Saturday, January 8, 2000

Life’s no beach
for the defending
Sony champ

It's been a lot of work and little
play for Jeff Sluman, who is
seven shots back

Woods and Parnevik only two to break 70

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

KAPALUA, Maui - Jeff Sluman has been in the islands for so long, he might be eligible for full-time residency by the time he leaves after next week's Sony Open.

The defending champion for the Oahu event arrived on Maui on Dec. 27 to not only grow accustomed to the Plantation Course, but to spend time with his family enjoying the 50th state.

"I came over here early to get accustomed to the conditions and to have a little vacation time with my family,'' Sluman said after firing his second straight round of 72 in yesterday's $2.9 million Mercedes Championships. He is currently 2-under-par in fourth place, trailing front-runner Tiger Woods by seven strokes.

"I didn't go to the beach much,'' Sluman said. "My legs haven't seen the sun in 40 years. I did play the course every day but one. The problem is, the wind wasn't blowing much during my practice rounds. It's pretty tough out here with all the wind and different elevations from tee to green.''

Sluman qualified for the Mercedes by winning last year's inaugural Sony Open. It was the fourth PGA Tour victory for the 42-year-old Chicago resident who is best known for winning the 1988 PGA Championship.

Entering the final round, Sluman trailed leader Paul Azinger by three shots. He fired a final round 65 to win by three. He had eight second-place finishes over the next nine years before winning the 1997 Tucson Open. He also captured the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1998.

Much like he did in 1988, Sluman came from off the pace to take home last year's Sony Open trophy. He entered the final round in a six-way tie for fifth, three strokes behind leader Tommy Tolles before shooting a 66 on Sunday to beat Davis Love III and Jeff Maggert by two shots.

"That was a good win for me and gave me some confidence for the rest of the season,'' said Sluman, who finished 17th on the money list with $1.6 million. He made the cut in 26 of 31 events and finished in the top 10 six times. "Coming over here and playing in a tournament like this one is something special.

"I'm also looking forward to going over to Honolulu next week to defend my championship. That course is a lot different from this one. It helps to hit long here and you don't have to be as long at Waialae Country Club. My approach here this week and there next week will be a lot different.''

Sluman won't have to contend with heavy hitters David Duval and Tiger Woods. Neither will play in the Sony Open, opting to take a week off before rejoining the PGA Tour at the Bob Hope Dessert Classic on Jan. 19.

Not that the diminutive Sluman is afraid of trading shots with the big boys. In his mind, you can't beat either player by giving them too much respect.

"Obviously, Tiger is playing extremely well right now,'' Sluman said. "He's the best player in the world. But that doesn't mean he's going to win every week. You've got to go out there, play your game and see where you stand at the end of the day.''

Sluman is hopeful he will be as competitive next week in Honolulu. Being only one of seven golfers under par after two rounds can't hurt his confidence.

"It's always good to come out and start the season on a strong note,'' Sluman said. "Hopefully, I can play well over the weekend and go to Honolulu next week feeling good about my game.''

---

MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS NOTEBOOK

Associated Press
Jesper Parnevik tees off from No. 1 during yesterday's second round.

Woods and Parnevik
only two to break 70
in first two days

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

KAPALUA, Maui - Tiger Woods and Jesper Parnevik are the only two golfers to break 70 during the first two rounds of the $2.9 million Mercedes Championships.

Parnevik fired a 69 during the opening round and Woods came back with a blistering 66 yesterday, despite the continued blustery conditions. For Woods, it was his 10th consecutive round under par and his 19th of 22 dating back to last year.

As well as Woods is playing - he has birdied 12 of the first 36 holes - he would have a hard time keeping up with Parnevik if the Swede could avoid so many bad shots.

The first-day leader continued his up-and-down play yesterday en route to a 74. He's still in third, trailing Woods by six shots. But while Woods has a dozen birdies, Parnevik has carded 16.

Unfortunately for the 34-year-old, he also has four bogeys and four double bogeys, including two on the usually easy No. 12. Through two rounds, it's rated the 11th-hardest hole, a figure that would drop even more had it not been for Parnevik.

"Both days, I hooked it off the tee and into the high grass,'' Parnevik said. "I just tried to hit it too hard into the wind and I wound up pulling it both days. That's how it has gone for me. I've been too inconsistent.''

Woods and Parnevik have combined for 28 birdies. Both players are head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Eight players are tied for third in birdies with seven.

Unlucky 13:

The par-4 13th played particularly nasty during yesterday's second round. It was the most difficult hole, surrendering only two birdies to Woods and Parnevik.

There were 10 bogeys on the hole, one double bogey by Rich Beem and a triple bogey by Notah Begay, who hit his drive into the high grass and never fully recovered. He went from being in contention to finishing in a tie for 22nd.

The average score on the 407-yard hole into the wind was 4.433. That was close to what the golfers shot on the easiest hole, the par-5 15th. The 555-yard hole remained the easiest one for the second straight day.

There were no eagles, but 14 birdies and only four bogeys. The average score on the hole was 4.667. Once again, the four easiest holes were the par-5s. On Thursday, the most difficult hole was the par-3 eighth. Yesterday, it was the fourth hardest.

Don't play the back:

Beem wouldn't be in last place with a two-day total of 161 if he didn't have to play the back nine. The El Paso, Texas, resident trails Woods by 24 shots. During the first two days, Beem is even-par on the front side and 15-over on the back.

He shot a 46 on Thursday, en route to carding the worst round at 84. Things went well on the front nine yesterday after he shot a 2-under 34. But once again, the backside bit him. Beem finished with a 43.

Attendance on the rise:

Tournament officials were pleased with the attendance for this year's event. After two days, the total is close to 7,000 with a majority of the Maui fans following Woods.

Last year, the attendance after the first two days was a little less than 6,000. Officials believe the weekend will attract even larger crowds for the tournament that's in the second season of a four-year deal.

Duffying it:

Popular golfer Duffy Waldorf was flirting with greatness during yesterday's second round. Exiting the seventh hole, Waldorf was 4-under, tied with Woods and Parnevik for the lead.

But that's where the wheels fell off. The 37-year-old played 4-over the rest of the way to drop to a tie for eighth with an even-par 146. Waldorf birdied the 18th to avoid shooting 40 on the back nine.

Wind gusting:

Despite the windy weather, with gusts up to 30 mph, the golfers did a better job of negotiating it yesterday than they did on Thursday. During the opening round, the field of 30 was a combined 61-over. That figure dropped to 38-over par yesterday with the average score coming in at 74.3.