| AP Sports Headlines |
Saturday, July 20, 2002
By Jeff Shain
Knight Ridder Newspapers
GULLANE, Scotland – One by one, the late-evening parade of British Open leaders rolled through Friday to discuss their rounds – Ernie Els, Shigeki Maruyama, Padraig Harrington, Duffy Waldorf, Bob Tway.
What, no Young Tom Morris? Or Harry Vardon?
More important, no Tiger Woods. Not yet, anyway.
Golf's No. 1 player remains a lurker in his pursuit of the Grand Slam's third leg. On a wet, windless day in which Els and Colin Montgomerie opened eyes with birdie binges, Woods hung back with a respectable 3-under-par 68 that left him two shots off the lead.
``Any time you're near the lead at a major championship, you must be happy,'' said Woods, seeking to add the Open's claret jug to the Masters and U.S. Open trophies that already have returned to his coffee table.
Els scorched Muirfield's front nine in 7-under-par 29 on the way to a 5-under 66, a score matched by Tway as dusk began to settle over the Firth of Forth. They completed two rounds in 6-under 136, joined by Harrington (67), Maruyama (68) and first-round co-leader Waldorf (69).
Carl Pettersson, who also held a share of the first-day lead, was among three players at 137. Woods was another shot back in a group of eight. In all, 25 players begin Saturday's play within three strokes of the lead.
``I said on Tuesday there will be a dozen guys having a chance to win coming down the back nine on Sunday,'' said Harrington, who owns top 10 finishes at the Masters and U.S. Open.
Despite his historic chase, Woods' progress was kept something of a secret to fellow competitors and those fans not joining the Tiger Brigade traipsing around Muirfield Golf Links.
The massive scoreboards that flank the 18th fairway have room for only 12 names, and there were more than enough others to fill those spots until after Woods finished his round.
More than once, one of the leaders had to ask where Woods stood before answering the inevitable question about being chased. Spectators, too, queried marshals about his position.
There was enough other action Friday to divide fans' attention. Els' front nine of 29 was one shot off the Open record, before cooling to a 66. Montgomerie's 64 established a new course standard.
With little wind to disrupt ball flight and morning rain making greens receptive, conditions were ripe for low scores. Friday produced 39 rounds in the 60s, nearly twice the previous day's total (22).
``Watching the guys play in the morning on television, I saw that the ball was stopping on the greens,'' Els said. ``I saw some good lines on the greens when the guys were putting.''
Els birdied his first three holes Friday, none from more than 15 feet. By the time he two-putted for birdie at the par-5 ninth hole, he had seven in all and was 8 under for the tournament.
``You feel if you can keep that going, you could shoot a 54,'' said Els, who held off Woods to win the PGA Tour's Doral stop in March. ``That in itself is a scary thought.''
The South African's 29 was the lowest nine holes ever recorded at Muirfield and one shy of the Open record. Dennis Durnian set the standard in 1983 by touring Royal Birkdale's front nine in 28.
Els might have gained control of the tournament if only he could hold his ground. But after a par at No. 10, things began to get a little loose. He flew the green on the way to a bogey at No. 11, then couldn't save par from a pot bunker at the par-3 13th.
``At the end of the day you put a number down, and it was 66,'' Els said. ``I don't think it makes a difference.''
Montgomerie got the fireworks started in the morning with his 64, leaving him in the group with Woods at 4-under 138.
Though Japan's Isao Aoki shot a 63 in the third round of the 1980 Open, Montgomerie was credited with a course record because recent changes to two par-3s added 65 yards to the length.
Woods, meanwhile, continued to express satisfaction with his ball-striking but frustration with putts that grazed the edge of the cup or lipped out.
``It's frustrating when you hit good putts and they're just not going in,'' he said. ``I tried to tell myself again and again to just stay committed to your putts. The stroke is good, and they're just not dropping.''
Woods put himself in good position for a late charge with birdie opportunities from less than eight feet at Nos. 15 and 16. Both lipped out.
As luck would have it, he then birdied the par-5 17th after his third shot jumped past the hole and stopped on the fringe. The 17-footer curled into the heart of the cup.
``I told myself that if I can't make one on the green, I'll make one from off the green,'' he said. ``Lo and behold, that's what happened.''
If Woods needs any extra comfort zone, he might have drawn some with Saturday's third-round pairings. He's matched with Isleworth neighbor and weekly practice partner Mark O'Meara, the 1998 Open champion.
A total of 83 players survived the cut of 2-over 144, though world No. 2 Phil Mickelson barely hung on. He opened with a double bogey and ballooned to a 76, making the weekend on the number.
Fort Lauderdale's Dudley Hart took an early flight home, struggling to a second-round 77 that left him at 9 over. His round included a triple bogey and a double bogey.
``It seemed like every time I made a mistake, it was a big mistake,'' he said.
Tom Lehman, the 1996 Open champion, and two-time major winners Vijay Singh and Jose Maria Olazabal also missed the cut.
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© 2002, The Miami Herald.
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