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Monday, January 17, 2000
Finally,
it’s Azinger
He wins his first title
The scorecards
since overcoming lymphoma
cancer six years ago
Game stories and summaries By Bill Kwon
Star-BulletinIt's a storybook ending and the PGA Tour's 2000 season has only just begun.
Paul Azinger ended years of doubting if he'd ever win again with an emotional wire-to-wire victory in the Sony Open yesterday at the Waialae Country Club -- his first since overcoming his battle with cancer six years ago.
On a blustery day when challengers Ernie Els posted a quadruple-bogey 8, Jesper Parnevik a triple-bogey 7, runner-up Stuart Appleby a double-bogey 6, and bogeys were more prevalent than birdies, Azinger shot a bogey-free 65 for a 72-hole score of 19-under-par 261.
"I had my A-game today," said 'Zinger, who won for the first time since the 1993 PGA Championship.
"It was important for me to go out today and play well. I was very determined today for a lot of people."
Besides ridding self-doubts if he'd ever win again, Azinger said he played with others in mind, including those who had also undergone chemotherapy. Also, because of the recent deaths close to him.
"How much joy can you feel when life has so much heartache. It really changed the way I perceive life. I appreciate it more," said Azinger, referring to the death of a cousin, his two agents, Van Arden and Robert Fraley and Payne Stewart in an air accident.
He remains in close touch with their widows.
"This is going to be their first happy moment in a long time."That was the only burden Azinger felt. He needed to win for them as much as for himself.
Azinger didn't disappoint anyone, including his many friends rooting for him to finally win one at Waialae.
"I hit it terrific today. I hit every shot on the button," said Azinger, who had finished runner-up three times and third twice in the Hawaiian Open.
Winning his first tournament since 6 B.C. (Before Cancer) and at Waialae, of all places, was "really satisfying, gratifying," he said.
Even with the victory, which was worth $522,000, Azinger says he no longer feels an unencumbered joy as he did when he won the PGA Championship.
Then it was like seeing life through rose-colored glasses, Azinger said. "I don't wear those glasses anymore, but I'm still pretty happy."
Azinger went into the final round with a five-stroke lead over Parnevik. But he had his eye on Appleby, who suffered a tragedy of his own with the death of his wife, Renay, two years ago.
As one who strongly believes that if it weren't his time to win, somebody else deserved it more, Azinger felt Appleby could have been that one.
"If anybody needed to win more than me, it was him," Azinger said.
Well, maybe. Appleby won at Houston last year. Azinger had been waiting his turn a lot longer.
After parring his first seven holes, Azinger birdied the par-4 eighth and wedged to 10 feet for another at the par-4 10th to go to 16 under. The runaway was complete with a birdie at 13, a 20-footer at 17 and a closing birdie after a teary-eyed walk up the 18th fairway.
"I didn't hit it particularly well the first three days. I really survived with my putter. (But) it just came together for me today," Azinger said. The 46-inch putter might be funky-looking, Azinger said, but "If I were to point to a single thing that allowed me to win, it was my putting. I've never made putts like I made this week."
The 19-under 261 shattered by 10 strokes the 72-hole score of 271 by Jeff Sluman, who won last year's Sony Open inaugural.
"I didn't know it was going to be like this, this weekend," Azinger said. Until the last December - especially the 4 years after his recovery from lymphoma - Azinger really didn't think he'd ever win again.
"I saw no hope, I was playing that bad. I hit rock bottom a couple of times. It wasn't until the middle of 1999 when I started to see some hope. My friends have seen it coming for a couple of months."
"We're glad to see him back in the winner's circle again," said Appleby, who earned $313,200 in finishing second at 268. "I can't really complain. I did everything to a high level."
Only thing, 'Zinger took it to a higher level.
Els birdied his first two holes to go to 8-under, but quadruple-bogeyed the par-4 third hole when he pulled his second and fourth shots into the water.
The quadruple cost Els, who finished fourth at 271, a chance to finish runner-up for the second week in a row. He lost in a sudden-death playoff to Tiger Woods in the Mercedes Championships last week.
The biggest number, though, belonged to Gary Nicklaus, who took a 12 at the par-5 ninth hole. He pumped three tee shots OB left into the driving range and pushed his fourth into the right water hazard. He lay 8 after a drop, got on in 10 and two-putted from 40 feet for his dozen.
Appleby knows
By Paul Arnett
the kind of pain
Azinger has
been through
Star-BulletinThe top two finishers in yesterday's $2.9 million Sony Open have gone through more personal tragedy than most on the PGA Tour.
Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer in 1994 and hadn't won since his dramatic victory at the PGA Championship in 1993, a string of 121 tournaments. As the 40-year-old put it, "I had no hope of winning again.''
Second-place finisher Stuart Appleby knows the kind of pain Azinger experienced these past few months. In the summer of 1998, after failing to make the cut at the British Open, Appleby and his wife planned a getaway in Paris.
After arriving at the train station by cab, Appleby's wife remembered she had forgotten a package in the back seat and rushed to get it before the train left for France. She was killed in a freak car accident that left Appleby only a shadow of his former self.
Appleby got a much-needed victory in Houston last year. He is slowly recovering from his tragic loss, but like Azinger, doesn't know if he can ever trust happiness again.
"He has had to go through a lot these past few years,'' said Appleby, who finished seven strokes off the pace, but still pocketed $313,200. "I know what kind of pain that is, but he's been able to rise above it.
"I remember one of the first guys I met on Tour was Paul. He came up to me during the Hope and congratulated me for what I did on the Nike Tour. I've never forgotten that.''
Despite the obstacles Azinger has had to overcome, Appleby didn't get the sense his fellow Tour mates were ready to hand over the trophy to Azinger, no questions asked.
"I guess you could say that after the tournament the guys were pulling for him,'' Appleby said. "I don't think before guys were saying, 'I hope Paul wins this week. I really want him to win.' You don't really want to do that.
"He would love us to do that. We'd all love that. Looking back on the week, you can say he was a very deserving winner who played well and we all would agree out here that we're very happy for him.''
There have been several low moments for Azinger, including the loss of his cousin last April and the death of close friend Payne Stewart in a plane crash this past fall. It was enough to temper the moment of winning the first full-field PGA event of the new millennium.
"It's very satisfying and I'm extremely happy,'' Azinger said of the victory.
"I really don't know how to put it into words after all that has happened the past couple of months or how much joy you can really feel.
"Life has so much heartache and that's the bad thing about life because there really are some sad moments. We're all really blessed when we have healthy days together. It's difficult to feel the same kind of joy I used to feel. But I feel pretty happy.''
Of all the golfers on the course, he feared Appleby the most because Azinger knows what inspiration can produce. But he needn't have worried because Appleby couldn't put it together well enough to pose a threat.
"Every time I took a run at him, he took a run at me,'' Appleby said. "This was pretty much Paul's week.''
Notebook
Huston still likes the feel of Waialae
John Huston never made a serious run at Paul Azinger during yesterday's $2.9 million Sony Open, but the man who changed Waialae Country Club forever two years ago still finished high on the leader board.The Florida resident shot a solid 67 yesterday to end in a tie for third with Jesper Parnevik at 10-under-par. His four-day 270 total left him nine shots off the pace set by popular winner Paul Azinger.
Despite all the design changes that took place after Huston blew through the course at 28-under, setting a PGA Tour record for par-72, the 1998 Hawaiian Open champion predicted the scores would still go low if the tradewinds weren't around.
Last year, Jeff Sluman shot a 9-under 271 on the newly designed par-70 course, a total that would have left him in a tie for fifth with Ernie Els this time around. Huston finished in a tie for 12th last year at 5-under.
"If the wind doesn't blow, the scores are going to be low, it's that simple,'' Huston said.
"This is a course I like to play. I seem to score well here, even when I'm not at my best. I had three rounds in the 60s. It's a good way for me to start the year''
Bengoechea did OK
Local boy Aaron Bengoechea placed second among the six golfers who played in their first PGA Tour event. He finished in a tie for 64th with a 5-over 285 to earn a $6,682 paycheck.Bengoechea went to Kaiser High for two years before moving to Idaho with his family his senior season. He played his collegiate golf at the University of Pacific and was only one of two first-timers to make the cut. The other was Jason Buha. He finished with a 3-over 283 after a 70 yesterday.
Both of those rookies fared better than David Ishii. The 1990 Hawaiian Open champ finished last in the 74-man field with a 292. Ishii shot an 82 in the final round, due in part to bogeying seven consecutive holes. He earned $5,568.
Waikoloa pro Peter Jacobsen had a final round 72 to finish with a pedestrian four-day total of 3-over 283.
Major paydays
Scott Dunlap and Sean Murphy pocketed $97,150 by finishing in a tie for sixth with Tom Lehman. It was good money for two players still searching for their first PGA Tour win. Murphy finished 159th on the Tour last year, earning $188,299. This is his best finish.Like Murphy, Dunlap is still searching for consistency. He did finish in a tie for third last year at the Doral Open en route to placing 78th on the money list with $533,027. Still, this is a major payday for him.
