Sunday, May 16, 1999
Roberts steals the thunder from Woods in Nelson
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) - The exciting golf came from Tiger Woods,
who took a quadruple-bogey 7 and plummeted out of contention.
The boring golf came from Loren Roberts, who had an 8-under 62
and soared into the lead in the Byron Nelson Classic.
"I'm obviously very happy to be where I am," Roberts
said Saturday.
Woods hit a 380-yard drive, belted a driver off the fairway
to set up another birdie and then had a stunning collapse on the
par-3 17th.
Roberts hit every fairway, all but the last green and made
a bunch of 15-foot putts to tie the lowest round of his career
and put him at 16-under 194, breaking by one stroke the 54-hole
tournament record held by Woods and Ernie Els.
"The round of the year at this point," said Roberts,
who matched his career low with a bogey-free effort in wind so
strong that he had to alter his putting stance.
Two strokes back was Steve Pate, who parred the final six holes
for a 68.
The composure came from Sergio Garcia, a 19-year-old from Spain
who held together after a shaky start and still has a chance to
win in just his second professional start.
Woods could have used a little of that.
Tied for the lead at 14-under after making a 40-foot birdie
on No. 10, he came unglued down the stretch - a bogey with a bad
drive, a bogey with a poor approach, and another bogey when his
chip with a 3-wood came up 10 feet short.
That was nothing compared to the 17th.
He hit a 6-iron into the water, and his third shot ricocheted
high off the rocks and short of the green. Then Woods, who on
Friday said he prided himself on never giving up on a round, seemed
to do just that.
He blew a chip over the green and the next one 20 feet by the
hole. On his putt for triple bogey, Woods started walking toward
the hole when it was halfway there, then one-handed it in for
a 7.
"We've all made quads," Pate said. "It's no
fun."
Woods bolted off the TPC Four Seasons at Las Colinas without
speaking, not surprising since the 7 may have doomed his chances
on Sunday.
"Tiger has the capability to shoot 60," Roberts said.
"Even if he's five back, you're not going to count him out."
Of course, Woods was only four back when Roberts finished his
round. When told that Woods was eight off the lead, Roberts had
to re-think his assessment.
"That's pretty far back," he said.
The bigger concern behind Pate may be Garcia and Janzen, six
strokes back at 200.
"He shot a 62 in the first round, didn't he?" Roberts
said when asked if "El Nino" had a realistic chance.
Garcia may be only 19, but the Spanish sensation played well
beyond his years in his first professional start in America.
"He's been hanging around world-class players all his
life," Roberts said. "He's not intimidated by anyone.
He doesn't have any fear. He's got a great imagination and he
goes out and plays."
Roberts needed no imagination Saturday.
Leave the spectacular birdies to someone else - Woods nearly
drove the 385-yard first hole and watched his bunker shot for
eagle lip out, while Garcia hit it stiff on the 12th to get back
in the game.
Roberts is one of the shortest knockers in golf, but also one
of the straightest. And his putting? They call him "Boss
of the Moss" for a reason.
He rolled in a 40-footer on No. 5 for birdie and "the
floodgates opened after that." Roberts made 15-footers on
the next three holes, got another one on No. 11 and took the lead
outright with a 7-iron that stopped two feet from the hole on
the 14th.
He closed his 62 with an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th.
Roberts got there with a driver, 3-wood and 7-iron - Woods and
Garcia were left of the green in two.
This is supposed to be a long-hitter's game now. The tees kept
getting moved back and the rock-hard greens can be best approached
with a short iron. Roberts tried to add length to his game and
messed up his swing, which ultimately affected his putting.
"I tried to go back to what I do best, which is hit it
solid," he said.
That's not the most glamorous game to watch, but it got the
best results Saturday.
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