WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — For the ninth consecutive year, there is a single name at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes
of The Principal Charity Classic and finds himself in exactly the same position as he was last year in Des Moines, leading by one stroke. In 2008, Price was at 6-under 136 after two rounds. He carded a final-round 69, but his three-putt bogey on the final green left him in a tie for third, two strokes behind Jay Haas. • Price is 1-for-4 on the Champions Tour when leading going into the final round. Earlier this year, Price took a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am and ended up winning his first Champions Tour event near Tampa. In 2008, he held one-stroke margins at The Principal Charity Classic and the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship heading into Sunday, but finished third in both events. Price also enjoyed a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the FedEx Kinko’s Classic and finished third in Austin. On the PGA TOUR, Price won seven of 10 events when leading going into the final round. • The last time Price won multiple events in a season on TOUR was 1994 when he claimed six titles and was the Player of the Year Wiebe finished T36 in his first appearance in The Principal Charity Classic last year. In the previous eight years of this event, no player has made The Principal Charity Classic his first career title on the Champions Tour. • Thus far on the Champions Tour in 2009, Saturday leaders/co-leaders have won four of the 10 official events played (/Cap Cana Championship & Regions Charity Classic, Price/Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Michael Allen/Senior PGA Championship). • Haas will have an outside shot at three-peating at The Principal Charity Classic tomorrow. Haas’ 4-under 67 today moved him up 29 spots into a T12 after 36 holes, four strokes back of Price. Haas has come from behind to win seven of his 12 career titles on the Champions Tour and made up a four-stroke deficit on Sunday to win the 2006 Senior PGA Championship at Oak Tree Golf Club. • Tomorrow’s winner will earn 259 Charles Schwab Cup points. With (922), Allen (720) and Larry Mize (593) all taking the week off, several players who are among the top 15 in the standings have a chance to move up. At the end of the official season, the player with the most Schwab Cup points will earn a $1 million payout. • The field averaged 71.410 today vs. 71.329 in the opening round yesterday. Through two rounds this year, the cumulative stroke average of the field is 71.369 compared to 71.205 after two rounds last year. A total of 27 professionals had sub-par rounds today vs. 32 yesterday. Through two rounds, 29 professionals are under par compared to 39 professionals under par after two rounds last year.
• After 36 holes this year, the hardest hole at Glen Oaks Country Club is the par-4 10th hole (4.382/+.382). The par-5 9th hole has played as the easiest (4.357/-.643). After just one eagle yesterday, there were 10 eagles made in Round 2, including three on par-4 holes — Fergus (No. 1), (No. 4) and Jerry Pate (No. 13).