First-round notebook – Children's Miracle Network Classic
* Robert Gamez’s best finish on the Tour since his win at the 2005 Valero Texas Open came last year with a T3 at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. Gamez finished T3 at the 2007 Children’s Miracle Network Classic to get into the top 150 on the season-ending money list. Last year at this event, Gamez shot rounds of 70-69-67-68 for a 14-under.* Kevin Streelman posted a 6-under-par 30 on the back nine of the Magnolia Course en route to an 8-under-par 64. Streelman’s career low was a third-round 62 at the Travelers Championship where he finished T10.
* Streelman recorded nine birdies to lead the field after the first round. He had six straight birdies from the eighth hole to the 13th hole on the Magnolia Course. The six straight birdies matches 10 others for the longest streak of 2008.
* Streelman is trying to become the fifth rookie to win in 2008.
* Troy Matteson’s 9-under 63 in the first round on the Palm Course is his best round on the PGA Tour. His previous best was a 64 on several occasions with the last coming at the 2008 John Deere Classic where he missed the cut
* Matteson has two top-10 finishes in Florida this season (T2-PODS and T7-Ginn sur Mer).
* Matteson (PG, holes 1 and 14) and Mathias Gronberg (MG, holes 4 and 10) each registered a pair of eagles in the first round.
* Matteson has made 15 of 29 cuts this season.
* Matteson has been the first-round leader once this season. He shot a 7-under 65 at the Buick Invitational to take the first round lead before Tiger Woods took over the lead for the next three rounds.
* Jimmy Walker’s 8-under 64 is his best round on the PGA Tour. His previous best round was a 65 at the 2008 Sony and 2008 Buick.
* Scott Verplank has made 12 consecutive cuts at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic entering this week which is the longest active streak for the Tournament.
* Davis Love III continues his fine play during the Fall Series, as he has notched two top-10s in five starts and has secured his 2009 PGA Tour card in the process. In five previous starts, Love has earned $488,689. Love posted a 6-under-par 66 on the Palm Course during Thursday’s opening round.
* Tied for fifth through 18 holes, Rich Beem (65, MG) and Robert Garrigus (65, PG) both need big weeks to secure their Tour cards for 2009. Beem ranks No. 139 on the Tour money list while Garrigus in No. 141 in the final week of the PGA Tour’s 2008 campaign.
* Steve Marino (T5, 7-under) has 15 consecutive rounds at par or better which is the longest active streak on Tour.
* Erik Compton, playing on a sponsor exemption, shot a 2-under 70 in the first round on the Palm Course. Compton is five months removed from his second heart transplant. Compton last played in a PGA Tour event in 2005 with a T44 at the Ford Championship at Doral. Coming into this event, Compton had played in 11 PGA Tour events since 2000, making the cut five times. Compton played in his first PGA Tour event as an amateur in 2000.
* Robert Allenby (PG) and Troy Matteson (PG) each hit 18 of 18 greens in regulation (94.44%).
* Robert Allenby (6-under, T10) is tied with Jim Furyk for most top-10s on Tour in 2008 with nine. With Furyk not in this week’s field, Allenby has the opportunity to take the season’s top-10 crown.
* Jeff Overton, who is currently No. 125 on the money list, shot a 5-under 67 in the first round and is T18. Overton underwent an appendectomy on October 21 and finished T18 a week later at the Ginn sur Mer Classic to move from No. 126 to No. 125 on the money list. Two days prior to the surgery Overton was at No. 122 on the money list following his T69 at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Below is a current look at those near the bubble of No. 125 on the PGA Tour Money List:
Pos Name Money Earned Rd 1 R2 R3 R4
120 Brad Adamonis 862,413 +2 (MG)
121 Tim Petrovic 856,611 -5 (PG)
122 Nick Watney 855,853 -3 (PG)
123 Michael Allen 847,863 -2 (MG)
124 Shane Bertsch 841,248 -1 (MG)
125 Jeff Overton 840,809 -5 (PG)
126 Martin Laird 803,072 -4 (PG)
127 Charles Warren 800,694 -1 (PG)
128 David Toms 799,114 N/A
129 Patrick Sheehan 795,329 -4 (PG)
130 Mark Calcavecchia 784,810 N/A
131 Bob Tway 775,072 +1 (MG)
132 Jay Williamson 758,862 +4 (PG)
133 Matt Jones 758,589 -2 (MG)
134 Steve Allan 743,970 N/A
135 Bob Estes 727,429 -2 (PG)
136 Jason Gore 710,664 -6 (PG)
137 James Driscoll 708,549 E (PG)
138 Jason Day 698,393 E (MG)
139 Rich Beem 696,363 -7 (MG)
* The easiest hole on the Palm Course was the par-5 seventh hole (4.391), while the most difficult hole was the par-4 18th hole (4.234).
* The easiest hole on the Magnolia Course was the par-5 10th hole (4.438), while the most difficult hole was the par-4 fifth hole (4.297).
* There were 18 bogey free rounds on the first day with nine coming on the Palm Course and nine on the Magnolia Course.
* Here is a look at how former champions of this event that are in the field played this week:
Player 1st Rd. 2nd Rd. 3rd Rd. 4th Rd.
Stephen Ames (2007) -4 (MG)
Joe Durant (2006) -4 (PG)
Ryan Palmer (2004) -1 (PG)
John Huston (1998, 1992) +1 (MG)
Jeff Maggert (1993) +1 MG)
* All six of the Fall Series winners this season were at No.125 or higher on the money list prior to their win. The complete list of winners in the Fall Series includes:
Tournament Champion $ prior to win $ after win
Viking Classic Will MacKenzie No. 178 No. 97
Turning Stone Dustin Johnson No. 128 No. 41
Valero Texas Open Zach Johnson No. 125 No. 55
Justin Timberlake Marc Turnesa No. 138 No. 75
Frys.com Open Cameron Beckman No. 175 No. 86
Ginn sur Mer Classic Ryan Palmer No. 143 No. 73
* Children’s Miracle Network Classic winners who’ve started on the Palm Course include Jack Nicklaus, Payne Stewart, Tiger Woods and Ray Floyd.
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