Epperson leads by four at Web.com Q-school

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Chris Epperson shot a 9-under 63 on Friday on PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course to take a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament.

The 31-year-old Epperson, from Hilton Head Island, S.C., had a 16-under 128 total.

The players are competing for positions in the Web.com Tour's priority ranking used to form tournament fields, with the medalist (or co-medalists) guaranteed fully exempt status. Every player who is at PGA West is guaranteed a spot on the Web.com Tour next season. The six-round tournament will end Tuesday.

''We've still got a lot of golf left,'' Epperson said. ''I'm not going to get ahead of myself. ... Everything seems to be clicking. My tempo is nice. I really didn't have any expectations. The goal was to get a card. I'm trying to approach it as any other tournament. My coach and I have been working on our process - 'Get your yardage, get your club, focus on your target and just hit it.'''

Steve Saunders and Nathan Tyler were tied for second. Saunders had a 65, and Tyler shot 66 - both on the Nicklaus course. First-round leader Justin Shin of Canada followed his opening 64 on the Nicklaus course with a 74 on the Stadium layout to drop into a tie for 25th at 6 under.

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Report: Tax-exempt status of tournaments under scrutiny

An ESPN report has analyzed the PGA Tour’s tax exemption status, which along with the NFL and NHL’s nonprofit status is being challenged by a bill pending in the U.S. Senate.

According to the report, which aired on the network’s “Outside the Lines” show, the Tour’s U.S.-based tournaments in 2011 (the most recent year available) gave an average of 16 percent of their income to charity, compared to the industry norm of 65 percent.

“The lion’s share of the money is going to big prizes, cash prizes for athletes and all the promotion around it, so it's really pathetic, actually,” Charity Navigator president Ken Berger told ESPN. “Every single taxpayer in this country ultimately is bearing the burden of having to pay the taxes for this wildly inefficient organization that’s giving so little to charity.”

But Tour officials claim the circuit’s charitable contributions far exceed any tax breaks it gains from its nonprofit status, which are estimated to be up to $200 million over the past 10 to 20 years. The Tour donated $130 million to charity in 2012, bringing its overall total to $1.9 billion.

“It’s as if no good deed goes left unpunished,” Ty Votaw, the Tour’s executive vice president of communication and international affairs, wrote in an e-mail. “This isn’t a bake sale where there is no overhead and everything is contributed. A tournament is a major undertaking that requires significant planning, setup and operation, all of which requires significant expense beyond the time contributed by volunteers.”

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has introduced a bill in the Senate that would strip the Tour, NFL and NHL of their nonprofit, tax-exempt status, but the report focuses more on the exempt status of each tournament.

In an analysis of the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the tournament’s income in 2011 was $15.3 million. The event spent $6 million in prize money, $5 million in TV promotion, $1 million on tournament production and $500,000 on food and beverages. Only $1.5 million, or 10 percent of tournament expenses, was given to St. Jude.

“People are surprised, ‘You mean there's a place in the tax code for the PGA or the NFL to hide and not pay money?’ And the fact is, is yes,” Coburn said.

In a breakdown of each event, the worst performance came from the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Over two years, the hospital’s charity actually lost $4.5 million running the tournament, according to an annual financial report.

But, like most charities interviewed for the story, officials with Shriners Hospitals said the event provides valuable media exposure, and Votaw contends that losing the tax-exempt status would have a “chilling effect on the PGA Tour’s ability to continue to contribute millions of dollars to charity.”

Coburn’s bill would not impact the exempt status of individual tournaments.

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Kuchar-English share lead at Shootout

NAPLES, Fla. – Defending champions Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair shot an 8-under 64 in modified alternate-shot play Friday for a share of the first-round lead in the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

The teams of Matt Kuchar-Harris English and Charles Howell III-Justin Leonard also shot 64 on the Ritz Carlton Resort's Tiburon course. The 24 teams will play better ball Saturday and finish with a scramble Sunday.After playing the front nine in 3 under, Perry and O'Hair birdied Nos. 13-16.

''It was a fun day for me,'' said Perry, the Champions Tour player of the year and Charles Schwab Cup points champion. ''When (O'Hair) poured it in from about 15 feet on the first hole I knew it was going to be a good day for us. We were never in any trouble.