Better conditions
Scores improved dramatically over the third round, thanks to the lack of rain and high wind that blew through the island chain on Saturday. Yesterday's average score was 70.689, slightly below the four-day total of 70.743.There were 26 golfers below par yesterday and 38 who shot 70 or more. Of the 26 rounds in the 60s, Azinger's 65 was the best in the group. He also shot a course-tying 63 to set the pace on Thursday.
Overall, there were 149 rounds of golf under par and 221 over it. There were only two rounds in the 80s, both shot by golfers with Hawaii ties. Ishii had the worst round at 82. Tommy Hines had an 80 on Thursday, but came back to shoot 70 on Friday. He still missed the cut.
No million dollars
Harold Ohama hit the ball closest to the pin and got the opportunity to sink a 50-foot putt for $1 million. Not thinking he would qualify for this fun event, he didn't bring his own putter and had to borrow one from a friend.It didn't help. He missed the putt and wound up taking home a Sony PlayStation.
By Paul Arnett
Generally speaking, this is the second-easiest hole on the course. But don't tell that to Gary Nicklaus, who carded a 12. He hit three shots out of bounds en route to two-putting from 40 feet. Key hole
No. 9 -- Par 5 -- 466 yardsOn the other end of the spectrum, several of the leaders, including Jesper Parnevik, Scott Dunlap and Carlos Franco, eagled it. What a fluctuation from eagle to 7-over.
This year, the championship tee was moved back to its original location, an area that hasn't been used since the late 1970s. The tee shot calls for a 225-yard carry over the first ditch which is certainly no problem with the wind at your back.
Watch out if the wind switches, however. A drive that makes it over the ditch leaves a short-iron second shot. Putting is very tricky on the heavily contoured green. It was meant to make birdies a little more rare, but for the most part, the pros have been able to overcome the changes.
During yesterday's final round, the hole played the 17th toughest. There were five eagles and 27 birdies with only three bogeys. For the week, only the fellow par-5 18th played easier. There were 15 eagles and 178 birdies with only 18 bogeys and four double bogeys.
"It's a little tougher than it was, but still a very good scoring hole," course designer Rick Smith said. "On a par-70, you only have two par-5s, so you need to take advantage of them when they come by."
Every round this week the easiest hole was the closing one at Waialae. Even with a brisk wind blowing across the course, there wasn't much defense for the only par-5 on the back nine. It surrendered a staggering 21 eagles and 686 birdies for the week. There were only seven bogeys, by far the fewest of any hole. Best hole
No. 18 -- Par 5 -- 551yards
Average score 4.189 Eagles 8 Birdies 44 Pars 22 Bogeys 0With the tradewinds whipping through the course, the drive on this hole is particularly difficult. Overall, the hardest hole for the week was the second one. Waialae may be an easier course than some of the newer models across the country, but you must survive this one-two punch to be in contention. Hardest hole
No. 1 -- Par 4 -- 488 yards
Average score 4.284 Eagles 0 Birdies 6 Pars 46 Bogeys 19
The leaders
