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JUPITER, Fla. (November 12, 2002) - An impressive field will be coming to
Naples next week for The Franklin Templeton Shootout. Each of the 24 PGA TOUR
professionals has won at least one PGA TOUR event. And, while that is one of the most
difficult accomplishments to make in professional golf, here are some other interesting
facts about the careers of this special group.
Q-School Champs:
PGA TOUR Qualifying School is being conducted this year
at the same time as The Franklin Templeton Shootout. The only player in the field to win
the Q-School Finals was John Huston in 1987.
Player of the Year Honors:
Players are also trying to figure out whom they will
vote for as their Player of the Year. Three players in The Franklin Templeton Shootout
field have been selected for this honor. Fred Couples won it in 1991 and 1992, Greg
Norman was Player of the Year in 1995 and Mark O'Meara was voted the best in 1998.
Rookie of the Year Honors: Only one player in the field has been voted Rookie
of the Year. Stewart Cink earned that honor in 1997.
Victories:
The 24 players in the field have accumulated 161 career PGA TOUR
victories.
Major Championship Titles:
Eleven major championships have been won by
the 24 players in the field. Greg Norman, Mark O'Meara and Lee Janzen lead the
group of eight players who have won either a Masters, U.S. Open, British Open or PGA
Championship with two major titles each.
A Lot of Money:
This group has earned a lot of money so far this season.
Following THE TOUR Championship, they have earned more than $42 million.
ACC vs SEC:
With college football in full throttle, we could hear a lot about
college days. Almost half of the field attended either an ACC or SEC school. Six players
- Len Mattiace (Wake Forest), Scott Hoch (Wake Forest), Jeff Sluman (Florida
State), Stewart Cink (Georgia Tech) Matt Kuchar (Georgia Tech) and Fred Funk
(Maryland) attended and played golf for ACC schools. Players who attended SEC
schools are: Mark Calcavecchia (Florida), David Toms (Louisiana State), John
Huston (Auburn) and Dudley Hart (Florida).
Vardon Trophy Winners:
Three players in the field won Vardon Trophy honors
which is given annually by the PGA of america to the professional golfer with the lowest
scoring average for a season. Greg Norman won it three times - in 1989 (69.49), 1990
(69.10) and 1994 (68.81). Fred Couples won it twice - in 1991 (69.59) and 1992
(69.38). Steve Elkington won it in 1995 (69.62).
U.S. amateur Champions:
Four players in the field have won one of the most
prestigious amateur titles in the world. John Cook won it in 1978 and the following year
Mark O'Meara was the best amateur. Matt Kuchar won it in 1997 and David Gossett
in 1999.
In the Record Books:
While several players in the field hold or have held PGA
TOUR scoring records, Andrew Magee accomplished one of the more unusual feats.
What is believed to be a PGA TOUR first, Magee scored a hole-in-one on a par 4 during
the first round of the 2001 Phoenix Open. Using a driver, Magee's tee shot on the 332-yard,
par-4 17 th hole at the Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale, bounced onto the
green and caromed off the putter of Tom Byrum, who was lining up a putt. The ball
rolled eight feet into the hole.
Thanks Sis':
The last player to win a tournament with his sister serving as his
caddie was John Huston when he won the 1998 United Airlines Hawaiian Open.
Hole-in-One Helps:
The last player to make a hole-in-one while winning a
tournament is David Toms at the 2001 PGA Championship.
Extra, Extra Play:
The last time a competition needed six extra holes to decide a
winner occurred when Greg Norman defeated Larry Mize in a 6-hole playoff to win the
1986 Kemper Open.
The field of 12 two-man teams will compete for a record purse of $2.25 million at
Tiburón, a course designed by Norman and home to the brand-new Ritz Carlton Golf
Resort, Naples. The winning team will split $500,000. This will mark the second
consecutive year the event has been played at Tiburón.
Tickets are now on sale and available by calling the ticket office at 888-66-SHARK,
the tournament office at 941-254-9770.
Fox Sports Net and the Golf Channel will broadcast the opening round, and CBS
Sports will televise Saturday and Sunday action.
Weekly tickets, good for all five days, are $60. Daily tickets for pro-am rounds
are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Daily tournament tickets for Friday-Sunday are
$20 in advance and $25 at the gate.
Children 12 years and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed
adult.
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