''We had a great chance to really go low today and better than 8 under, but that's OK. I mean, alternate shot is a tough format. To me it's my favorite format. I love it more than any format of all the three. So, you know, you can lose it. If we get off to a crummy start it's hard to catch up with best ball and scramble coming up.''

Kuchar and English birdied Nos. 12-14 and eagled No. 17.

''Yeah, it was a lot of fun playing with Harris,'' Kuchar said. ''I knew he was on some pretty good form and knew I had a good horse for a partner.''

English replaced the injured Brandt Snedeker in the field.

''This is a tournament that I've always watched on TV growing up and it seemed like such a great format and such a good competition,'' English said.

English hit a 6-iron shot from 192 yards to 6 feet to set up the eagle.

''When you start hitting some good shots and start getting some momentum, you keep rolling and we did a good job of keeping that momentum going on the back nine and making a bunch of birdies and making eagle on 17,'' English said.

Howell and Leonard birdied the final three holes on the front nine and added birdies at Nos. 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18.

''Today we chose Justin to hit first and that was great for me because he drove it in the fairway every time and I could swing away at it.'' Howell said.

Retief Goosen and Fredik Jacobson shot 67, and Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson matched Chris DiMarco and Billy Horschel at 68. Tournament host Greg Norman and Jonas Blixt had a 72.

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Cut Line: With Tiger, Phil on top 2013 was better than most

From a dramatically reworked competitive calendar to a contentious rule change, 2013 was a year of change for better or worse. Before the ball drops in Times Square, Cut Line fills out the final scorecard.

Made Cut

Leading men. Two players that don’t seem likely to share a taxi pulled off an impressive timeshare agreement atop the marquee in 2013.

It is a testament to the quality and quantity of golf that, depending on one’s point of view, 2013 could be considered the Year of Tiger or the Year of Phil.

Woods won five PGA Tour events – including The Players, a title that appeared out of his reach in recent years – claimed his 11th Player of the Year Award and secured the winning point for the U.S. side at the Presidents Cup.

While Mickelson came up one dimple short of shooting 59 on Day 1 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he defied the odds makers with his breakthrough at the Open Championship with arguably the best closing nine of the season and moved within a U.S. Open of the career Grand Slam.

Golf is at its best when the game’s alpha and omega are on top of their games, and 2013 was better than most.

Don’t call it a comeback. The Tour stopped doling out the Comeback Player of the Year Award a few seasons too early.

Consider the list of viable candidates in 2013. In 2011, Boo Weekley didn’t make it to the FedEx Cup playoffs, finished 180th in earnings and lost his Tour card. A year later, he narrowly kept his job after finishing 123rd on the point list. He rebounded this season, winning his third Tour title and advancing to East Lake.

And then there’s Henrik Stenson, who was ranked outside the top 100 in the world at this time last year but climbed out of his professional abyss to become the first player to complete the transatlantic slam, claiming the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles.

The sentimental favorite, however, has to be Jarrod Lyle, who overcame leukemia for the second time and returned to competitive golf at last month’s Australian Masters. Whether Lyle ever plays on Tour again seemed irrelevant as he hugged his wife and young daughter after making the cut at Royal Melbourne. His comeback was complete.

Tweet of the year: @RexHoggardGC “No caddies in the Hall of Fame, but if there were (Jim Mackay) would be on the short list. #Bones”

We know, it’s more than a tad self-serving to give yourself such an honor, but the snapshot of Bones behind the 18th green at Muirfield following his bosses’ victory was a testament to the looping legend’s abilities and Lefty’s trust in his faithful sidekick.

Made Cut-Did Not Finish (MDF)

Split decision. Other sports use split calendar schedules, a common refrain from those in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. None of those other professional leagues, however, play six games and then take a month and a half off like the Tour.

In the case of the Tour’s new wraparound line up, the ends justify the means.

With the new schedule, the Tour has a clean “out” at the Tour Championship while saving many of the former fall series starts from extinction and bringing the Asia swing events (WGC-HSBC Champions and CIMB Classic) into the FedEx Cup fold.

But there was a cost for all the cleanliness. The new qualifying system (see below) is off to an awkward start, the circuit’s Disney stop, a staple since 1971, is now a historical footnote and fans are left to digest a season that is six-events clear of the starting line and firmly on hold.

