Friday, October 18,
2002
A blast
from the past for Sluman
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
LAKE BUENA VISTA,
Fla. (AP) - Jeff Sluman had a bogey-free 63 on Thursday for a
three-way share of the lead at the Disney World Golf Classic,
another reminder of how far he has come since he first played
a tournament next to the Magic Kingdom.
Twenty years ago,
Sluman won at Disney on the now-defunct Space Coast Tour. The
purse was $100,000, not the $3.7 million it is now.
Tiger Woods was in
the first grade.
Still, the Space
Coast Tour proved to be a launching pad for Sluman, who went on
to earn his PGA Tour card later that year and embark on a career
that has included a PGA Championship among his six victories,
and earnings over $12.7 million.
"There was a
lot of pressure in that it helped me get over the hurdles,"
Sluman said. "All those experiences, even on mini-tours,
certainly help later on in your life."
Everyone was helped
by perfect conditions in the opening round at Disney.
Hidemichi Tanaka
of Japan, at 5-foot-5 barely tall enough to ride Space Mountain,
made 10 birdies on the Palm course for a 9-under 63. He and Sluman
were joined by Bob Burns, who is 118th on the money list and needs
a good week to secure his card.
Scott Hoch was among
those at 64, while Stuart Appleby continued his strong play from
Las Vegas and had a 65.
Woods, playing for
the first time since the Ryder Cup, was in a large group at 66.
"I'll take it,"
said Woods, who didn't hit the ball particularly well but made
enough putts to post his 18th consecutive round at par or better.
Sluman did just about
everything right. He made seven of his birdies from inside 6 feet
and got away with his only big mistake by making a 35-footer on
No. 10 at the Palm course.
Sluman is no giant
himself at only 5-foot 7, but he dwarfs Tanaka. The 31-year-old
Japanese player, who first got attention by taking the 54-hole
lead at Valderrama two years ago in the World Golf Championship,
is proud of his 27-inch waist and his size 8 1/2 shoes.
"I would like
to win for the little guys," said Tanaka, who has a big smile
to go with his tiny physique. "My feeling is if I can win,
anyone can win."
Just about everyone
has this season, which already has produced a record 15 players
who won for the first time on tour.
The opening round
at Disney was a continuation of a couple of trends: Burns managed
to avoid the high numbers that doomed him last week in Las Vegas.
He made 19 birdies last week but missed the cut.
"Make a bunch
of birdies, don't make bogeys. That's the scoop," said Burns,
who came close to his first victory earlier this year at the Kemper
Open.
Sluman represents
the other trend: guys in their 40s who have proven they can still
compete on a tour where the focus is on the youngsters. He has
won at Milwaukee, and his runner-up finish in Las Vegas pushed
him over $2 million for the first time in his 17 seasons. Others
in the 40-something crowd who have won this year are Nick Price,
Loren Roberts, Dan Forsman and Gene Sauers.
"Golf is getting
to be a game when you can play well into your 40s," Sluman
said
Woods showed a few
signs of rust, but they certainly didn't come out on his card.
It was his ninth consecutive round in the 60s at Disney, a score
that could have been better if not for a bogey on his final hole
at the Palm course, and a treasure hunt through the shrubs.
Because the grass
was sparse on the 17th tee, tour officials moved the tees up 25
yards on the 397-yard hole.
"Why are we
playing the ladies' tees?" Woods joked.
The rest of the hole
didn't produce too many giggles.
Trying to cut off
the dogleg, Woods hit his ball so far right that he played a provisional
in case he couldn't find it. He had no idea that David Duval,
playing in the group ahead, also went right and was still waiting
on a rule when Woods' ball sailed by.
"It wasn't even
close" to hitting him, Woods said. "That's how far right
I hit it."
Woods wandered through
the bushes before he found his ball under a large shrub. He took
a penalty stroke and hit a wedge over the palm trees, over the
gallery surrounding the green and to about 12 feet. He missed
the putt for what would have been a great par.
"There are days
where you kind of slap around and get it in the hole somehow,"
Woods said. "Other parts of the game are going to be better
than others."
Divots:@ David Toms
didn't get off to a great start. Walking to the first tee, he
slipped on a wet section of the walkway. He tore some flesh out
of his hand while trying to break his fall, and wound up with
a nasty scrape on his lower right leg. Toms wound up with a 69.
... Duval recovered from a triple bogey on his opening hole for
a 69. ... Fred Couples, making a rare appearance at Disney, hit
only five balls on the range before he felt his back stiffen.
He thought about withdrawing, but instead posted a casual 68.
... Hal Sutton, playing his final tournament of the year, matched
his best score of the year with a 5-under 67.
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