Tuesday, January 16, 2001
A streak that might never be
broken
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — One record in
golf that might never be broken is Byron Nelson winning 11 consecutive
PGA Tour events. The other belongs to Tiger Woods.
Woods now has played 51 straight rounds
at par or better, an amazing display of talent and consistency,
a testament to a player who never packs in it. Even more impressive
is that it was built around three major championships.
Woods clearly got some breaks along the
way. There was virtually no wind at the British Open, where he
won with four rounds in the 60s and a record 19 under par. Valhalla,
the easiest of the major championship courses last year, got some
rain, which kept the course relatively soft through the weekend.
But weather can creep up at any time, and
so can a bad round.
“It shows he never dogs it out there,”
coach Butch Harmon said.
Woods played through it all, with only four
of those 51 rounds at even par. The closest call was the final
round at Valderrama, where he again was victimized by the tricked-up
17th green and had to make a 5-foot putt on the last hole.
“You have to have a lot of things stack
up in favor of you,” David Duval said. “But he's arguably
the greatest player ever in the game, and he's playing well. It
might be very well that it's difficult to match. You have to wonder
whether it's going to end.”
Is it as impressive as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game
hitting streak? The Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game winning streak?
UCLA in basketball or Oklahoma in football?
“It's hard to relate that to another
sport,” Hal Sutton said. “In a lot of ways, it's even
tougher when you compare it to a team sport because it's all you
out there. There's nobody to help you.”
Woods pretends not to pay attention to the
streak, but the best way to measure his interest is to give him
false information. When he birdied the 17th at Kapalua in the
second round to assure an even-par 73, he said “What streak?”
when asked about it.
Told that it was at 49, he said, “It's
more than that.” Woods also counts European events, which
would make it 59 straight rounds worldwide after this week.
Can this streak ever be broken? Will it
ever end?
“I'm sure somebody will get hot, just
like I did,” Woods said. “I played well at the right
times. If you play well at the right times, you can do something
like that.”
The next big test of his streak comes at
Pebble Beach, where wind and rain can make par a good score. He
had a 1-over 73 at Spyglass Hills a year ago.
MASTERS FIELD:
Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday issued the first wave of
invitations to the 2001 Masters, a list that includes 16 newcomers
and 35 international players, which ties the Masters record from
last year.
Augusta chairman Hootie Johnson said 88
of the 95 players invited are expected to compete April 5-8.
The Masters still can invite international
players at its discretion. The only other way to get in is to
win The Players Championship, or be in the top 50 in the world
ranking or top three on the PGA Tour money list on the Monday
after Doral.
Six first-timers are American players on
the PGA Tour — Chris DiMarco, Bob May, Tom Scherrer, Steve
Flesch, Jonathan Kaye and Franklin Langham. Langham work the scoreboard
behind Augusta's 16th green when he was in high school.
HELPING HANDS:
Se Ri Pak has a new caddie and a full-time coach, and the results
couldn't be better.
Late last year, Pak hired Tom Creavy, a
former assistant of David Leadbetter, who followed her throughout
her season-opening win last weekend in Florida.
“Sometimes you just need a set of eyes
on you to help straighten things out when they go bad,” Creavy
said. “She has the game, she just got off track.”
Pak's history with coaches has been shaky
at best.
She and Leadbetter split for good in late
1998. Pak worked briefly with Butch Harmon, but left because she
felt Harmon was too busy working with Tiger Woods.
The other newcomer to Team Pak is caddie
Colin Cann, who previously worked for Annika Sorenstam and Grace
Park.
“I am really happy to work with him,”
Pak said. “He knows a lot about golf. We have more ideas
on the golf course, and we can trust it when we decide something.
That's why we are doing so well.”
PHOENIX BOUND:
David Duval was heckled last year in the Phoenix Open when he
decided to play it safe on the short par-4 17th. He was booed
in the final round for a three-putt, and said a week later he
doubted he would go back.
He changed his mind.
While Duval has yet to commit, he said he
plans to play in Phoenix next week without reservations.
“I like it there. I like the golf course,”
he said. “And I like the fans, I really do. I had some problems
with a couple of people last year, but not with the other 110,000.”
ORANGE POWER:
Jim Furyk wasn't crazy about the orange cap Strata asked him to
wear at Kapalua but, after winning the Mercedes Championships,
he might get used to it.
“I guess I'm going to have to show
up on Sunday of a major wearing the orange hat just for luck,”
he said.
Furyk, Hal Sutton and Dennis Paulson wore
the orange caps at Kapalula to help promote the new Strata Tour
Ultimate ball.
Furyk said he hits it higher with longer
irons without losing distance.
DIVOTS:
Among Butch Harmon's latest clients is Justin Leonard, who worked
with Tiger Woods' swing coach in December. ... Jack Nicklaus has
been selected to receive the Donald Ross Award from the American
Society of Golf Course Architects. Nicklaus Design has nearly
230 courses around the world, and 60 of his courses have been
the site of 350 pro tournaments.
STAT OF THE WEEK:
Valhalla Golf Club played the easiest of the four majors in 2000.
The PGA Championship field averaged 72.971 (par 72). The U.S.
Open at Pebble Beach was the most difficult at 75.539 (par 71).
FINAL WORD:
“It's going to take the National Guard to get me off this
tour.” Garrett Willis, who won in his PGA Tour debut at the
Tucson Open.
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