A chance for someone other than Tiger Woods
to make statement
By Ed Sherman / Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - If this is the year of Tiger Woods, it also is the
year of nobody else.
Yes, there are other golfers, even if it seems Woods is the
only player on the course. But nobody, with the exception of Steve
Elkington, has made a bold move during the PGA Tour's first 22
tournaments.
Where's Fred Couples? Where's Davis Love III? Anyone heard
from Phil Mickelson or Nick Faldo lately?
If someone is going to stop the Woods express, they'd best
get going fast. Like this week, at the U.S. Open at Congressional
Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
The Open represents an opportunity for somebody to make a statement
that the rest of the tour hasn't issued a full-blown concession
to Woods. Of course, Woods could pick off the second leg of golf's
Grand Slam, making the Jupiter-sized Tiger mania even bigger.
The fact is, Woods could miss every cut the rest of the year
and still be considered for player of the year with his Masters
title and three overall titles.
The only serious challenger is Elkington, who won The Players
Championship and the Doral. Despite playing only nine tournaments,
Elkington has earned $1,185,040, second to Woods' $1,360,750 in
10 events.
The big prizes, however, still are out there. The Open, British
Open and PGA Championship will be held over the next eight weeks,
and the results should help define the season. Last year's player
of the year, Tom Lehman, didn't win his first tournament until
the British Open in mid-July.
Lehman, who finished second in last year's U.S. Open, will
be one of the favorites this week - provided he can get his game
going. He won't be alone.
While everyone has been watching Woods, here's an update on
some of the other leading players on tour:
Brad Faxon: He's third on the money list with $973,620, but
has yet to show he can play on the big stage. He missed the cut
at the TPC and the Masters.
Mark O'Meara: He was hot in the winter, but now he is cold
with the weather warming up. He won back-to-back at the AT&T
Pebble Beach and the Buick Invitational. Since then, he has tied
for 30th at the Masters, missed the cut at the Byron Nelson Classic
and tied for 32nd at the Memorial last week.
Phil Mickelson: He probably carries the mantle of the best
player not to have won a major, and indications are it won't happen
at the Open. Mickelson ranks 13th on the money list, but since
his win at Bay Hill - his only real strong tournament of the year
- he has missed the cut at the TPC and the Masters and has only
one top-10 finish.
Nick Faldo: He still hasn't lived up to predictions that he
would dominate the U.S. tour. He won the Nissan Open, but has
since endured one of the worst stretches of his career. He missed
back-to-back cuts at the Masters and MCI Classic and then tied
for 43rd at the Byron Nelson.
Tom Lehman: Last year's No. 1 money-winner ranks 18th on the
list with $494,596. He lost the season-opening playoff to Woods
at the Mercedes and hasn't been much of a factor since.
Fred Couples: Personal problems have plagued Couples this year,
limiting him to seven tournaments. He finished seventh at the
Masters, but hasn't done much else.
Greg Norman: After a slow start, Norman might be rounding into
form. He was embarrassed by missing the cut in the Masters. Since
then, he has tied for fifth at BellSouth, tied for second at the
Memorial and looked strong at this week's Kemper Open.
Nick Price: A comeback season is under way. Price won the MCI
and he's in the top 10 on the money list with $690,442.
Jesper Parnevik: He has seven top-10 finishes this year and
ranks fifth on the money list with $791,490. He could strike at
the Open.
Davis Love III: Perhaps he isn't over missing that short putt
at last year's Open, because he hasn't got started this year.
In his Texas swing, he tied for 70th at the Colonial and tied
for 64th at the Nelson.
(c) 1997, Chicago Tribune.
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