By Joan vT Alexander
PGA TOUR Staff

•Eric Axley (32 years, 5 months, 2 days) became the youngest winner of the Valero Texas Open since Justin Leonard claimed his second consecutive title in San Antonio in 2001 at age 29.

Axley earned his first PGA TOUR victory in his 27th start on the circuit. He became the 15th player, and second in the last three years, to earn his first title at the Valero Texas Open. Others include: Chick Harbert (1942), Tony Holguin (1953), Mike Souchak (1955), Jay Hebert (1957), Bill Johnston (1958), Harold Henning (1966), Deane Beman (1969), Ben Crenshaw (1973), Terry Diehl (1974), Ron Streck (1978), Bob Estes (1994), Duffy Waldorf (1995), David Ogrin (1996) and Bart Bryant (2004). Axley's previous-best finish on the PGA TOUR was a T24 at both the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson and B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort.

•Axley became the 11th first-time winner on the PGA TOUR in 2006 and the third rookie. He joins J.B. Holmes (FBR Open), Arron Oberholser (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), Aaron Baddeley (MCI Heritage), Chris Couch (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Brett Wetterich (EDS Byron Nelson Championship), J.J. Henry (Buick Championship), Trevor Immelman (Cialis Western Open), John Senden (John Deere Classic), Dean Wilson (THE INTERNATIONAL) and Will Mackenzie (Reno Tahoe Open). Holmes and Immelman are the other rookies to win.

•Axley's victory Sunday earns him a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR (through 2008) and earned him an invitation to next January's Mercedes Championships in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

•Axley became the first player since Ron Streck in 1978 to claim the Valero Texas Open in his first appearance.

•Axley earned a first-place check for $720,000, his largest ever, and vaulted to 87th on the 2006 PGA TOUR official money list with $935,129.

•After playing his first 14 holes in 1-over-par, Eric Axley played his final 58 holes in 16-under-par and went a stretch of 53 holes without making a bogey (No. 6/Rd. 1-No. 13/Rd. 4) during the event.

•Axley's final-round, 1-over-par 71 marked the first time since 1960 that a Valero Texas Open champion carded an over-par final round. 46 years ago, Arnold Palmer overcame sub-freezing temperatures to win despite a final-round 75. Earlier this year on the PGA TOUR, Rory Sabbatini won the Nissan Open with a final-round 1-over 72 and Geoff Ogilvy won the U.S. Open Championship despite carding a 2-over 72 on Sunday at Winged Foot.

•For the first time since 1997, the Valero Texas Open champion did not post four consecutive rounds in the 60s. Tim Herron won at LaCantera that year after opening with a 71.

•Former University of Oklahoma golfer Anthony Kim finished T2 in his PGA TOUR debut this week. Kim, from LaQuinta, CA, skipped his senior year at OU and turned professional after this year's U.S. Amateur. Since late August he has competed in a pair of Nationwide Tour events (T57 - Legend Financial Group Classic, MC - Albertson's Boise Open). Kim posted a runner-up finish at the Public Links Championship earlier this summer, losing 4 & 3 to Casey Watabu. Kim was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma and was the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year. Kim was also a member of the 2005 United States Walker Cup team along with J.B. Holmes, Nicholas Thompson and Jeff Overton, all rookies on the PGA TOUR this year. Kim's top-10 performance this week earns him a spot in next week's Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

•Chris Riley's T5 performance at the 2006 Valero Texas Open was his first top-five finish on the PGA TOUR since he was T4 at the 2004 PGA Championship, a span of 50 events without a top-five or top-10. Riley was T51 after the opening round this week.

•Paul Goydos' T8 this week at LaCantera was his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR since he was T4 at the 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

•David McKenzie's seventh-place effort this week was his best career effort on the PGA TOUR. McKenzie was one of three rookies to finish among the top 10 at this year's Valero Texas Open, joining Eric Axley (1st) and Charley Hoffman (T8). He finished T9 at the Buick Championship in July.

•Dean Wilson's T2 this week at LaCantera was not only his best performance in this event, but also was his third consecutive top-10 finish at the Valero Texas Open. Wilson was T3 at the 2004 event and finished 7th in San Antonio last year. Wilson's check for $298,667 this week moved him over the $2 million mark in 2006 earnings ($2,284,223), more than he made in his first five years on the PGA TOUR combined ($2,108,987).

•Jose Coceres posted third top-10 of the season with his T10 at the Valero Texas Open. It's the most top-10s in a single season for Coceres since he joined the TOUR in 2001. He had a pair of top-10s in 2004 and 2001 (rookie year won twice).

•England's Justin Rose was T2 this week at the Valero Texas Open, the best finish of his PGA TOUR career. Rose's runner-up effort was the highest for an international player in San Antonio since South Africa's Nick Price won the 1992 title at Oak Hills Country Club. It was Rose's 15th career top-10 on TOUR.

•On Sunday, only Jose Coceres and Greg Kraft were able to put together bogey-free rounds. Coceres' 7-under 63 was the low round of the day.

•With breezy conditions on the weekend, The Resort Course at LaCantera played to a stroke average of 70.433 (+.433), the hardest it's played in relation to par since 1996 (+.636). The par-3 17th hole yielded just 29 birdies for the week and averaged 3.284. The par-5 14th hole, was the easiest at 4.615 after playing to a stroke average of 4.412 last year. The hole yielded 21 eagles and 185 birdies this week after giving up 21 eagles and 242 birdies last year.

•Five left-handed players, four of them newcomers, joined the PGA TOUR membership in 2006, thanks to either graduating from the Nationwide Tour (Eric Axley, Greg Chalmers and Bubba Watson) or earning their way through Q-School (John Engler, Jr. and B.J. Staten). Chalmers had previously played on TOUR from 1999-2004. The five join current members Russ Cochran, Steve Flesch, Phil Mickelson, Nick O'Hern and Mike Weir for a new all-time high total of 10 left-handed players on TOUR.