Frost wins Colonial, ends Woods' quest for
'triple'
By MIKE COCHRAN Associated Press Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - It was sudden, unexpected and a bit
ugly, but Tiger Woods demonstrated Sunday that even superstars
are not immune to the cruelties of golf.
The 21-year-old phenom struggled over the final 10 holes and
allowed David Frost to overcome a three-shot deficit and escape
with an unlikely victory in the MasterCard Colonial.
Frost quickly dedicated the championship to Ben Hogan, a five-time
Colonial winner who gave the historic old Colonial course its
nickname: "Hogan's Alley."
"Ben Hogan really has been a big inspiration to my game
since I came to America," explained Frost, a native South
African who makes his home in nearby Dallas.
"It was nice to win at home."
Frost, collecting his 10th PGA Tour victory, closed with a
3-under-par 67 and a winning total of 265, 15 under par, putting
a decisive end to Woods' bid for a rare PGA "triple."
After victories at the Masters last month and the Byron Nelson
Classic last week, Woods saw his quest for a third consecutive
triumph almost disappear in a watery grave on No. 9 and brutally
die with a double-bogey at 17.
"I didn't play well all day," Woods said after stumbling
in with a 2-over 72 that left him at 268, three shots off the
lead and tied for fourth with Paul Goydos (71). "I was hitting
a lot of long iron shots over the green, and then I finally hit
one short on 9 where there was water."
An early head-to-head duel between Woods and David Ogrin, who
led the field by one stroke after three rounds, overshadowed Frost's
steady climb up the leader board.
But Frost birdied Nos. 6 and 7 with 3-footers to go 15-under
and was suddenly a serious contender. He missed a 3-footer and
bogeyed No. 11 but drilled a 25-footer for birdie at 17 and was
in the clubhouse when Woods and Ogrin collapsed.
"I putted like a pig on the back nine," said Ogrin,
who shot himself in the foot with three bogeys and a 38 on the
incoming nine.
Like Woods, he finished with a 72 and tied for second with
Brad Faxon at 13 under, two back. Faxon shot a closing 68, but
did so with birdies at three of the four final holes and was never
in contention.
Ogrin said the huge, noisy Woods gallery didn't faze him.
"Playing with Tiger was a thrill," he said. "Playing
in the eye of the hurricane was just fine. It's like being in
surround sound at the movies, so it's not a distraction for me,
but maybe for some of the players around us."
Woods' stunning breakdown ended an incredible run of golf that
began after a 40 on the front side of his opening round at Augusta.
He played the next 63 holes in 22 under par and won the Masters
by a record 12 strokes.
He was 17-under in winning the Nelson by two shots. He had
10 straight rounds in the 60s, including 67, 65 and 64 here before
Sunday's collapse.
With birdies at Nos. 1 and 8, Woods was coasting along at 16-under
and tied with Ogrin and two ahead of Frost. But he dumped his
approach shot in the lake guarding the green and 9 took a double-bogey
6.
He then overshot the 10th, pitched long and missed his par
putt, surrendering three shots to par on just two holes.
Still, he birdied the par-5 11th to regain a share of the lead
with Ogrin and Frost at 14-under.
But when Frost reached the clubhouse at 15 under, Woods knew
he needed a birdie on one of the three final holes to force a
playoff. He just missed at 16, leaving the ball on the lip. Then
the unbelievable occurred. He sailed his approach at No. 17 far
over the green, chipped back into a trap, blasted out long and
missed the putt.
"I caught a flyer from the rough and then tried a little
bump and run shot, but I hit it too hard," he said.
"I don't feel sorry for him," Frost said. "I
just went out there and played my game. I didn't try to beat Ogrin
or Tiger. It's such a challenge to meet your own challenges."
Frost's biggest previous triumph was the 1989 NEC World Series
of Golf, where he defeated Ben Crenshaw in a playoff.
The victory at the Colonial was worth $288,000, hiking his
earnings to $325,582 this year.
"If my career ended tomorrow, it's been more than I could
have hoped for," he said.
|
