Kodak Challenge results: Shell Houston Open

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Apr. 4, 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-4, 488-yard 18th at Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course
DESCRIPTION: Pros looking to advance their Kodak Challenge score on hole No. 18 at the Shell Houston Open will have their hands full this week. A treacherous water hazard lines the left side of the par-4 488-yard hole from tee to green. The approach leaves little margin for error, with water on the left and a sand bunker on the right. In 2009, 57 of 440 shots on the hole found the water -- an astounding 12 percent of all shots on the hole. (Click here for tour).

Final round

Anthony Kim won the Shell Houston Open in a playoff with Vaughn Taylor on the Kodak Challenge hole, No. 18, Sunday. Kim's extra-hole-playoff win concluded a difficult week for the pros on the par-4 488-yard Kodak Challenge hole at Redstone Golf Club. A total of 53 balls found the water on Kodak Challenge hole No. 18 throughout the tournament.

Among the few pros to master hole No. 18 were Kodak Challenge co-leaders Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler. Kuchar and Fowler birdied the tough par-4 to enter a three-way tie with Kevin Na for the Kodak Challenge lead at 6 under. Shell Houston Open winner Kim is one stroke behind.

The Kodak Challenge moment of the day belonged to Joe Ogilvie, who sank a 65-footer for birdie on the difficult par-4 18th. Justin Rose delivered the easiest Kodak Challenge birdie Sunday after landing his second shot just 7 feet from the pin.

Third round

Matt Kuchar took advantage of more favorable conditions on Kodak Challenge hole No. 18 at the Shell Houston Open to card a birdie and grab a share of the Kodak Challenge lead on Saturday. Kuchar's second shot on the par-4 488-yard hole at Redstone Golf Club landed just 4 feet from the cup. Kuchar's easy birdie putt placed him into a three-way tie with Rickie Fowler and Kevin Na for the Kodak Challenge lead at 6 under.

The Kodak Challenge moment of the day belonged to Johnson Wagner, who landed his approach shot just 2 1/2 feet from the cup. Justin Rose sunk a 35-footer to card the longest Kodak Challenge birdie Saturday. Kodak Challenge co-leader Rickie Fowler delivered the longest drive on No. 18; hitting his tee shot an amazing 309 yards.

After two days of frustrating the pros, Kodak Challenge hole No. 18 loosened its grip on the field on Saturday.Just four balls found the water, as the hole was fourth hardest on the course.

Second Round

Rickie Fowler sank a 17-foot birdie putt on Kodak Challenge hole No. 18 at the Shell Houston Open on Friday to move into first place of the 2010 Kodak Challenge lead at 6-under. Fowler scored one of just 10 birdies on the difficult par-4 488-yard hole No. 18 at Redstone Golf Club, Tournament Course. Fowler is currently tied atop the Kodak Challenge leaderboard with Kevin Na, who is idle this week.

The Kodak Challenge hole was the hardest hole in Texas for the second consecutive day, yielding just 10 birdies, 88 pars, 30 bogies and nine double bogies. Once again, players found the water on the par 4 often -- 18 balls were hit into the water today. But that didnt stop Kodak Challenge contender Anthony Kim from sinking a 7-foot birdie putt, which moves him one off the Kodak Challenge lead at 5-under.

The Kodak Challenge Moment of the day belonged to Brandt Snedeker, who sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the difficult finishing hole.

First round

When Thursday's opening round of the Shell Houston Open concluded, Kodak Challenge hole No. 18 lived up to its billing as one of the hardest finishing holes in all of golf. The par-4 488-yard Kodak Challenge hole was the most difficult in play at Redstone GC, Tournament Course, Thursday, as bogeys (38) far outnumbered birdies (seven). The infamous water hazard along the Kodak Challenge hole proved far too inviting to the pros, as an incredible 21 golf balls found the water during the opening round at the Shell Houston Open.

Jimmy Walker delivered the "Kodak Challenge Moment" of the day by sinking a 50-foot birdie from off the green on hole No. 18. Walker moved into a third-place tie for the 2010 Kodak Challenge lead at 4 under.

The Shell Houston Open is the 10th of 30 tournaments to participate in the $1 million Kodak Challenge competition.

2010 round-by-round statistics on the par-4 18th

Round	Rank	Stroke avg.	Eagles	Birdies	Pars	Bogeys	Dbl. bogeys	Other
1	1	4.413	0	7	85	38	11	2
2	1	4.369	0	10	88	30	9	4
3	T4	4.188	0	12	44	21	3	0
4	4	4.167	0	9	45	15	3	0

Current Kodak Challenge Leaderboard

Rank	Player	Holes	Score
T1	Rickie Fowler	8	-6
T1	Matt Kuchar	7	-6
T1	Kevin Na	6	-6
T4	Marc Leishman	7	-5
T4	Dustin Johnson	6	-5
T4	John Senden	6	-5
T4	Anthony Kim	5	-5
T4	Sean O'Hair	5	-5
T4	Paul Casey	3	-5