Perhaps the wraparound will grow on the golf world, like love grass in bunkers, but early reviews suggest it’s more like mold on bread.

Anchor down. In a move that pitted some of the game’s titans against each other and introduced “bifurcation” to the general golf lexicon, the move to ban anchoring left a mark on the calendar that will linger long into 2014.

The U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient’s move against anchoring was belated at best and bullying at worst. Some, like Masters champion Adam Scott, argued that there was no scientific data to back up the rule makers’ claims that anchoring provided players an advantage.

The rule was eventually passed, but not before driving a wedge between the rule makers and the PGA Tour and PGA of America.

If there’s silver lining to this episode it may be that the USGA and R&A will become more democratic in the rule making process, including those (Tour types and PGA professionals) who are most impacted by these decisions.

Missed Cut

Qualified problem. Call it collateral damage. Call it a work in progress. Whatever the sound bite, the circuit’s new qualifying system was riddled with more bugs than HealthCare.gov.

As a result of the new wraparound schedule, the road to the Tour shifted from Qualifying School to the four-event Web.com Tour Finals, which concluded with the Tour Championship at the Dye Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Supporters of the new system say it was an upgrade over Q-School because it factored in an entire year of play instead of just six rounds, yet when the dust settled at the finale the scoreboard suggested otherwise.

Kevin Tway, for example, began the Finals fifth on the money list but didn’t finish better than 52nd in the last four events and was washed back to 46th on the priority list.

Conversely, Andrew Loupe, who started the finals with consecutive missed cuts and a withdrawal from the third stop, tied for sixth place at TPC Sawgrass and began the 2013-14 season ahead of Tway on the priority rankings.

“It’s turned into four one-week Q-Schools,” Jason Gore told Cut Line. “I wish over the course of time you could have four 15th-place finishes and get in, something that rewards consistent performances over just one good week.”

It doesn’t help that Q-School, once one of the year’s most compelling tournaments for stories of triumph and tragedy, is being played this week in case anyone was interested. Anyone?

Weather warning. It was a bad year for weathermen and anyone who plies their trade outside, say, like golfers.

From the gale force winds that reduced the season opener in Maui to 54 holes to the blizzard that led to delays at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, Mother Nature won in 2013.

All total, 22 of 40 events were impacted by weather delays from heavy fog at Torrey Pines to frost at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The elements have always been a part of the game, but after slogging through four seasons in one day at Dove Mountain it may be time for the Tour to start experimenting with domed courses.

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ESPN, NBC Finalizing Ryder Cup Rights Trade

Multiple sources confirm ESPN is finalizing a trade with NBC to hand over day one rights for the 2014 Ryder Cup in exchange for improved rights access to Premier League highlights for shows such as Sportscenter.

Spokesman for ESPN, NBC and the PGA of America--which supervises U.S. television rights for the biennial matches--all declined to comment.

The two networks previously worked as trade partners in 2006, when ESPN picked up rights to the Friday Ryder Cup coverage, Olympics highlights and cartoon character"Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" in exchange for broadcaster Al Michaels.

Though neither side would make executives available to discuss ongoing negotiations, the deal makes sense for NBC's recently-announced expansion of Ryder Cup coverage through 2030, while ESPN will no longer neglect the Premier League on its popular highlight shows. ESPN's coverage of the 2010 Ryder Cup was not well received after relentless commercial breaks included 18 showings of the same Lee Corso college football ad.

The 2014 Ryder Cup is the final year of ESPN's current arrangement with the PGA of America. The Disney-owned network still has rights to R&A events through 2017 along with the opening two days of the Masters and the final year of its USGA event coverage in 2014.

Sources believe NBC has not determined whether the Friday coverage will be placed on NBC, Golf Channel or NBC Sports Network, or some combination of the three Comcast-owned networks. NBC has broadcast the Ryder Cup since 1991.

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ESPN Outside The Lines Reports On PGA Tour As A "Charity"

Under the strange headline, "Tax breaks power PGA Tour giving," ESPN's Outside The Lines and reporter Paula Lavigne exam the PGA Tour's charitable giving. They find that as far as "responsible" charities go, the tour is not really a charity.

Charity Navigator, the watchdog group which sets it standard to determine what a responsible charity is, says at least 65 percent of money raised should be spent on charity.

The PGA Tour average was about 16 percent.

