Round 4 Notes – FBR OPEN
Final-Round Notes – Sunday, February 3, 2008J.B. Holmes defeated Phil Mickelson with a birdie-3 on the first playoff hole to capture the 2008 FBR Open. It represented the 13th playoff at the FBR Open, and the first since Mickelson defeated Justin Leonard in 1996. It was Holmes’ first career playoff appearance, while Mickelson falls to 7-3 in extra sessions.
With his victory, J.B. Holmes earns 4,500 FedExCup points and jumps to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings through five events. With 4,958 points, he trails K.J. Choi by a mere four points. Choi has now held the top spot for the last four weeks.
Speaking of Choi, he managed the only bogey-free round on Sunday with a 5-under 66.
J.B. Holmes (2006, 2008) becomes the first player to notch his first two career victories at the same tournament since Vaughn Taylor won the 2004 and 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open. Since 1960, seven players have performed the feat:
Hale Irwin 1971, 1973 Sea Pines Heritage
Dave Eichelberger 1971, 1977 Greater Milwaukee Open
Calvin Peete 1979, 1982 Greater Milwaukee Open
Loren Roberts 1994, 1995 Bay Hill Invitational
Brian Henninger 1994, 1999 Southern Farm Bureau Classic
Vaughn Taylor 2004, 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open
J.B. Holmes 2006, 2008 FBR Open
In addition to his 32 PGA TOUR victories, Phil Mickelson has now posted 21 runner-up finishes, seventh best among active players. Greg Norman leads the list with 31, followed by Davis Love III (29), Mark Calcavecchia (27), Tiger Woods (23), Vijay Singh (23) and Mark O'Meara (22).
The last three winners of the FBR Open have been in their 20s, including 2006 and 2008 winner J.B. Holmes (25 years, nine months, eight days) and 2007 victor Aaron Baddeley.
Through the 2008 FBR Open, there are only six players younger than 30 with two or more victories on the PGA TOUR. Led by 28-year-old Sergio Garcia, who has six, the group has 19 wins.
Player Age W List of victories
Sergio Garcia 28 6 2001 Bank of America Colonial, 2001 Buick Classic, 2002 Mercedes-Benz Championship, 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 2004 Buick Classic, 2005 Booz Allen Classic
Adam Scott 27 5 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 Players Championship, 2004 Booz Allen Classic, 2006 TOUR Championship, 2007 Shell Houston Open
Charles Howell III 28 2 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, 2007 Nissan Open
Aaron Baddeley 26 2 2006 Verizon Heritage and 2007 FBR Open
D.J. Trahan 27 2 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic, 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
J.B. Holmes 25 2 2006 FBR Open, 2008 FBR Open
The last player to win the FBR Open during the same week that Phoenix was hosting the Super Bowl was Phil Mickelson in 1996, although that victory took place the day before the NFL’s biggest game.
2007 Nationwide Tour graduate Jason Day closed with a 4-under 67 to finish T20, his first top-20 finish of the season. His career-best showing was a T11 at the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open.
Runner-up Phil Mickelson maintains his lead on the all-time FBR Open money list, with $2,455,813.
Two-time winner J.B. Holmes is closing in on him fast, however, sitting second on the list with $2,016,000. They are the only players in tournament history to surpass $2-million in earnings.
Five players finished the week with all four rounds in the 60s, including Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Boo Weekley, Mark Wilson and Bill Haas.
J.B. Holmes and Briny Baird led the tournament with 21 birdies, one more than a list of seven players which included Phil Mickelson.
The round of the day was turned in by Briny Baird with a 6-under 65, helping him jump 31 spots from T44 to T13. Baird also equaled the round of the week with a 7-under 64 during the second round. Others with a 64 this week were Doug LaBelle II (Rd. 2), Jonathan Byrd (Rd. 2) and Mark Calcavecchia (Rd. 3).
Stuart Appleby (T4-FBR Open/T8-Buick Invitational) and Phil Mickelson (2-FBR Open/T6-Buick Invitational) have finished inside the top 10 in each of their first two starts of the year.
Mark Calcavecchia, playing in his 22nd consecutive FBR Open, finished T20 for his 11th top-25 finish at the FBR Open. Since the tournament moved to the TPC Scottsdale in 1987, Calcavecchia and Phil Mickelson lead the tournament with nine top-10 finishes.
The cumulative scoring average this week at the par-71 TPC Scottsdale was 70.306, the fifth easiest the course has played since the FBR Open moved here in 1987. The lowest average during that stretch was 69.130 in 2003.
Kevin Stadler withdrew prior to the start of the final round with a wrist injury suffered during the third round. He will earn last place, unofficial money.
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