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Irwin, Woods stuck in the rough
Saturday, June 16, 2001
Tulsa, Okla. -- Hale Irwin fell from the leader board faster than you can say "Bermuda rough," and Tiger Woods disappeared in it.
So who was left to pick up the pieces in the 101st U.S. Open championship Friday?
Mark Brooks, Retief Goosen and J.L. Lewis, that's who.
After nearly 14 hours of golf -- a snail-paced marathon made necessary by a rain suspension Thursday -- the unlikely trio emerged from the pack to share the lead at Southern Hills Country Club.
Brooks, a gritty little Texan who won the 1996 PGA Championship, changed drivers before the second round and fired a 6-under-par 64 to vault from six shots back into a tie for the lead at 4-under 136.
"That's about as good as I can play," he said. "It feels good to keep a round going. I kept it in play and I lag-putted pretty good. It's nice to know you can play well on this golf course."
Brooks was joined by Goosen, a South African with four victories on the European Tour, and Lewis, a former club pro whose lone PGA Tour victory came in the 1999 John Deere Classic.
Goosen shot a 70 after finishing off a morning 66, and Lewis put together consecutive 68s.
Irwin, 56, who fired a first-round 67, finally started acting his age. He stumbled to a 41 on the front nine before righting himself on the back to finish with a 75. The three-time U.S. Open champion nearly matched his start last year at Pebble Beach, when he went 68- 78.
"My goodness, I had some problems at the beginning," Irwin said. "I just never got into a rhythm, never had any chances for birdies. But I'm at 142, six shots back. If somebody would have given me two 71s before we started, I'd have taken it."
Woods, the defending champion and the winner of the last four major championships, struggled with his swing all day. He hit a year's worth of bad shots but salvaged a 71 after a morning 74. Twelve times, he one-putted to save par, once to save bogey.
He was at 5-over 145, nine strokes behind the leaders.
"There's a long way to go," Goosen cautioned. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for (Woods). If he shoots 6-under, he's back in the tournament. We know Tiger can get on a roll quickly."
Brooks was the only player on the leader board with a major championship on his resume, but the group right behind the leaders was a who's who of "best players never to have won a major."
Sergio Garcia of Spain, who won the MasterCard Colonial three weeks ago, shot a 68 and was two strokes back at 2-under 138. Stewart Cink also was at 138 after a 69.
"I like my chances," said Cink, a two-time Tour winner. "I like the way I'm playing, and I'd like to win this tournament above all others. I'm going to give it 110%."
Mickelson, Duval lurking
Phil Mickelson and David Duval, who have 30 PGA Tour victories between them but no majors, were tied at 1-under 139, three shots back. Both shot 69s.
Mickelson's up-and-down round included a chip-in for birdie on the first hole and a hole-in-one on the 175-yard sixth. He used an 8- iron to record the 33rd ace in U.S. Open history.
"I didn't hit it quite as well as I did (Thursday)," Mickelson said. "I was just a little bit off."
Thirty-two players, including Steve Stricker of Madison (4 over through 31 holes), were stranded on the course by darkness. They will resume play at 7 a.m. today. After the 36-hole cut is made, the third round will begin at 9:45 a.m.
The projected cut was 6-over 146. Among the casualties was Fox Point native Skip Kendall, who shot 74-74--148.
"I imagine I'll be a little bit nervous when I stand on the first tee tomorrow," said Goosen. "I'm just going to try to focus on the shots I've got to hit. It's going to be a long, tough weekend."
Brooks, 40, who counts the 1991 Greater Milwaukee Open among his seven PGA Tour titles, hit only seven fairways in the first round, switched drivers, then hit 12 fairways in the second.
"I wasn't thrilled with the driver I picked out for the first round," Brooks said. "I sent my wife back to the house, and she brought back a different driver. I change drivers almost daily."
Lewis, 40, has only three top-25 finishes on Tour this year. He wasn't too worked up about sharing the lead halfway through the Open.
"Leads and that sort of thing probably aren't going to matter until late on Sunday," he said. "If you've got a lead with two or three holes to go, then that's another matter. But right now, I don't think anybody is going to benefit themselves by looking at the leader board.
"You've got to play one shot at a time. This golf course is demanding and there's really not any letup in it. So that's what I'm going to do."
Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
AUTHOR :
By GARY D'AMATO
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Irwin, Woods stuck in the rough
Saturday, June 16, 2001
Tulsa, Okla. -- Hale Irwin fell from the leader board faster than you can say "Bermuda rough," and Tiger Woods disappeared in it.
So who was left to pick up the pieces in the 101st U.S. Open championship Friday?
Mark Brooks, Retief Goosen and J.L. Lewis, that's who.
After nearly 14 hours of golf -- a snail-paced marathon made necessary by a rain suspension Thursday -- the unlikely trio emerged from the pack to share the lead at Southern Hills Country Club.
Brooks, a gritty little Texan who won the 1996 PGA Championship, changed drivers before the second round and fired a 6-under-par 64 to vault from six shots back into a tie for the lead at 4-under 136.
"That's about as good as I can play," he said. "It feels good to keep a round going. I kept it in play and I lag-putted pretty good. It's nice to know you can play well on this golf course."
Brooks was joined by Goosen, a South African with four victories on the European Tour, and Lewis, a former club pro whose lone PGA Tour victory came in the 1999 John Deere Classic.
Goosen shot a 70 after finishing off a morning 66, and Lewis put together consecutive 68s.
Irwin, 56, who fired a first-round 67, finally started acting his age. He stumbled to a 41 on the front nine before righting himself on the back to finish with a 75. The three-time U.S. Open champion nearly matched his start last year at Pebble Beach, when he went 68- 78.
"My goodness, I had some problems at the beginning," Irwin said. "I just never got into a rhythm, never had any chances for birdies. But I'm at 142, six shots back. If somebody would have given me two 71s before we started, I'd have taken it."
Woods, the defending champion and the winner of the last four major championships, struggled with his swing all day. He hit a year's worth of bad shots but salvaged a 71 after a morning 74. Twelve times, he one-putted to save par, once to save bogey.
He was at 5-over 145, nine strokes behind the leaders.
"There's a long way to go," Goosen cautioned. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for (Woods). If he shoots 6-under, he's back in the tournament. We know Tiger can get on a roll quickly."
Brooks was the only player on the leader board with a major championship on his resume, but the group right behind the leaders was a who's who of "best players never to have won a major."
Sergio Garcia of Spain, who won the MasterCard Colonial three weeks ago, shot a 68 and was two strokes back at 2-under 138. Stewart Cink also was at 138 after a 69.
"I like my chances," said Cink, a two-time Tour winner. "I like the way I'm playing, and I'd like to win this tournament above all others. I'm going to give it 110%."
Mickelson, Duval lurking
Phil Mickelson and David Duval, who have 30 PGA Tour victories between them but no majors, were tied at 1-under 139, three shots back. Both shot 69s.
Mickelson's up-and-down round included a chip-in for birdie on the first hole and a hole-in-one on the 175-yard sixth. He used an 8- iron to record the 33rd ace in U.S. Open history.
"I didn't hit it quite as well as I did (Thursday)," Mickelson said. "I was just a little bit off."
Thirty-two players, including Steve Stricker of Madison (4 over through 31 holes), were stranded on the course by darkness. They will resume play at 7 a.m. today. After the 36-hole cut is made, the third round will begin at 9:45 a.m.
The projected cut was 6-over 146. Among the casualties was Fox Point native Skip Kendall, who shot 74-74--148.
"I imagine I'll be a little bit nervous when I stand on the first tee tomorrow," said Goosen. "I'm just going to try to focus on the shots I've got to hit. It's going to be a long, tough weekend."
Brooks, 40, who counts the 1991 Greater Milwaukee Open among his seven PGA Tour titles, hit only seven fairways in the first round, switched drivers, then hit 12 fairways in the second.
"I wasn't thrilled with the driver I picked out for the first round," Brooks said. "I sent my wife back to the house, and she brought back a different driver. I change drivers almost daily."
Lewis, 40, has only three top-25 finishes on Tour this year. He wasn't too worked up about sharing the lead halfway through the Open.
"Leads and that sort of thing probably aren't going to matter until late on Sunday," he said. "If you've got a lead with two or three holes to go, then that's another matter. But right now, I don't think anybody is going to benefit themselves by looking at the leader board.
"You've got to play one shot at a time. This golf course is demanding and there's really not any letup in it. So that's what I'm going to do."
Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
AUTHOR :
By GARY D'AMATO
of the Journal Sentinel staff
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