Associated Press
Friday, March 3

MIAMI -- Edward Fryatt just wanted to make the cut Friday in the Doral-Ryder Open. He took care of that by becoming only the fourth player in PGA Tour history to make eight consecutive birdies, a feat last achieved nearly 13 years ago.

	Fryatt finished with 11 birdies and one bogey for a 62.

"It was really eerie out there," Fryatt said after his 10-under 62 thrust him into contention as well as the record books. "I felt like a guy tossing a no-hitter. Nobody was talking to me."

Even Fryatt, a 28-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Las Vegas, couldn't believe what was happening.

Birdies were hardly the exception on another calm day that left the Blue Monster course defenseless. Stephen Ames broke the course record with a 61 about two hours before Fryatt wrapped up his record run.

But not since Dewey Arnett did it in the first round of the 1987 Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf Club had anyone made eight birdies in a row.

"I just came out here to play solid, and hopefully make a few putts," Fryatt said. "Every putt I hit, I look up and it's pouring into the middle of the hole."

The only others to make eight straight birdies were Fuzzy Zoeller in the 1976 Quad Cities Open, and Bob Goalby in the 1961 St. Petersburg Open.

Fryatt was coming off a 3-over 75 in the first round, when he took 31 putts and looked certain to miss the cut. He is 71st on the money list, and needs to move up one spot at the end of Doral week to qualify for the Bay Hill Invitational in two weeks.

"I came out here with no expectations," he said. "I hit it terrible on the range, hit a bad drive on No. 1. Then all of a sudden, something crazy happened."

The birdie streak started on the difficult 236-yard fourth hole, but it really began the previous evening on the practice green when David Frost noticed something wrong with Fryatt's grip and gave him some valuable advice.

"I'll have to send a bottle of wine his way," Fryatt said.

He birdied one of his first three holes and liked the way the ball was rolling. What he liked even more was the way it began to disappear, from all over the green.

Starting on No. 4, the first three birdies were from 20, 40 and 25 feet. Then came a couple of short ones, from 3 feet and 6 feet, followed by a 25-footer on the par-3 ninth that gave him a 29 on the front, tying the Doral record set by Tom Kite in 1974 and 1979.

He birdied the par-5 10th despite a poor chip that left him 12 feet left, and made it eight in a row with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 11.

"The disaster struck and I made par," said Fryatt, whose birdie streak ended with a 12-foot putt that grazed the lip of the cup. "That's the way it goes. I've got no complaints."

Fryatt didn't know he had tied a record -- he wasn't even sure what the mark for consecutive birdies was, or who held it. All he could think about from the fairway on the 603-yard 12th hole was a 59.

Even after two measly pars, golf's magic number crept back into his head when he made a 10-footer for birdie on No. 14.

"It quickly disappeared as soon as I made a bogey," he said.

His lone mistake of the day was an 8-iron that found the bunker on the par-3 15th. He blasted out to 6 feet and missed the putt. Fryatt said he felt a little rushed over the shot because his threesome had fallen out of position and was put on the time clock.

"I guess I was making too many birdies in a row," he said.

Fryatt ended the day in style with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th, and he walked off the green in a state of disbelief. He has shot some low rounds while playing several tours around the world, even had some good stretch.

But nothing like this.

"That doesn't happen to often," he said. "I'm just thankful it happened today."