E-Notes: Champions Tour heads to first 08 Texas stop

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• Tom Kite will return to his native Texas this week for the FedEx Kinko's Classic. Kite is still looking for his first career win in his home state after 104 starts. He's been a strong contender at this event in previous years, however. In five previous starts at the tournament, he's tied for second (2006), tied for fourth (2003), finished fifth (2007), tied for 12th (2005) and tied for 27th (2004).

• The FedEx Kinko's Classic is still looking for its first Texas winner. None of the previous five winners of the tournament have been natives of the state.

Kite

• Last year, Tom Kite had top-10 finishes in all three Texas events (FedEx Kinko's Classic, Administaff Small Business Classic and AT&T Championship). Since the Administaff Small Business Classic began in 2004, giving the Tour three Lone Star State stops on the schedule, only three other players have had top-10 finishes in the three Texas events in the same season: Larry Nelson and Morris Hatalsky in 2004 and Jay Haas in 2006.

• Past champions haven't enjoyed great success when trying to defend their title at this tournament. In 2004, Hale Irwin tied for 40th after winning the inaugural event the previous year. In 2005, Larry Nelson tied for 25th in defense of his 2004 crown. In 2006, Jim Thorpe tied for 21st after winning in 2005. Last year, Jay Haas finished 10th in defense of his 2006 title.

• Scott Hoch's win last year in Austin was his first on the Champions Tour and first since claiming the last of 11 PGA TOUR titles, at the 2003 Ford Championship at Doral. He's added two titles already this season, at the Allianz Championship and The ACE Group Classic.

Thompson

• Leonard Thompson's tournament-record 64 in the opening round of last year's tournament gave him a first-round lead in a tournament for the first time since the 2005 Bank of America Championship near Boston. Thompson eventually tied for 11th a year ago.

• Jay Haas has been par or better in five of his six rounds at The Hills Country Club. His only over-par round was the second-round 73 he shot last year.

• Hale Irwin and D.A. Weibring both come into this year's event with five straight sub-par rounds at The Hills. In addition to winning in 2003, Irwin tied for sixth in 2006 and was fourth last year. Weibring, the runner-up in 2007, has never finished outside the top 20 in four starts in Austin.

• Craig Stadler has never finished better than a tie for ninth in the event (2005), but he has also never placed worse than a tie for 14th (2004).