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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Without Wie, the
show must go onAFTER two days of singing "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," the tune at the Sony Open in Hawaii has changed. To thank goodness for Ernie Els.
This tournament needed that yesterday, needed Els a stroke off the lead and ready to pounce. Needed something.
Frank Lickliter? I wouldn't know him from Art Linkletter.
Harrison Frazar?
I've heard of Herman Frazier.
Thank goodness for Els and Davis Love III.
It's tough, really. How could they top that? How can you follow that kind of opening act? How could the Sony Open go on without Michelle mania?
It was like the day after the circus left town.
It felt deflated yesterday. The thrill was gone. It was a Saturday, so more people could have come, should have come. But it seemed empty. After playing hooky for two days, maybe people needed to take a day off from taking a day off.
Everyone forgot we've got a PGA Tour golf tournament here.
"It seemed boring out there today," said Love, who shot a 7-under 63 to put himself within striking distance of the lead.
"Just that buzz," he would say later, describing what was no longer with us. "That buzz like when Tiger is in the field. There's more people in that one area of the golf course and everyone is running to get ahead and it's exciting.
"But I couldn't tell, though," he said.
I could.
It was different, yesterday. It was flat. Els, though prefacing the thought with the statement that PGA Tour pros don't normally notice such things, said it best: "Obviously," he said, "the tension was different (Friday), especially."
You couldn't blame us. We were drained. We were dazed. Two days ago we had a whirlwind, the biggest story in sports. Now it's just a golf tournament.
Thank goodness for Els.
Now it's a golf tournament.
They were going for it yesterday. Love hit a brilliant bunker shot that hit the pin and dropped into an eagle on 9. On 18, Vijay Singh pulled a "Tin Cup," teeing off in the wrong direction, over Concession Stand Alley, over Lua Lane, and onto the 10th fairway, a curious gallery following in his wake. From there he lofted the ball back over everyone and everything in between, back toward its original destination. On the fringe in 2. Eagle. Cooool.
OK, so we've had our day off, our mulligan. It was inevitable. But now it's championship Sunday and Els, the charismatic defending champion, is a stroke off the lead of Herman -- uh, Harrison -- Frazar. And Love is just one more back, with Lickliter, and then the pack. And this course is hapless, helpless, at the mercy of them all.
"I'm leading the golf tournament, but I still don't feel like I'm real sharp," Frazar said.
"Those guys are going to be coming after us," he said.
Can you feel it? I think the buzz is back. We've got a golf tournament and a Sunday afternoon and Ernie Els in the last group.
"I've got a chance and I've got to go and try to take my chance when I get it," the champ said.
True, he's not 14. But you can't have everything.
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Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com