Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Tiger is roaring into Open
GARY D'AMATO
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Jack Nicklaus, who knows a thing or
two about Pebble Beach and the U.S. Open, believes scores could
be low in the 100th playing of the national championship. Well,
at least one score.
“I guess we'll have to find out how well Tiger plays,”
Nicklaus said. “He's just torn Pebble Beach apart the last
couple times they've played tournaments there. He's just shot
some unbelievably low scores.”
Nicklaus' recollection is only half right. Tiger Woods fired a
final-round 64 to overcome a seven-stroke deficit and win the
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February. It was Woods'
sixth consecutive PGA Tour victory, and the sensational comeback
probably clouded Nicklaus' memory. Woods tied for 53rd in the
1999 AT&T and withdrew in 1998. He did tie for second in his
first appearance at Pebble Beach in 1997, shooting 63-64 on the
weekend.
Whatever. Nicklaus' point is well taken. Woods, who already has
won four tournaments and more than $4.1 million this year, is
the betting favorite to win the 100th U.S. Open, which gets under
way Thursday at the spectacular seaside links on California's
scenic Monterrey Peninsula.
“If the conditions are dry and windy, then it's a matter
of patience,” said Nicklaus, who counts the 1972 U.S. Open
at Pebble Beach among his 18 major professional titles. “But
if they're throwing darts (to soft greens), then Tiger will shoot
a tremendously low score, no matter what the conditions are.
“And he'll probably break the Open (scoring) record.”
The 72-hole scoring record is 272, set by Nicklaus in 1980 and
tied by Lee Janzen in 1993. The last time the Open was held at
Pebble Beach, in 1992, Tom Kite survived howling winds and rock-hard
greens on the final day to emerge victorious with a 285 total.
But starting Thursday, all eyes will be on Woods, who is coming
off a victory in his last start, the Memorial, and has finished
in the top five in nine of his 10 starts this year. Of course,
Woods is not invincible. Hal Sutton and Darren Clarke have beaten
him in head-to-head showdowns this year, and Vijay Singh won the
Masters.
But as Nicklaus bluntly pointed out, most of the players who have
the talent to challenge Woods and win majors have come up short
time and again.
“I think the biggest problem is the kids who are really challenging
him haven't won that much,” Nicklaus said. “None of
them have won majors. There hasn't been anybody that's done any
major winning.
“(Nick) Faldo was the last one, and Nick has sort of tapered
off. Since that time, there's an odd win here or there by somebody.
Even (Greg) Norman and (Nick) Price have tapered off. So who's
challenging him?
“Now, there are some guys who are very, very good players.
David Duval, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love. But are they major championship
winners? Between them, Love's the only one who's won one. That's
not the challenge one would expect in the game.”
Nicklaus pointed out that throughout his career, he had to compete
against players who won multiple majors — first Arnold Palmer
(seven) and Gary Player (nine), then Johnny Miller (two) and Lee
Trevino (six), then Tom Watson (eight).
“Those were guys who were proven major championship winners,
and those were the guys I was competing against,” Nicklaus
said. “Tiger is contending against unproven guys. Those guys
obviously are intimidated. They're not only intimidated by Tiger,
but they're intimidated by themselves and their inability to win
majors.”
Duval, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Woods, has finished among
the top 11 in seven of the last nine majors. But he still hasn't
won one — he hasn't won anywhere in more than a year —
and in April, he drowned his Masters hopes in Rae's Creek at the
13th hole in the final round.
Does Mickelson have what it takes? He's already won three times
this year and won the rain-delayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
in 1998. He finished second to Stewart in the Open last year and
has 10 top-10s in majors. The left-hander loves Pebble Beach,
and the course favors his left-to-right draw.
Love has finished second at Bay Hill, the Byron Nelson and the
Colonial this year. In fact, he's finished second eight times,
but has no victories since the 1998 MCI Classic. Every time Love
has gone toe-to-toe with Woods, he's gone down meekly.
The burly Clarke, from Northern Ireland, beat Woods in the final
of the World Golf Championships-Andersen Consulting Match Play
Championship. After he won the English Open recently, Clarke said,
“I've always thought I could win a U.S. Open. Now I know
I can.”
Others who could challenge are Sutton, Singh, Tom Lehman, Jim
Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and Jesper Parnevik.
If Woods is on his game, however, it will take a superlative effort
by anyone to beat him.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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