Mar. 14, 2010
MORE: Interactive Kodak Challenge scorecards
The Kodak Challenge is a first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players, who must play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes to be eligible to win. A player's lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will be counted. The player with the lowest cumulative score relative to par wins $1 million and the Kodak Challenge trophy.
2010 KODAK CHALLENGE: The 2010 Kodak Challenge schedule continues this week on hole No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale. The second year of the competition includes 21 of the original 30 holes, with two tournaments joining the Kodak Challenge: No. 15 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., site of the Quail Hollow Championship; and No. 14 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, home of the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley.
The remaining new holes appear at returning tournaments that move to new courses and two existing courses that have changed holes. Twenty-nine of the 30 Kodak Challenge tournaments for 2010 have been finalized. An announcement on the 30th tournament will be made in the near future.
THIS WEEK'S HOLE: The par-5, 560-yard eighth at TPC Blue Monster at Doral
DESCRIPTION: The par-5, 560-yard eighth at Doral's TPC Blue Monster is the most difficult of the course's four par-5s. A nearby lake is in play off the tee for longer hitters, while numerous palm trees and bunkers on the right punish any bailout. Many players go for the green in two, but to do so requires a long, accurate drive usually into the winter wind from the southwest. (Click here for tour).
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| First round |
Kodak Challenge hole No. 8 at Doral Resort & Spa's TPC Blue Monster tested the pros during the opening round at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. Paul Casey was one of just eight pros to birdie the par-5 560-yard Kodak Challenge hole during Thursday's round. Casey sunk an easy 4-footer to card a birdie and move into the first-place tie for the Kodak Challenge lead at 4 under.
Phil Mickelson was one of four golfers who birdied the tough par-5 to join the pros tied at 3 under in the season-long $1 million Kodak Challenge competition. The easiest Kodak Challenge birdie of the day belonged to Heath Slocum, who left his approach just 1 foot short of the cup. Wen-Chong Liang netted the longest Kodak Challenge birdie, sinking a 24-footer from just off the back of the green.
Bogeys far outnumbered birdies on the long par-5, as No. 8 was the seventh hardest hole on the Blue Monster. The many golfers who struggled on hole No. 8 Thursday have a few more chances to redeem themselves on the Kodak Challenge hole, as the competition records a player's best score throughout a tournament.
The World Golf ChampionshipsCA Championship is the eighth of 30 tournaments to participate in the $1 million Kodak Challenge competition. |
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| Second round |
Matt Kuchar led a host of pros to make significant moves up the Kodak Challenge leaderboard Friday at the World Golf ChampionshipsCA Championship. As pros raced to beat the rain at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, Kuchar sank a 10-footer for birdie on the 560-yard eighth hole to take sole possession of first place in the 2010 Kodak Challenge.
The most exciting Kodak Challenge shot of the day belonged to Sean O'Hair, who nearly scored a double eagle after landing his 227-yard second shot just 8 inches from the cup. O'Hair's tap-in eagle moved him to 4 under, just one-shot behind Kuchar. Peter Hanson also carded an eagle after sinking an 11-foot putt. J.B. Holmes and Angel Cabrera each birdied the Kodak Challenge hole to join O'Hair in moving to 4 under in the $1 million Kodak Challenge competition.
Kodak Challenge hole No. 8 proved more forgiving during Friday's round as the scoring average on the 560-yard par-5 was under par. A total of two eagles, 22 birdies, 37 pars and four bogeys were recorded. |
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| Third round |
Matt Kuchar's sole leadership of the Kodak Challenge at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship was short-lived, as Paul Casey, Marc Leishman and Kevin Na joined Kuchar in the Kodak Challenge lead at 5 under on Saturday. Casey sunk a 29-foot putt to score one of three eagles on the 560-yard par-5 Kodak Challenge hole No. 8 at Doral's TPC Blue Monster. Na and Leishman each cared birdies to keep pace with Casey.
Dustin Johnson and Ross McGowan joined Casey with eagles on the Kodak Challenge hole during Saturday's round. McGowan delivered the Kodak Challenge moment of the day after sinking a 42-foot shot from just off the green. |
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| Final round |
Paul Casey eagled Kodak Challenge hole No. 8 for the second consecutive day at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship Sunday. Casey's Kodak Challenge eagle was one of three scored on the 560-yard par-5 eighth during the final round. Lee Westwood and Soren Kjeldsen joined Casey in scoring an eagle on the long par-5 at Doral's TPC Blue Monster.
Casey joined Kevin Na, Marc Leishman and Matt Kuchar to take advantage of the par-5 eighth at the famed Blue Monster this week to move into a share of the Kodak Challenge lead at 5 under.
Anthony Kim and Ben Crane each birdied the Kodak Challenge hole Sunday to move up to just one stroke off the lead at 4 under. The Kodak Challenge moment of the day was delivered by Soren Kjeldsen, who sunk a 27-footer to card an eagle.
The World Golf Championships-CA Championship was the eighth of 30 tournaments to participate in the $1 million Kodak Challenge competition. The next Kodak Challenge hole is the par-4 18th at Bay Hill Golf Club & Lodge during the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, March 25-28. |
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| 2010 round-by-round statistics on the par-5 eighth |
| 1 |
7 |
5.147 |
0 |
8 |
44 |
14 |
2 |
0 |
| 2 |
16 |
4.662 |
2 |
23 |
39 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| 3 |
18 |
4.471 |
3 |
38 |
21 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
| 4 |
17 |
4.441 |
3 |
34 |
29 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
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| Current Kodak Challenge Leaderboard |
| T1 |
Matt Kuchar |
6 |
-5 |
| T1 |
Marc Leishman |
6 |
-5 |
| T1 |
Kevin Na |
5 |
-5 |
| T1 |
Paul Casey |
3 |
-5 |
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