Tiger and Costner attract decidedly un-golf-like
crowd
ANNE M. PETERSON / AP Sports Writer
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Thanks to Tiger Woods, golf is
cool.
That was the consensus among the throngs of teen-agers tailing
Woods and amateur partner Kevin Costner during the Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am.
"Tiger walked right by me!" said 15-year-old Tony
Martin. "How cool is that?"
The 21-year-old Woods has been attracting substantial galleries
since he turned pro last year, but nowhere has his popularity
been more evident than the fan-friendly Pro-Am.
One father raised his young son to his shoulders. "Can
you see him?" he asked as the boy strained to glimpse Woods,
who shot a 72 Friday for a two-round total of 142.
Woods and Costner, playing in a foursome with Steve Stricker
and Bryant Gumbel, teed off before thousands at the Poppy Hills
course Friday after the early morning fog burned off. Three Monterey
County Sheriff's deputies stood watch nearby.
There was polite applause for Stricker and Gumbel, but wild
cheering for Woods and Coster, whose game has improved greatly
since taking lessons for his film "Tin Cup."
Cameras whizzed and clicked, babies cooed and spectators downed
cocktails, contributing to a party-like atmosphere at the greens.
At one point Woods shook his head and stepped back from a putt,
his concentration broken.
For most of the day he lived up to his role as golf's youthful
ambassador, smiling and waving to the young people shouting "Tiger!"
to get his attention.
"I like Tiger, he's a great golfer. He makes the game
exciting," said 16-year-old Patrick Jackson of Morgan Hill,
Calif.
The vocal young fans, many wearing baggy pants and high-top
tennis shoes, are a distinct departure from the stereotypical
middle-aged golf fan in plaid pants and white loafers.
"I think Tiger Woods is good for the game because he shows
golf is for everybody from 4 to 80," said Andrew Wilmot,
19, a student at Abilene Christian in Texas.
Not everyone followed the foursome for Woods. Wendy Minter,
32, couldn't care less about the game of golf or its new superstar.
"Tiger Woods? Who is Tiger Woods?" she jokingly asked.
"I'm here for Kevin."
The too-good-to-be-true pairing of Woods and Costner generated
big crowds for tournament organizers, but headaches for some of
the golfers and serious fans who had to put up with the noise.
Jim Furyk's foursome put in a six-hour round behind Woods and
Costner on Thursday. He got a break on Friday with an earlier
tee time, but was scheduled to be behind the popular group again
on Saturday.
Furyk, who shot 7-under 65 on Friday for a 132 and the lead
after two rounds, insisted he doesn't mind the fans because their
support extends to him.
"It's not like a basketball game where you boo for one
side and cheer for the other," he said.
Not everyone, however, was thrilled by the pairing at the AT&T-sponosred
tournament. One fan tried unsuccessfully to find a good vantage
point before abandoning Woods and Costner for the duo of Nick
Faldo and singer Huey Lewis.
"What a disaster," he said. "I'm going to watch
Faldo."
|