Scorecards of the leaders:HOLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 FRONT 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 BACK YARDAGE 488 426 423 203 466 459 167 459 510 3,601 353 196 446 478 433 396 417 189 551 3,459 7,060 PAR 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 5 35 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 35 70 Paul Azinger 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 5 34 3 3 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 31 65 Stuart Appleby 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 32 4 3 4 4 6 4 4 3 3 35 67 John Huston 4 3 3 3 5 4 4 4 5 35 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 2 5 32 67 Jesper Parnevik 4 4 4 4 3 7 2 4 3 35 4 3 3 3 5 5 4 3 4 34 69 Ernie Els 3 3 8 3 4 3 3 4 4 35 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 2 4 32 67 Sean Murphy 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 35 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 32 67 Scott Dunlap 5 6 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 36 4 2 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 34 70 Tom Lehman 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 33 5 3 5 3 4 4 4 4 5 37 70
Paul Azinger, $522,000 -- 63-65-68-65--261 The scores
Yesterday's final-round totals
Stuart Appleby, $313,200 -- 66-67-68-67--268
John Huston, $168,200 -- 66-67-70-67--270
Jesper Parnevik, $168,200 -- 70-65-66-69--270
Ernie Els, $116,000 -- 67-68-69-67--271
Sean Murphy, $97,150 -- 68-67-70-67--272
Scott Dunlap, $97,150 -- 68-67-67-70--272
Tom Lehman, $97,150 -- 68-69-65-70--272
Carlos Franco, $72,500 -- 68-68-72-67--275
Shigeki Maruyama, $72,500 -- 67-69-70-69--275
Bob Burns, $72,500 -- 70-69-67-69--275
Jeff Maggert, $72,500 -- 69-67-68-71--275
Jerry Kelly, $72,500 -- 67-67-69-72--275
Jeff Sluman, $49,300 -- 67-67-73-69--276
Larry Mize, $49,300 -- 72-63-72-69--276
Steve Stricker, $49,300 -- 70-68-69-69--276
Esteban Toledo, $49,300 -- 67-69-70-70--276
Jerry Smith, $49,300 -- 68-68-70-70--276
Vijay Singh, $37,700 -- 66-68-75-68--277
Corey Pavin, $37,700 -- 70-70-68-69--277
Joel Edwards, $37,700 -- 67-71-69-70--277
Barry Cheesman, $29,000 -- 70-70-72-66--278
Chris DiMarco, $29,000 -- 68-66-75-69--278
John Cook, $29,000 -- 66-70-71-71--278
Steve Jones, $29,000 -- 68-69-69-72--278
Bob Friend, $20,155 -- 70-68-74-67--279
Jim Carter, $20,155 -- 68-70-74-67--279
Paul Goydos, $20,155 -- 72-67-71-69--279
Notah Begay III, $20,155 -- 70-70-69-70--279
Neal Lancaster, $20,155 -- 68-67-72-72--279
Chris Riley, $20,155 -- 67-68-72-72--279
Jay Williamson, $20,155 -- 69-70-68-72--279
Kaname Yokoo, $20,155 -- 69-69-68-73--279
Duffy Waldorf, $14,964 -- 68-69-74-69--280
Jimmy Green, $14,964 -- 69-70-72-69--280
Greg Kraft, $14,964 -- 69-70-72-69--280
Olin Browne, $14,964 -- 72-66-71-71--280
Mike Reid, $14,964 -- 71-68-70-71--280
Robert Allenby, $10,730 -- 70-68-75-68--281
Brett Quigley, $10,730 -- 68-68-76-69--281
Rick Fehr, $10,730 -- 70-70-71-70--281
Tim Herron, $10,730 -- 69-71-71-70--281
Ted Tryba, $10,730 -- 71-65-74-71--281
Brian Henninger, $10,730 -- 71-67-72-71--281
Mike Sposa, $10,730 -- 71-69-70-71--281
Bart Bryant, $10,730 -- 72-67-71-71--281
Jim Furyk, $10,730 -- 66-67-73-75--281
Craig Barlow, $7,378 -- 71-68-74-69--282
Bob May, $7,378 -- 68-71-73-70--282
Glen Hnatiuk, $7,378 -- 67-70-73-72--282
Fulton Allem, $7,378 -- 70-69-71-72--282
Omar Uresti, $7,378 -- 69-70-70-73--282
Jason Buha, $6,682 -- 69-70-74-70--283
Peter Jacobsen, $6,682 -- 68-71-72-72--283
Pete Jordan, $6,682 -- 71-68-71-73--283
Charles Raulerson, $6,682 -- 71-68-71-73--283
Tom Byrum, $6,682 -- 71-69-70-73--283
J.L. Lewis, $6,351 -- 69-71-76-68--284
Fred Funk, $6,351 -- 66-71-76-71--284
David Peoples, $6,351 -- 70-69-74-71--284
Steve Lowery, $6,351 -- 69-71-72-72--284
Craig Stadler, $6,351 -- 70-68-72-74--284
Jay Don Blake, $6,351 -- 72-68-70-74--284
Aaron Bengoechea, $6,090 -- 70-70-74-71--285
Doug Barron, $6,090 -- 72-68-74-71--285
Stephen Ames, $6,090 -- 69-71-73-72--285
Jeff Gallagher, $5,945 -- 68-72-75-71--286
Frank Lickliter, $5,945 -- 69-71-73-73--286
Mike Springer, $5,858 -- 70-67-76-74--287
Craig A. Spence, $5,771 -- 71-68-76-73--288
Ben Bates, $5,771 -- 66-71-73-78--288
Dick Mast, $5,655 -- 70-70-78-72--290
Gary Nicklaus, $5,655 -- 69-70-72-79--290
David Ishii, $5,568 -- 68-72-71-81--292
