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Leonard/Verplank & Stricker/Kelly Share Lead in Shark Shootout
Two American duos were atop the leaderboard after the first round of the 54-hole Shark Shootout. The event is being played on the Gold Course at Tiburon Golf Club, a layout in Naples, Fla., designed by tournament host Greg Norman.
Two Texans - Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank - and a pair of Wisconsinites - Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly - carded rounds of 6-under-par 66s in Friday's modified alternate-shot format, whereby both players hit drives, the best shot is selected and the player whose drive was not chosen take the next shot. They alternate from there until the ball is in the hole.
Saturday will be a better-ball format while Sunday's final round is a best-ball scramble in the $2.9 million event, with $730,000 being split by the winning team.
South African Tim Clark and his American partner Chad Campbell were a shot behind at 5-under along with Americans Dustin Johnson and Steve Flesch. The English pairing of Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter was fifth at 4-under.
Mark Calcavecchia and Brian Gay shot a 3-under 69 and are tied for sixth with George McNeill and Jeff Sluman and Chris DiMarco and 20-year-old Rickie Fowler.
Kenny Perry, who won the event with partner Scott Hoch last year, and 2009 partner J.B. Holmes were ninth at 2-under.
Zimbabwe's Nick Price and American Zach Johnson were on 1-under, tied for 10th with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and American Boo Weekley. Brad Faxon and Matt Kuchar only managed a 1-over 73 and are in last place in the 12-team tournament.
Stricker and Kelly got off to a hot start, making the turn at 6-under. But they cooled off on the back, going even-par the rest of the way.
Stricker attributed the difference to their performance on the back-nine greens. "One side went so well, and the other side just we were fighting and nothing was going right," he said. "We hit it fine; made good putts. They just weren't going in like the front."
Leonard and Verplank only had one stumble all day, a double-bogey on the ninth hole. But they reversed their fortunes on the back, with birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18.
"We played solid all day except for one hole," Leonard said. "That hole didn't hurt us too badly, so put ourselves in good shape. Now it's time to get really aggressive and go make a bunch of birdies this weekend."
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