Leonard not flustered by pairing with Woods
By HARRY ATKINS AP Sports Writer
GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) - A quick smile spread across Justin
Leonard's face as he ran his thumb down the Buick Open pairing
sheet.
The luck of the draw out him in a threesome with Tiger Woods
and Payne Stewart for the first round Thursday.
So much for rank having its privilege. Leonard, who won the
British Open three weeks ago, just happens to be the defending
Buick Open champion.
Tony Lema, the 1964 and 1965 champion, is the only player to
win consecutive Buick Open titles. If he hopes to match Lema's
feat, Leonard will have to deal not only with the rolling 7,105
yards of Warwick Hills Country Club, but a runaway case of Tigermania.
Because of Woods:
- There have been over 450 requests for media credentials,
more than twice as many as usual.
- PGA Tour officials have placed limits on the number of television
cameras on a platform in the interview area of the press tent.
- All reporters and photographers on the course this week have
been asked not to go inside the ropes around the teeing grounds.
Still, the crowds that show up where Woods does are almost
an accepted part of the PGA scene now. Most of the other players
are getting used to it. Some even welcome the excitement.
"I don't think it's problematic," Leonard said. "The
majority of people will be here to see him play. But they have
great crowds here. I'm looking forward to it. He's a nice guy."
Leonard and Woods have never been paired together as professionals.
They played four rounds together in the Western Amateur at Pointe
O'Woods Country Club in Benton Harbor, Mich., but didn't meet
in match play. Leonard won that tournament in 1992 and 1993; Woods
won it in 1994.
"One of those rounds I played with Tiger was one of the
years I won it," Leonard recalled.
His win in the 1996 Buick Open was Leonard's first on the PGA
Tour. Earlier this year, he won the Kemper Open by one stroke
through the generosity of 14-year veteran Mark Wiebe, who missed
a 2-foot putt on the 71st hole and a 3-footer on the 72nd hole.
"My experience at the Kemper let me know that anything
can happen down the stretch," Leonard said. "That helped
me in the British Open."
Getting the slot the week before a major championship can be
a help or a hindrance to a weekly Tour stop. It helped the Kemper
a week before the U.S. Open, and it clearly has helped the Buick
Open to come a week before the PGA championship.
Many of golf's biggest stars are using this tournament as their
final tuneup for next week at Winged Foot. They also wouldn't
mind carving up the $1.5 million purse. As a result, it easily
is one of the strongest fields in the history of the Buick Open,
which was first played in 1958.
Mark Brooks, who will defend his PGA championship next week,
is in the field. So is Ernie Els, the current U.S. Open champion.
Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Jim Furyk, David
Duval, Steve Jones, Steve Elkington, John Daly and New Zealander
Frank Nobilo also are using the Buick Open to get their games
in shape for Winged Foot.
In addition, players like Love and Duval also need strong showings
to lock up Ryder Cup positions.
Still, this is a tournament that frequently eludes the big
names. Leonard is one of only a handful of players to make the
Buick Open their first win. In 1996, Woody Austin earned his first
Tour victory at Warwick Hills. Robert Wren was a first-time winner
in 1987.
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