SCOTT Simpson won at home last week. Now, can he win at his home away from home? Simpson’s win was
surprising even to himHe'd like nothing better than to follow up his Buick Invitational victory in his native San Diego than to win the United Airlines Hawaiian Open this week. After all, Hawaii's his home away from home.
"I've always said the two tournaments I'd love to win more than any are San Diego and Hawaii," said Simpson, who took time off yesterday to play a round of golf with his 11-year-old son, Sean, at the Oahu Country Club.
Simpson got one-half of his wish by winning the Buick Invitational, beating Skip Kendall in a playoff.
The tournament, once known as the (fill in the sponsor's name) San Diego Open, has been played at Torrey Pines since 1968. It's where Simpson played his junior golf. It's also where he first met his future bride, Cheryl, a Radford High graduate who was there watching another junior golfer -- from Hawaii.
"San Diego players have done so well at Torrey Pines, it's amazing. Stadler, Mickelson, Steve Pate, O'Meara. It was great for me to have my turn," Simpson said.
"It meant so much to win at home. The kids being older, they'll always remember it. My dad was there. It was really, really special. I'm going to look back at this win as fondly as any win I've had. It's a great feeling. The winning, and being able to come back for the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua next year."
SO winning the Hawaiian Open this week would make it doubly sweet, according to Simpson.
Improbable, you say. Well, nobody thought Simpson was going to win last week. Even he didn't.
Simpson was the clubhouse leader at 12-under-par and had to sweat out the outcome for nearly two hours. He didn't think his lead would hold up, especially with Davis Love III also at 12-under with two birdieable par-5s to play.
"It was surprising, amazing really that nobody was making birdies down the stretch," Simpson said. "I was pretty fortunate, really pretty lucky."
Finally, Kendall birdied the 18th hole to force a playoff. Simpson had a great up-and-down, sinking a five-foot birdie putt. Kendall three-putted from 35 feet, missing a 31/2-footer to give Simpson his first victory since the GTE Byron Nelson Classic in 1993.
"I felt like I still had the game," Simpson said about 1997, his worst year since turning pro in 1978. "I felt like I could still win, but I didn't know when. Or if it would ever happen."
Simpson finished 149th on the money list, earning only $128,448, and had to use a one-time exemption as a top-50 all-time money winner for an exemption this year.
THE off year was a combination of a bunch of things, said Simpson. "Like just losing my motivation for playing, and combining that by playing bad. And I wasn't working hard enough. I putted lousy, too. Put them all together . . . "
That would do it, all right.
"So the win at San Diego kind of came out of the blue after having not been playing that well," Simpson said.
His victory also caught Hawaiian Open sponsors off guard. They had no spot for him in tomorrow's pro-am. "It's just as well, I'll just go play with Sean somewhere," Simpson said.
Meanwhile, daughter Brea, 15, is probably resting up. She'll be caddying for her dad this week. She picked up a pretty fair allowance last year when Simpson finished tied for fourth and made $47,250. But she knows that a caddy's share for a tournament winner is 10 percent.
Simpson's caddy last week was Chargers' quarterback Stan Humphries. But Humphries wouldn't accept payment. So Simpson will donate the $37,000 to San Diego junior golf and charities.