Only one PGA Tour event, ESPN found, exceeded that standard: the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am run by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which came in at an impressive 79 percent. ESPN also notes that the Shriners Hospital lost more than $4.5 million over two years. All numbers are from 2011 and yeras prior.

The tour, not surprisingly, was uncooperative and refused to go on camera which in time may be viewed as a collosal mistake because (A) most television viewers believe that refusing to go on camera is an admission of wrong-doing, and (B) Tim Finchem, say what you will, can handle himself just fine talking about these things.

So instead, the PGA Tour responded in emails and phone interviews and I'm not sure the bake sale line will be treasured in charity circles:

"It's as if no good deed goes left unpunished," he said. Votaw declined an in-person interview but answered some questions via email and on the phone.

Tour officials don't dispute that the percentage donated to charity is low, but they say it simply shouldn't matter. What's more important is the bottom line, Votaw said.

"This isn't a bake sale where there is no overhead and everything is contributed," he wrote in email. "A tournament is a major undertaking that requires significant planning, setup and operation, all of which requires significant expense beyond the time contributed by volunteers."

Frankly, I found parts of the story to be eye-opening and others not so compelling, perhaps because we've examined PGA Tour numbers here in the past. That the PGA Tour has not paid $200 million or so in taxes over the last 10 to 20 years, especially in light of other financial crimes committed in that time frame and compared to a PGA Tour event's impact on a community, seems somewhat minor. 

However, when ESPN got into the details of the charity spending, the story has more impact. Take this on Youth Programs, Inc in Memphis, beneficiary of the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

On its publicly available IRS form, the purpose of Youth Programs Inc. is to "host an annual professional PGA Tour sports event for the benefit of charitable organizations." In 2011, it made $15.3 million, about 89 percent of that from the golf tournament. It spent $15.3 million, which included about $6 million in prize money for the golfers and $5 million in TV promotion. It spent close to $1 million on tournament production and $500,000 on food and beverages, most likely at a discount, because Youth Programs is also exempt from paying sales tax in Tennessee.

The amount actually spent on charity -- the money given to St. Jude's -- was $1.5 million, or 10 percent of tournament expenses. Only $253,742 of that was actual cash to the research hospital. The rest went to St. Jude ads aired during the televised tournament, pro-am entry fees and air travel for celebrities.

If they spent that much on ads, just imagine how much of the First Tee money raised has been spent on that program's excessive "messaging."

Perhaps a follow-up story will come on a topic that was largely glossed over, but examples of executive overcompensation were few and far between, especially compared to other charities.

The IRS records of other tournaments' finances raise other red flags, including some higher-than-standard salaries, contractors tied to board members or directors, and questionable expenses, such as the Waste Management Phoenix Open paying almost $650,000 to Waste Management of Arizona for trash removal.

"I think it's really awful. I think that it's deceiving the public, and that it's a house of cards that eventually will fall," Charity Navigator's Berger said.

Wow. House Of Cards. Way harsh. BTW, the House of Cards season 2 trailer is live!

Sorry, go on...

Although Berger argues that the tournaments can and should donate more if they operated as regular businesses, Votaw said that losing the tax-exempt status would have a "chilling effect on the PGA Tour's ability to continue to contribute millions of dollars to charity."

"The objective of a for-profit corporation is to enrich its owners," he said. "We prefer to enrich communities. The tax laws also do not incentivize for-profit corporations to make significant gifts to charity."

And this is a key point for the tour to keep hammering home in rebuttal: the economic impact of tournaments on communities can be profound (just picture a tour wife going shopping).

But you thought the USGA's cash-hording was scary and evidence of corporate thinking running a non-profit? Check out this bankroll:

Many people take the "nonprofit" designation an organization has as meaning it cannot keep any money it makes above expenses. But that's not true. The PGA for years has carried over profits -- to the tune of $700 million as of 2011. A feature on Finchem this year in Forbes magazine cites the tour's savings as giving the tour a "competitive advantage" that preserved its TV contracts even as corporate sponsors wavered in a shaky economy.

That $700 million is likely what the tour would have paid taxes on were it not structured as a nonprofit, said Brad Borden, a tax law professor at Brooklyn Law School in New York, who reviewed the tour's finances for "Outside the Lines."

"It seems very unfair ... at a time when [the government is] cutting services, they are also providing a subsidy to professional athletes who are playing a game. And this is very troubling."

