Final Round News & Notes

Tiburón Golf Club, Naples, FL Purse: $2,900,000
Par: 36-36--72 Yards: 7,288 December 12-14, 2008

LEADERS: First Round-Nick Price/Jeff Sluman recorded an 8-under 64 in the alternate-shot format to take a two-stroke lead over Scott Hoch/Kenny Perry, while J.B. Holmes/Boo Weekley were three back. Second Round-Hoch/Perry posted a better-ball score of 12-under 60 to move to 19-under 125 and a four-shot lead over Holmes/Weekley and a five-shot advantage over Price/Sluman.

WEATHER: While thunderstorms prevailed on Thursday and canceled that day's Pro-Am competition, conditions turned pleasant the remainder of the week. Temperatures rose gradually each day, reaching 60 on Friday, 70 on Saturday and 80 on Sunday. Winds 10-15 mph all three days, blowing out of the NW on Friday, N on Saturday and E on Sunday.

FORMAT: Round 1: Modified Alternate Shot
Round 2: Better Ball
Round 3: Scramble

FINAL RESULTS 1. Scott Hoch/Kenny Perry 65-60-60--185 (-31) $365,000 each 2. J.B. Holmes/Boo Weekley 67-62-60--189(-27) $230,000 each 3. Greg Norman/Camilo Villegas 69-65-57--191 (-25) $132,500 each 4. Nick Price/Jeff Sluman 64-66-62--192 (-24) $105,000 each T5. Zach Johnson/Scott Verplank 68-64-62--194 (-22) $87,500 each T5. Jerry Kelly/Steve Stricker 70-64-60--194 (-22) $87,500 each 7. Stewart Cink/Fred Couples 68-66-61--195 (-21) $80,000 each 8. Paul Azinger/Rocco Mediate 73-62-63--198 (-18) $77,500 each 9. Graeme McDowell/Ian Poulter 70-67-63--200 (-16) $75,000 each 10. Brad Faxon/Scott McCarron 69-69-64--202 (-14) $72,500 each 11. Woody Austin/Mark Calcavecchia 73-71-62--206 (-10) $70,000 each 12. Chris DiMarco/Fred Funk 74-65--WD $67,500 each

News & Notes

• Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry posted a second-consecutive 12-under 60 to conclude the Merrill Lynch Shootout at 31-under 185, four strokes ahead of their nearest competitors - Ryder Cup teammates Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes (60).

• Hoch and Perry's winning score of 31-under 185 fell three strokes shy of the all-time tournament record of 182, set by Fred Couples/Raymond Floyd in 1990.

• Hoch/Perry went on to win Sunday after entering the day with a four-stroke lead, erasing the memories of having lost the 36-hole lead on the final day of the 2003 Merrill Lynch Shootout.

• At 53 years and 20 days, Scott Hoch becomes the oldest winner of the Merrill Lynch Shootout. Raymond Floyd previously held the record when he won the 1993 event at the age of 51 years, 2 months and 17 days.

• Scott Hoch's victory (his first in the event) comes in his 12th start at the Merrill Lynch Shootout, while Kenny Perry has now won twice in six starts. He teamed with John Huston to win the tournament in 2005.

• For their efforts, Hoch and Perry split the $730,000 first-place prize, with each taking home $365,000.

• The round of the week was turned in on Sunday by the team of Greg Norman/Camilo Villegas with a 15-under 57, helping them to a third-place finish. This marks the second consecutive year that Villegas has turned in the week's best round. In 2007, he teamed with Chris DiMarco for a final-round 59 to finish T3.

• While Norman/Villegas came up just two shots shy of the tournament record in the scramble format, the tournament host (playing in his 20th Shootout) is still well-represented in the record books. Three teams have posted the score of 17-under 55 in the format, including Peter Jacobsen/John Cook (1998), Norman/Nick Price (1993) and Norman/Steve Elkington (2005).

• Fred Funk, the playing partner of Chris DiMarco, had to withdraw prior to the start of the final round with a knee injury. He was replaced by Ian Baker-Finch, but the team's score did not count. Funk and DiMarco split last place money of $135,000.

• After struggling the first two days, defending champions Woody Austin and Mark Calcavecchia turned in an impressive 10-under 62 on Sunday to finish in 11th place. Only two teams have successfully defend their title at the Merrill Lynch Shootout: Brad Faxon/Scott McCarron (2000-01) and Hank Kuehne/Jeff Sluman (2003-04).

• First-time participants and their respective finish this week: Boo Weekley (2nd), Steve Stricker (T5), Graeme McDowell (9th) and Ian Poulter (9th). A total of seven players have won the Shootout in their first attempt: Mark O'Meara (1989), Curtis Strange (1989), Fred Couples (1990), Scott McCarron (1997), Hank Kuehne (2003), Rod Pampling (2006) and Woody Austin (2007).

• The teams of Scott Hoch/Kenny Perry (65-60-60) and Nick Price/Jeff Sluman (64-66-62) were the only two teams to play all 54 holes without a bogey this week.

• Sunday's format was a Scramble, with each player hitting a drive on every hole and then selecting the best of the two. Each player than played a second shot from the spot where the selected drive rested and the best second shot was then selected. The process was repeated until the hole was completed.

About Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 40 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.5 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Merrill Lynch owns approximately half of BlackRock, one of the world's largest publicly traded investment management companies with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. For more information on Merrill Lynch, please visit www.ml.com.

About Tiburón Golf Club

Tiburón, a 36-hole Greg Norman-design course was carved from 800 acres of prime southwest Florida real estate. The courses reflect Norman's appreciation for pristine natural settings and his passion for great golf. The Black and The Gold courses contain a combination of stacked sod-wall bunkers and tricky coquina waste bunkers. Certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International, Tiburón reflects a strong commitment to enhancing and protecting the natural resources.

About CureSearch

CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation proudly supports the collaborative research efforts of the world's largest and most prestigious childhood cancer research organization, CureSearch Children's Oncology Group. At more than 200 member institutions - representing every pediatric cancer program and treating 90 percent of children with cancer in North America - CureSearch is making rapid scientific progress to identify cancer causes and pioneer better treatments and cures. CureSearch is dedicated to reaching the day when every child with cancer can be guaranteed a cure. For more information visit www.CureSearch.org or call 800.458.6223.

About The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples is the proud recipient of AAA's highest honor: The Five-Diamond Award, establishing it as one of the greatest resorts in the country. The resort also scored an impressive ranking as the #1 resort in Florida in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's annual reader's poll and #3 in Florida by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. In the November 2004 issue of Golf Digest magazine, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort was ranked as the No. #1 luxury golf resort in Florida and No. #25 in North America, beating out some of the long-standing top golf resorts in the country. The 295-room resort is Florida's finest luxury golf resort and is renowned for its incredible cuisine, outstanding service and luxurious rooms with panoramic views of the Greg Norman-designed golf course.

Contact

Lee Patterson, 704-553-4790, pattersonprinc@yahoo.com

Click here to return to the Merrill Lynch Shootout News Index.