluman (10), Perry (7), Nick Price (7), Kelly (5), Leonard (5), Campbell (4), DiMarco (3), Zach Johnson (3), Verplank (3), Holmes (3), Kuchar (3), Stricker (2), Poulter (2), Graeme McDowell (2), Flesch (2) and Boo Weekley (2). Six players -- Clark, Gay, Fowler, Dustin Johnson, McNeill and Fisher -- are making their first start at The Shark Shootout.

• Calcavecchia is making his 16th appearance at The Shark Shootout, joining Steve Elkington and Peter Jacobsen with the second-most starts behind tournament host Norman (20).

• Four players share the record with three wins at The Shark Shootout, including Elkington (1993, 1995, 1998), Couples (1990, 1994, 1999), Faxon (1994, 2000, 2001) and McCarron (1997, 2000, 2001). Faxon is the only one of the four here this week, teaming with Kuchar. The pair shot 73 and are 12th.

• Saturday's television coverage will be on NBC at 4-6 p.m. ET.

• The format for the first-round was Modified Alternate Shot. Each player hits a tee-shot on every hole and one tee-shot is selected. The player whose tee-shot is not selected hits the second shot and they alternate shots until the ball is holed. Saturday will feature the Better Ball format, followed by Sunday's Scramble format.