Thomas Bjørn/Darren Clarke (first/-12)

• Bjørn is making his 11th start of the season, where he has recorded three top-10 finishes, including a T2 at the Senior PGA Championship; seeks the first win of his PGA TOUR Champions career in his 35th start.
• Clarke is making his 11th start of the season, where he has notched two top-10 finishes, including a solo-third at the Chubb Classic; has recorded four wins in his Champions Tour career, with the last coming at the 2022 Senior Open Championship.
• Bjørn and Clarke represented Team Europe together in the 1997 and 2002 Ryder Cups, posting a 1-2-0 record as partners in the 2002 playing; Bjørn owns a 2-1-1 all-time Four-ball record in the Ryder Cup, while Clarke’s is 6-2-1.

Richard Green/Mark Hensby (second/-10)

• Green and Hensby birdied the final three holes to record 10 birdies on Friday for a first-round 61; recorded two of their eight pars on par-5s (Nos. 2 and 11).
• Green is making his 11th start of the 2025 season, where he has recorded three top-10 finishes, highlighted by a T4 at the Chubb Classic; looking for his first Champions Tour win in his 66th career start; has posted six runner-up finishes, including five in the 2024 season alone.
• Hensby, who won the 2023 Invited Celebrity Classic, is making his 12th start of the season after posting his first top-10 at last week’s Principal Charity Classic (T8); represented Australia on the International Team in the 2005 Presidents Cup, posting a 1-2-1 record on the week.

Thongchai Jaidee/Brendan Jones (T3/-9)

• Jaidee and Jones recorded seven birdies in the opening round, with Jaidee adding an eagle on the par-5 11th to grab the early clubhouse lead at 9-under.
• Jaidee, who won the 2022 American Family Insurance Championship, is making his 11th start of 2025 with a season-best T4 at the Insperity Invitational; seeks to join Jerry Kelly (2019, 2021) as the only multiple winner in tournament history; represented the International Team in the 2015 Presidents Cup, compiling a 1-1-1 record.
• Jones, who is making his tournament debut, owns one top-25 this season – a T19 at the Hoag Classic; finished T3 at the 2025 PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Tournament to secure his card for the 2025 season.

Ernie Els/Tim Herron (T3/-9)

• Els and Herron reached 8-under through 11 holes, including an Els eagle on the par-5 seventh, before playing their final seven holes in 1-under for a 62.
• Defending champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Els is making his 12th start of the 2025 season, where he owns five top-5 finishes, including a win at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai; represented his native South Africa eight times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) in the Presidents Cup, compiling 20-18-2 all-time record, including an 8-7-1 mark in Four-ball play.
• Herron is making his eighth start of the season and still in search of his first top-10; in his 102nd Champions Tour start, looks to improve on his career-best T2 finish at the 2021 Boeing Classic.

Additional team notes

• Tournament host Steve Stricker and partner Mario Tiziani posted a 7-under 64 to sit T9 through one round of play; Stricker won the 2023 American Family Insurance Championship and is in search of his first Champions Tour title since the 2024 Sanford International.
• Madison resident and two-time champion Jerry Kelly partnered with Justin Leonard to post a 6-under 65 (T18) in Friday’s opening round; the two were teammates in the 2003 Presidents Cup but were not paired together as partners during any of the matches.
• Ángel Cabrera recorded a double eagle on No. 7 with a 4-iron from 245 yards, marking the third albatross on the Champions Tour this season (Kris Blanks/Rd. 1/No. 15/Chubb Classic; Stephen Ames/Rd. 3/No. 18/Mitsubishi Electric Classic), as well as his first in any PGA TOUR-sanctioned event; playing alongside Ricardo Gonzalez, Cabrera is looking to capture his fourth win of the 2025 season; the duo opened with a 7-under 64 (T9).