Saturday, January 12, 2002
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Cook not ready Golf is the sport where middle-age was the same as real-life middle-age, where it didn't always end at 40 -- or earlier. Graying temples and budding paunches weren't necessarily a sign of decline.
to fade just yet
The 44-year-old says the kids -- his
own and the Tour's -- keep him focusedNotebook
Facts & FiguresBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comBut Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia are leading a wave of young stars changing all that. Age is more than a number when a high school student can get a Tour card.
So, at 44, John Cook is nearing the twilight of a consistent career in which he made the cut in 419 of 586 PGA Tour events -- and won 11 of them -- between 1978 and 2001.
That's not what the Sony Open leaderboard says, though.
Judging from his performance the past two days, Cook's best golf might still be ahead of him.
Yesterday's 8-under 62 put him at 12-under 128 for a three-stroke lead going into today's third round. The 1992 Hawaiian Open champion matched his career-low round. If not for short birdie misses on the last two holes, Cook's day would have been surreal rather than simply superlative.
Afterward, Cook gave some of the credit to the kids. His own, and the 26-year-old Woods. They are his inspiration.
"I have to keep sharp because my (son Jason) is going to start beating me and I don't need that," Cook said. "He just turned 16 (on Thursday) so he makes me stay sharp. He hits his irons farther than I hit mine. It's fun because he and his buddies are good players."
Cook and Woods play together often now that they are neighbors in central Florida, and both are members of the ultra-prestigious Islesworth Country Club.
"When Tiger is in town we play," Cook said. "We probably play 15 to 20 times a year. It's usually Mark (O'Meara) and I and Tiger and somebody else.
"(Woods') work ethic is incredible," he said. "When the No. 1 in the world is at your club and he's hitting three bags of 9-irons trying to flight his ball, he is doing it for a reason. He is trying to beat us up. It makes you want to work harder because you know he is."
Ten years ago when Cook won this tournament, it had a different name and a different course layout. It's more challenging now, he said.
"It has undergone some changes," he said. "It's got a lot of rough and the greens have some speed to them and if you get on the wrong side downwind and downgrade you have to be careful."
Cook is all about careful -- that's how he has made such a high percentage of cuts.
But his putt for birdie on No. 8 was just short. The missed putts to close the round were rare for Cook yesterday. He made six birdie putts between 8 and 12 feet. The best shot of his round was a 50-footer from the right bunker on No. 18 for an eagle.
Cook's resurgence began last year, when he won the Reno-Tahoe Open for his first victory since 1998. He said that his family having settled in after moving to Florida from California let him have more time to concentrate on golf.
"Things at home are great. My daughters (Kristin and Courtney) are older and I really don't have much to do but to practice and work on my game. Just playing at home keeps you sharp with the membership we have. You better be playing good or you are going to get your rear end handed to you.
"I'm excited about this year and next year. I feel like from now on I have nothing to do but to try and get better."
NOTEBOOK
Funk fights through pain to continue playing
If you see Fred Funk fooling around with his left hand on the course, it's not some nervous tick.Instead, the 20-year PGA Tour veteran is battling through a lypoma underneath his left arm that's affecting his grip along his index finger and thumb.
"It's really been bothering me," said Funk, who fought through the pain well enough to shoot a 5-under 65 and move into a tie for third at the $4 million Sony Open. "It's a little fatty thing sitting right on the main nerve of the left arm, and it's running down and affecting my hand.
"I was going to operate, but no one could give me a definitive anything or how long a rehab would take. They said anywhere from two months to a year off to career-ending. I said 'To hell with it.' But as long as I can swing at all, I'm going to try to keep playing. The first swings in the morning on the range are pretty unbearable."
Funk, who has done well here in the past, shook it off well enough to birdie the final three holes yesterday and move into contention. He trails second-round leader John Cook by five shots and will be among the final groups teeing off in the early afternoon.
"I've got a jar of mayonnaise sitting in there," Funk said, then smiled. "Actually, it has gotten better. It was really bad during the summer last year and early fall. I just kind of played my way through it. It hasn't gotten worse, but it's something I'm going to have to deal with."
Local connection: Former Hawaiian Open champion David Ishii will play this weekend, thanks to another steady 70 round for a two-day total of 140. So will Dean Wilson. In the last group of the day, the Kaneohe resident shot a blistering 4-under 66 yesterday for a two-day total of 140. Unfortunately, they were the only local golfers to make the cut.
Keoke Cotner had the best 18 holes of the half-dozen players with local ties. He fired a solid 2-under 68 for a 3-over 143. Big Island resident Kevin Hayashi had something of a disappointing weekend. He followed up a first-round 74 with a 75 yesterday and will spend the weekend as a spectator.
"It was a great experience," Hayashi said. "A lot of fun to play with these guys. I'm pretty much going to spend this year playing in local events. I can take a lot from this."
Kauai's Jonathan Ota continued his amateur experience with a 79 and a two-day total of 154. Rounding out the local boys were Tommy Hines (149) and Ken Tanigawa (149).
