MERCEDES-BENZ CHAMPIONSHIP
ASSOCIATED PRESS
J.B. Holmes acknowledged the gallery yesterday after shooting a 5-under 68 to pull within three shots of the lead.
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Playing alone suits Holmes just fine
A year after making his PGA Tour debut at Waialae, the big hitter finds himself within three strokes of the lead at Kapalua
KAPALUA, Maui » J.B. Holmes needed only 200 minutes yesterday to shoot himself into contention at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Teeing up first in the wind and rain that was still pelting the Plantation Course, Holmes learned about 10 minutes before beginning his second round that he would be swinging alone. Playing partner Arron Oberholser pulled out with a bad back, leaving the Kentucky native to his own devices.
He didn't get off to a rousing start, twice having to wait to begin his round due to patrons strolling across the expansive first fairway, but the bogey he took at that picturesque hole did little to discourage him the rest of the way.
Thanks to five birdies in six holes, including four in a row on the back nine, Holmes fired a 5-under 68 to find himself three shots off the pace of second-round leader Vijay Singh. His 5-under 141 left him tied for fourth entering the final 36 holes and well within range of winning his second PGA Tour event.
"I obviously didn't have to wait on anybody else, it was just me," Holmes said. "I didn't feel I was playing that fast. I stepped off a lot of golf balls and I was trying to slow down. I was trying not to catch up to the group in front of me. They were on 18 green and I was on 18 tee, so it was perfect.
"If I felt comfortable over the shot, I hit it. If the wind was gusting or something, I backed off and took as much time as I need just because it benefits me. I usually don't talk a whole lot in the round. I'll talk a little bit, but I'm not one of those people who just chats it up a whole bunch."
Holmes began his PGA Tour life at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii. He managed a tie for 10th, which proved to be a portent of things to come. Three weeks later, he won the FBR Open in Phoenix by seven strokes and his life changed forever. But learning to manage it the rest of the season proved challenging for Holmes.
"With the hype I got from the media and the way I won, yeah, my expectations jumped up," said Holmes, who finished only 59th on the money list. He managed only 16 cuts in 26 events.
"I already had pretty high expectations, so I just made it harder on myself to play well and put added pressure on myself that I didn't need. I've had a year to pretty much let that go. So I'm trying not to worry about that now and take it one tournament at a time. If I play well, I play well. I have the ability to go out there and win, so I just have to go out there and play."
This is Holmes' first trip to Maui. The course is long and wide, which suits his game just fine. On Thursday, he had a 429-yard drive at No. 12. He almost hit it another 400 yards at the 18th yesterday, leaving himself only a 5-iron into the green at the 663-yard finishing hole.
"I heard that forever," Holmes said when someone asked him if anyone ever told him 'drive for show and putt for dough.' "It's the truth. But, you know, you hit your driver good enough, sometimes you can two-putt and you can make birdie."
But don't let that joke fool you. As far as he hits it, Holmes still knows the short game is where the money's at. Hitting it long here is a requirement, but managing these tricky greens will be key if he wants to be in contention tomorrow.
"I think this course sets up great for me," Holmes said. "It has wide fairways and is a long golf course. As windy as it is here, you can't have narrow fairways out there or you would never finish a round with golf balls."
Holmes began his career by making the high school golf team as a third-grader. He took a lot of heat from some older members of the high school team his first year, but as a fourth-grader, the coach's son joined the team as a fifth-grader. From there, he played golf as much as he could and eventually was accepted, despite his age difference.
"I learned not to get intimidated," Holmes said. "I played the state championship through my senior year, so I was always playing with people older than me and I was beating them. The first year was a little rough. A couple of guys picked on me, but high schoolers are just mean.
"I was a 10-year lettermen. That's got to be some kind of record. I had a bunch of conference patches. It was a red jacket and it would have been gray if I had all my patches. I think my average score in third grade was 52.4 for nine holes. I won the award for most improved."
Holmes also had to battle through dyslexia as a child. He eventually overcame it once he was diagnosed in college and wound up being an academic All-American at Kentucky. He believes his dyslexia helps him visualize shots on the course.
"I picture shots really well and what I want to do," Holmes said. "Almost every sport I've been in, dyslexia has actually helped me."