The story also goes into Senator Tom Coburn's PRO Sports Act to take away the tour's non-profit status, which has been resisted in part by $500,000 in PGA Tour lobbying in 2011. (The NFL spent $60,000 on lobbying at the same time...something tells me they've been spending more lately!)

Votaw says it's not fair to combine Coburn's attempt to take away the tour's nonprofit status with an examination of its individual tournaments -- which would not lose their tax-exempt status under the provisions in Coburn's bill.

"We believe that Sen. Coburn's bill would have a chilling effect on the amount of money raised for charity while generating very little in additional tax revenues," Votaw said. "Sen. Coburn has spent a lifetime trying to reduce the size and scope of government and believes in a strong private sector. If charity is chilled as a result of his proposed bill -- and we believe it will be -- the local organizations that benefit from the PGA Tour will likely turn to government for help.

"In many respects, the tour is the embodiment of what Sen. Coburn believes in. The cost of the exemption is negligible, but the private sector support for charity that is generated is extraordinary and unprecedented in professional sports."

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Garcia stakes his claim

Spaniard Sergio Garcia produced another brilliant seven-under-par 65 to surge into a four-shot lead over India's Anirban Lahiri and world number three Henrik Stenson in the star-laden Thailand Golf Championship on Saturday.

The Ryder Cup hero charged home on the back nine with five birdies, including two at 17 and 18 at the magnificent Amata Spring Country Club for a three-day total of 18-under-par 198 in the US$1 million Asian Tour event.

Stenson, the first man to win the European Tour's Race to Dubai and PGA Tour's FedEx Cup this season, also fired a fine 65 to give himself a chance of a fourth win of the year while Lahiri fought his way into the final group on Sunday with a 67.

Co-overnight leader Justin Rose of England bogeyed his last hole for a 70 as he slipped five shots off the pace while Panuphol Pittayarat emerged as the leading Thai player following a 67 for a share of sixth place on 206.

After charging into contention with a second round 65 which included a hole-in-one on Friday, the 33-year-old Garcia, ranked 19th in the world, put himself in prime position to land his first title of 2013 following another sublime display of golf.

"It was great obviously to be able to go out there and shoot 65 again," said Garcia. "I played nicely and felt pretty comfortable. I was able to hit some really nice shots and then was able to roll two or three really good putts in and it was nice to be able to finish birdie, birdie on this difficult finishing stretch."

The swashbuckling Spaniard does not intend to take his foot off the pedal as he chases a 21st career Tour victory. "Not only Henrik ... there're probably five or six guys who can shoot a really good number. It's going to be exciting tomorrow. I'll just try to do the same things I've been doing and stay focused, stay patient and hopefully I'll be able to play well enough to win," said Garcia, whose girlfriend Katharina Boehm is caddying for him.

"I want to try to be as aggressive as possible. I want to still try to make as many birdies as I can and if I manage to do that, then I'm going to put it quite difficult to the rest. I think if I start getting a little defensive, then I can give them a good opportunity of catching me."

Lahiri, who is fifth on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, sank six birdies against a lone bogey to stay within touching distance of the leader. "I didn't hit the ball very good but I played really sharp golf and that's good to see. I'm happy that I'm able to focus and get up and down when I miss it, and make some putts. So, yeah, really happy," said the 26-year-old, who has three wins in Asia.

The Indian rising star will stick to his routine and game plan in his hope of eclipsing the stars in the final round. A total of eight players from the world's top-50 are in the field at the Thailand Golf Championship which is offering 38 world ranking points to the winner.

"I'm just going out there and play and I'm happy that I'm in a zone where I can play and not think about shots," said Lahiri. "Sergio is running away with it, so I'm glad I'm still within touching distance. I can't really go into tomorrow expecting anything. I just want to play solid."

Stenson got out of the blocks with three straight birdies and rattled in four more for a bogey-free card. But he also made some important par saves, including one on 18 after finding the thick rough.

"That was a good day," said the 37-year-old Swede. "It was definitely the best I played this week. Made some good birdies and some really good saves to keep the momentum going. Those were crucial.

"Even though I'm tired and worn out, as soon as you see your name on the leaderboard, all of a sudden that tiredness goes away and you're looking forward to be there and hopefully have a chance to win. I know Sergio is desperate to get his hands on a trophy but I'll try to challenge him," added Stenson.

