Thursday, January 6, 2000
Woods, Duval tune
out the Sony
Mercedes: Wind always a factor at Kapalua
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinKAPALUA, Maui -- Tiger Woods and David Duval will not be teeing it up at the Sony Open next week for the same reason -- they need time to relax.
The world's top two players will be trying to get off to a good start in the Mercedes Championships, which starts today, then go their separate ways before rejoining the PGA Tour at the Bob Hope Desert Classic in two weeks.
Woods has yet to play in the Oahu tour stop. He did win the John Burns Clipper collegiate event when he played at Stanford earlier this decade, but has opted to skip the Waialae Country Club course since turning pro in 1996.
''I'm not going to play, no," Woods said yesterday when asked if he would stay over in Honolulu next week. ''I'm going to go home (Windemere, Fla.). I haven't been home in a while. I've been hanging out with the family, but I'm going to go back to the East Coast and hang out in my own house for a while."
Duval isn't returning to his Florida residence. Instead, he will go to Idaho to do a little snow boarding, much like he did last year after winning the Mercedes with a record 26-under-par total.
"I also want to spend a little extra time getting ready for the Hope,"' said Duval, who won the event last year by shooting a final-round 59. ''I might have to change my schedule a little bit and go to places I haven't been before or go to places I didn't go last year, whatever it might be."
Unfortunately for Oahu golf fans, the Sony Open isn't one of the changes he will make. Duval has played on Oahu only once. He finished tied for 14th in 1995 with a four-day total of 279. Three rounds were in the 70s, but he did manage a 64 on Saturday.
MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wind will be the equalizer
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinIf the tradewinds make their presence felt, the 30 golfers taking part in this week's Mercedes Championships would need a few extra rounds before anyone approached David Duval's record 26-under set last year.
''With a lot of wind, this will be a difficult course to score on," Jim Furyk said yesterday after the Pro-Am round. ''You have to be patient. If the wind kicks up, you can't be impatient.
''I'm not rooting for it to blow hard. But I don't mind playing in the wind if I'm playing well. I have good memories here and hopefully I can make more for the future."
Duval laughed when someone asked if 26-under would hold up this week.
''I feel like I'm playing pretty good," Duval said. ''I just played well last year, you know. We didn't have the tradewinds, so it didn't play as hard. I don't know if I'm playing quite as well as last year, but I'm working on it.
''It's going to be different, though, because I think we're going to have the winds like they normally do here. It's going to be a lot different than last year."
Tiger Woods likes the golf course come rain or come shine. His amateur team suffered through a brief shower on the back nine, but it did little to dampen his spirits. He believes he has a chance to do well here this week.
''I think it's a wonderful golf course because for anyone who hits the ball a long ways, it sets up well," Woods said. ''If the wind starts blowing, then it becomes a challenge because you've got to hit the ball along certain lines. It's reminiscent of the British Open."
Plenty of new faces
Rich Beem is one of seven golfers making their inaugural Mercedes appearance. The only way you can qualify for the opening event of the PGA Tour season is by winning a tournament the previous year.Beem, Glen Day, Brent Geiberger, Paul Lawrie, J.L. Lewis, Tom Pernice Jr. and Mike Weir are the seven touring pros taking part in this $2.9-million event for the first time.
''This is an unbelievable feeling to be here," said Beem, who qualified by winning the Kemper Open. ''It means a lot to have a locker next to Stuart Appleby and across from Tiger Woods. My win last year really boosted my confidence."
The El Paso, Texas, resident finished 67th on the money list, earning $610,555. He made the cut in nine of 24 events.
"I was just tickled to death to get my Tour card," Beem said. ''I didn't expect to be here. I never knew I had what it took to win out here. This surprised me."
Weir wins pro-am
Weir's foursome went out early and didn't learn until late in the day that they won the Pro-Am portion of the Mercedes Championships.The group of Paul Romain, Terry Shaver, Phil Smart Jr. and Jim Bolton fired a 19-under 54 to take home first place. Ernie Els' group of Gary Wassel, Simon Bebb, Michael Wo and Jim Cochran also shot a 54, but lost on the third hole of the scorecard to finish second.
Brian Henninger's foursome of Paul Kenneson, Ralph Hemingway, Woody MacLaren and Norihiko Onishi went off late, but also tied the leaders by closing with a birdie on the last hole. They finished third in the scorecard playoff, but still shot a dazzling 26 on the backside.