Withdrew: Despite shooting an opening-round 68, Mark O'Meara withdrew from the tournament with a stomach virus. He was scheduled to go off at around noon, but just couldn't shake the virus in time.
Garrett Willis also withdrew. And while he didn't give a reason, it's likely because he opened play on Thursday with an 80. Willis also struggled at the Mercedes Championships last week where he finished last but still pocketed $51,000.
Pays for bogeys: Nevada-Las Vegas' Chris Riley hasn't had a bogey the first two days, which is a good thing. Because every time he cards one, his caddy has to pay him $25.
"He knows if I don't make a bogey, he'll do all right at the end of the week," Riley said. "He'll definitely be getting it back."
Facts & Figures
What you need to know from yesterday's
first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii:
Hardest hole
No. 2, 'O'ole'a "Unyielding" Par 4, 426 yardsLefty Russ Cochran took a triple bogey on this hole. Had he parred it, he would have made the cut.
>> Stroke average: 4.382
>> Birdies: 8 >> Pars: 85
>> Bogeys: 39
>> Double bogeys or worse: 12
Easiest hole
No. 18, Kilou Loa "A long hook" Par 5, 551 yardsPaul Gow had the only bogey on the 18th. He missed the cut at 144.
>> Stroke average: 4.375
>> Eagles: 8
>> Birdies: 75 >> Pars: 60
>> Bogeys: 1Scoreboard
At Waialae Country Club
Purse: $4 million
Yardage: 7,060; Par 70After two rounds
John Cook 66-62 -- 128 Jerry Kelly 66-65 -- 131 Chris Riley 65-67 -- 132 Brad Elder 68-64 -- 132 K.J. Choi 68-65 -- 133 Fred Funk 68-65 -- 133 Cameron Beckman 67-67 -- 134 Stephen Ames 67-67 -- 134 John Huston 68-66 -- 134 Charles Howell III 72-62 -- 134 Scott Hoch 68-66 -- 134 Kenny Perry 65-70 -- 135 Brad Faxon 68-67 -- 135 Robert Allenby 69-66 -- 135 Corey Pavin 69-66 -- 135 Len Mattiace 68-67 -- 135 Michael Allen 70-65 -- 135 Jeff Sluman 69-66 -- 135 Jim Furyk 69-66 -- 135 David Toms 68-67 -- 135 Jonathan Byrd 67-68 -- 135 Pat Perez 68-67 -- 135 Jay Don Blake 69-67 -- 136 Shigeki Maruyama 70-66 -- 136 Tom Lehman 70-66 -- 136 Jay Haas 68-68 -- 136 Luke Donald 69-67 -- 136 Chad Campbell 71-65 -- 136 Joel Edwards 70-66 -- 136 Frank Lickliter II 68-68 -- 136 Chris Smith 69-67 -- 136 Greg Kraft 70-67 -- 137 Sergio Garcia 71-66 -- 137 Scott Dunlap 71-66 -- 137 Brian Gay 68-69 -- 137 Matt Kuchar 68-69 -- 137 David Gossett 69-68 -- 137 Jesper Parnevik 66-71 -- 137 Joe Durant 68-69 -- 137 Rich Beem 68-69 -- 137 Lee Porter 71-66 -- 137 Bob Heintz 70-67 -- 137 David Sutherland 70-68 -- 138 Richard Zokol 71-67 -- 138 Tommy Armour III 68-70 -- 138 Bob Burns 69-69 -- 138 Peter Lonard 70-68 -- 138 Mike Sposa 71-67 -- 138 Jim Carter 69-69 -- 138 Steve Elkington 69-69 -- 138 Briny Baird 72-66 -- 138 Ian Leggatt 71-67 -- 138 Stuart Appleby 70-69 -- 139 John Rollins 69-70 -- 139 Phil Tataurangi 67-72 -- 139 Tim Herron 71-68 -- 139 Tom Scherrer 70-69 -- 139 Loren Roberts 71-68 -- 139 Hidemichi Tanaka 70-69 -- 139 Gary Nicklaus 69-70 -- 139 Bob May 70-70 -- 140 David Peoples 72-68 -- 140 Fred Couples 70-70 -- 140 Dudley Hart 72-68 -- 140 Brent Geiberger 70-70 -- 140 David Ishii 70-70 -- 140 Jess Daley 72-68 -- 140 Brent Schwarzrock 72-68 -- 140 John Riegger 70-70 -- 140 Esteban Toledo 68-72 -- 140 Andrew Magee 68-72 -- 140 Hiroyuki Fujita 70-70 -- 140 Dean Wilson 74-66 -- 