Rose, the reigning U.S. Open champion and world number four, was disappointed to fall off the pace, with a lone bogey on 18 leaving him five back of Garcia. "It's a frustrating sort of way to finish the round. I played better than any other day or as good as any other day. Sergio got ahead and a couple good birdies for him to finish. But I felt like I had the opportunity to put a good round together and to not do it is frustrating," said Rose.

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Thailand Golf Championship: Sergio Garcia shoots 65 to roar ino four-shot lead

Sergio Garcia fired a superb seven-under 65 to kick four shots clear of the field after the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship.

Tied for the lead with US Open champion Justin Rose at start of play, the Spaniard started steadily but came home in five-under 31 at the Amata Spring Country Club to post 18-under and take control of the tournament.

With Rose only managing a steady two-under 70, Garcia's nearest rivals are now world number three Henrik Stenson and India's Anirban Lahiri on 14-under.

Swede Stenson, the FedEx Cup and Race To Dubai winner, matched Garcia's 65 to leap from tied seventh to tied second while Lahiri added a 67 to Friday's best-of-the-day 64.

Frenchman Alexander Levy is alone in fifth but has a daunting seven shots to make up on Garcia.

Seeking his first win of 2013, Garcia birdied the par five second before making his only blemish of the day, a bogey five at the fourth.

Back-to-back birdies at six and seven gave him a one-shot lead over Rose at the turn and it stayed that way when both birdied the par five 11th.

Scintillating burst

However, a scintillating burst from Garcia saw him build a big cushion going into the final day.

A birdie at 13 took him to 15-under before a lovely pitch to three feet set up another at 15.

The 33-year-old fired a superb approach to 16 before missing a five footer for his birdie three but made amends with two more glorious iron shots at 17 and 18.

He converted both from around eight feet, clenching his fist as he rolled in his birdie at the last to increase his lead to four shots.

Stenson, meanwhile, raced out of the blocks with a hat-trick of birdies and made further gains at 7, 11, 12 and 17.

Rose was only three back playing the last but took three from the edge of the green and suddenly fell five back as Garcia made birdie.

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel is nine shots back in tied 11th after a 67 while Rickie Fowler is eight off the pace after a 71.

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Brooks extends Durban lead

Daniel Brooks carded a six-under-par 64 to claim a three-shot lead after the second round of the Nelson Mandela Championship.

After the co-sanctioned European-Sunshine Tour event was reduced to 54 holes following several rain delays over the first few days, Brooks carded his second successive bogey-free round after notching a 62 at Tour at Mount Edgecombe Country Club on Wednesday.

"It was quite nice going out there today and hitting a few nice shots early on and getting a bit of confidence going," he said on Saturday morning when he completed his second round.

"I holed a couple of nice putts again, so hopefully we'll carry that on this afternoon."

In a tie for second place is Spaniard Jorge Campillo, who carded an 11-under par 59 on Friday, Dawie van der Walt and Matthew Baldwin, both carding 62s.

Local pair Oliver Bekker and Branden Grace is another stroke further behind on 10-under after rounds of 66 at the water-logged course.

"I haven't been in this position before, so I'll take whatever happens, because it's all a learning curve," Brooke said of his lead in the 54-hole event.

"It will be good fun."

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Last years winners on top in Naples

Defending champions Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair are in a share of the lead after the first round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Last year's winners carded a combined eight-under-par 64 in the modified alternate-shot format event in Naples, Florida, to take a share of the lead alongside the teams of Matt Kuchar-Harris English and Charles Howell III-Justin Leonard.

Perry and O'Hair reached three-under after the front nine, before carding four consecutive birdies - starting at the 13th - to race up the leaderboard.

Howell and Leonard started slowly before carding three consecutive birdies towards the end of the front nine, and then went five-under coming in to join the defending champions atop the standings.

Kuchar and English looked destined to be in third place until they eagled the 17th to join the top pair on eight-under.

In fourth place, three shots behind the leaders are the pair of Retief Goosen and Fredik Jacobson, who shot a 67.

Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson are tied with Chris DiMarco and Billy Horschel at four-under, another shot further behind.

The 12-competing teams in the Florida event will then play better ball on Saturday, before finishing on Sunday with a scramble.

