ACE Group Classic: First-round notebook

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NAPLES, Fla. -- Don Pooley and Argentina's Vicente Fernandez shared the opening-round lead at this year's ACE Group Classic. For Pooley, it marked the first time he's been a first-round leader since the 2006 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, where he carded a 63 on Friday.

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Jay Haas was assessed a two-stroke penalty after his round.

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score T1. Don Pooley 68 -4 T1. Vicente Fernandez 68 -4 T3. Wayne Levi 69 -3 T3. Jay Haas 69 -3

• Fernandez, the 2003 ACE Group Classic champion, last was a first-round leader at the 2005 Boeing Championship at Sandestin when he posted 63 on Friday at that event. Pooley is searching for his first win on the Champions Tour since the 2003 Allianz Championship and Fernandez has not won since triumphing here in Naples six years ago.

• Jay Haas appeared like his was going to be the first-round leader after going around the TPC Treviso Bay course in 67 strokes. However, Haas was assessed a two-stroke penalty when he finished play for moving a loose impediment (pine straw) in a hazard with his club (Rule 13-4) on the par-5 12th hole. Haas shot 69 instead and is tied with Wayne Levi for third place, one stroke back of the leaders.

• Pooley and Fernandez' 4-under 68s are the highest scores to lead after a first round of the ACE Group Classic since Jose Maria Canizares was the first-round leader after posting a 68 at Pelican Marsh in the 2001 event.

• Jeff Sluman, who came into the event with 31 straight rounds of par/better dating back to last year, saw his streak end Friday after posting a 3-over-par 75 at TPC Treviso Bay. Sluman's streak of par/better scores was the third longest in Champions Tour history. The all-time record is 37 in a row by Loren Roberts in 2006-2007. Larry Nelson has the circuit's second-longest streak with 32 consecutive rounds of par/better in 2000.

• Several other streaks came to an end Friday. Andy Bean's 5-over-par 77 snapped his streak of rounds in the 60s on the Champions Tour at 10 straight dating back in the 2008 campaign. Bean also had runs of 17 straight rounds of par/better and 13 consecutive sub-par rounds come to an end. Brad Bryant's 1-over-par 73 ended his streak of consecutive sub-par scores in Naples at 11 straight.

• Roberts still has never had a round of par or worse in the Naples event on the Champions Tour. His 2-under 70 Friday gives him 10 straight sub-par scores.

• Lanny Wadkins, making his first start on the Champions Tour since last year's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in April, carded a 5-over 77.

• The field scoring average for the first official round of competition at TPC Treviso Bay was 74.244. Last year at Quail West, the field averaged 70.696 on Friday. Only four players were in the 60s today compared to 33 sub-70 scores in the opening round of last year's event.

• Lee Trevino (knee) and Hubert Green (shoulder) both withdrew before the start of the round with injuries. Walter Hall (76) replaced Trevino in the field and Gary Hallberg (77) replaced Green. R.W. Eaks withdrew with a back injury while playing his 12th hole.