140 Failed to qualify Pete Jordan 72-69 -- 141 Per-Ulrik Johansson 73-68 -- 141 Shaun Micheel 70-71 -- 141 Ben Crane 72-69 -- 141 Matt Peterson 76-65 -- 141 Mike Hulbert 72-69 -- 141 Scott Simpson 72-69 -- 141 Greg Chalmers 73-68 -- 141 Pat Bates 70-71 -- 141 Jeff Maggert 73-68 -- 141 Brett Wetterich 73-68 -- 141 Michael Long 75-66 -- 141 Stephen Gangluff 76-65 -- 141 David Berganio, Jr. 72-70 -- 142 Rory Sabbatini 71-71 -- 142 Davis Love III 75-67 -- 142 Geoff Ogilvy 75-67 -- 142 David Morland IV 73-69 -- 142 Kent Jones 74-68 -- 142 Keiichiro Fukabori 75-67 -- 142 Tim Petrovic 71-71 -- 142 Jerry Smith 74-69 -- 143 Russ Cochran 71-72 -- 143 Blaine McCallister 73-70 -- 143 Olin Browne 73-70 -- 143 Brian Henninger 72-71 -- 143 David Frost 77-66 -- 143 Boo Weekley 76-67 -- 143 Keoke Cotner 75-68 -- 143 Shinichi Yokota 74-69 -- 143 Carlos Franco 71-72 -- 143 Michael Clark II 75-68 -- 143 Steve Stricker 75-68 -- 143 Kaname Yokoo 72-72 -- 144 Duffy Waldorf 74-70 -- 144 Paul Claxton 74-70 -- 144 Brian Watts 73-71 -- 144 Billy Andrade 72-72 -- 144 Jay Williamson 73-71 -- 144 Paul Gow 72-72 -- 144 Danny Ellis 75-69 -- 144 Heath Slocum 75-69 -- 144 Brian Bateman 70-74 -- 144 Edward Fryatt 75-70 -- 145 Tomohiro Kondo 74-71 -- 145 Deane Pappas 69-76 -- 145 Katsumasa Miyamoto 71-74 -- 145 Brad Lardon 72-73 -- 146 Chris DiMarco 73-73 -- 146 Jeff Gove 73-73 -- 146 J.J. Henry 75-71 -- 146 Rod Pampling 75-71 -- 146 Bo Van Pelt 70-76 -- 146 Steve Allan 74-72 -- 146 Robin Freeman 76-71 -- 147 John Senden 74-73 -- 147 Robert Damron 75-73 -- 148 Steve Jones 74-74 -- 148 Michael Muehr 77-71 -- 148 Kevin Hayashi 74-75 -- 149 Chris Perry 77-72 -- 149 Thomas Hines 74-75 -- 149 Jason Hill 74-75 -- 149 Ken Tanigawa 72-77 -- 149 Eduardo Herrera 76-74 -- 150 Dicky Pride 76-75 -- 151 Brenden Pappas 75-76 -- 151 Kenneth Staton 77-74 -- 151 Jonathan Ota 75-79 -- 154 Today's tee times
8:27 a.m.: Dean Wilson
8:35 a.m.: Andrew Magee, Hiroyuki Fujita
8:43 a.m.: John Riegger, Esteban Toledo
8:51 a.m.: Jess Daley, Brent Schwarzrock
8:59 a.m.: Brent Gelberger, David Ishii
7:07 a.m.: Fred Couples, Dudley Hart
9:15 a.m.: Bob May, David Peoples
9:23 a.m.: Hidemichi Tanaka, Gary Nicklaus
9:31 a.m.: Tom Scherrer, Loren Roberts
9:39 a.m.: Phil Tataurangi, Tim Herron
9:47 a.m.: Stuart Appleby, John Rollins
9:55 a.m.: Briny Baird, Ian Leggatt
10:03 a.m.: Jim Carter, Steve Elkington
10:11 a.m.: Peter Lonard, Mike Sposa
10:19 a.m.: Tommy Armour III, Bob Burns
10:27 a.m.: David Sutherland, Richard Zokol
10:35 a.m.: Lee Porter, Bob Heintz
10:43 a.m.: Joe Durant, Rich Beem
10:51 a.m.: David Gossett, Jesper Parnevic
10:59 a.m.: Brian Gay, Matt Kuchar
11:07 a.m.: Sergio Garcia, Scott Dunlap
11:15 a.m.: Chris Smith, Greg Kraft
11:24 a.m.: Joel Edwards, Frank Lickliter II
11:33 a.m.: Luke Donald, Chad Campbell
11:42 a.m.: Tom Lehman, Jay Haas
11:51 a.m.: Jay Don Blake, Shigeld Maruyama
12:00 p.m.: Jonathan Byrd, Pat Perez
12:09 p.m.: Jim Furyk, David Toms
12:18 p.m.: Michael Allen, Jeff Sluman
12:27 p.m.: Corey Pavin, Len Mattiace
12:36 p.m.: Brad Faxon, Robert Allenby
12:45 p.m.: Scott Hoch, Kenny Perry
12:54 p.m.: John Huston, Charles Howell III
1:03 p.m.: Cameron Beckman, Stephen Ames
1:12 p.m.: K.J. Choi, Fred Funk
1:21 p.m.: Chris Riley, Bred Elder
1:30 p.m.: John Cook, Jerry Kelly