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Three teams share lead at Franklin Templeton Shootout

DEFENDING champions Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair combined for an eight-under 64 to share the first-round lead at the Franklin Templeton Shootout with two other teams.

The duo were joined by the teams of Harris English and Matt Kuchar, and Charles Howell and Justin Leonard atop the leaderboard after the alternate-shot format opening round at Tiburon Golf Club. Perry and O'Hair are trying to become the first back-to-back winners at the unofficial event founded by Australian Greg Norman since Hank Kuehne and Jeff Sluman won in 2003 and 2004.

Perry is trying to win this event for the fourth time overall, but for the first time with the same partner.

South Africa's Retief Goosen and Sweden's Freddie Jacobson were in fourth place on five-under 67, while Chris DiMarco and Billy Horschel, and Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson shared fifth on 68. The tournament features 24 players competing in a team format. Saturday's

The second round will be a better ball format, and competition concludes on Sunday with a scramble.

Last year, O'Hair and Perry combined to shoot a 31-under-par 185 and beat the team of Howell and South Africa's Rory Sabbatini by one stroke.

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Jorge Campillo and Colin Nel card 59s at Nelson Mandela Championship

ENGLAND'S Daniel Brooks remained in charge at the rain-ravaged Nelson Mandela Championship while Jorge Campillo and Colin Nel carded 59s.

Spain's Campillo and South African Nel both broke the 60 barrier although they will not enter the record books as preferred lies were allowed on Mount Edgecombe's saturated fairways.

Following lengthy delays on both Wednesday and Thursday, organisers were forced to reduce the European PGA tournament to 54 holes after another three-hour delay on Friday.

Campillo had two eagles and seven birdies to reach 11 under par while first-round leader Brooks was 12 under with seven holes of his second round remaining when darkness brought play to a halt. England's Matthew Baldwin shot a 62 to share the clubhouse lead with Campillo, with home favourites Branden Grace, Oliver Bekker and Dawie van der Walt on ten under.

"We play other par 70s on Tour, but you still have to shoot 59 and I'm pretty happy with the way I finished," said 27-year-old Campillo.

"I was never close to 59 before, but in the Dutch Open I was eight under with three holes to go on a par 70. Finishing with three birdies would have put me on 59 but I finished par-par-bogey. That helped me a lot today, because finishing well was important and I did it."

Despite his 59, Nel was back on four under for the tournament after an opening 77.

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Nelson Mandela Championship: Jorge Campillo and Colin Nel card unofficial 59s

Jorge Campillo and Colin Nel both shot rounds of 59 at the Nelson Mandela Championship in Durban on Friday.

Campillo's amazing effort vaulted him into tied second place - a shot behind leader Daniel Brooks - while Nel's was 18 shots better than his first round 77.

No-one has ever broken 60 on the European Tour but it was soon confirmed that the two 59s would not count as official records because they were achieved using preferred lies and from a reduced par.

Tournament organisers had chosen to reduce the event to 54 holes on Friday due to the heavy downpours which had interrupted play and left the fairways waterlogged.

There was a further delay on day three of a four-day tournament that was brought forward to a Wednesday start to avoid a clash of its final round and Sunday's funeral of former South African president Mandela.

The handful of players who had not completed their first rounds were due out from 6am local time, but they did not make it to the tee until 9am at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club.

When they did finally get in play, Campillo fired eagles on the fourth and 12th holes along with seven birdies in his flawless 11-under round on the new par of 70 while Nel also eagled the 12th and racked up nine birdies.

"My caddie walked the course during the practice round and said we could shoot 59 out here," Campillo said. "It's a great day. I was nervous on the finish, but I managed to finish strong. I'm really happy because no matter what you still have to make the putts to shoot 59."

It looked as if Campillo's 11-under 59 would see him end the day tied for the lead with England's Matthew Baldwin (62) but 27-year-old Englishman Brooks, who led the way after round one following a 62, reached 12-under after 11 holes of his second round before fading light halted play.

A trio of South Africans - Branden Grace (66), Oliver Bekker (66) and Dawie Van Der Walt - share fourth place on 10-under, two shots back, with Van Der Walt having five holes of his second round to complete.

The early finish means the players who are still to finish their second round will resume at 6am on Saturday, before the third and final round begins after 9:15am.

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