By Bob Harig
Special to ESPN Golf Online
Saturday, March 25

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It was an odd time for such a stunning revelation.

Fulton Allem had to return to the TPC-Sawgrass Stadium Course early Friday morning to complete his first round, and when he finished his 75 with a three-putt bogey at the 18th hole, that was it.

	Fulton Allem's 65 on Friday was the tournament's best round in two years.

"That just kind of got under my skin," Allem said. "I said, 'Here you are for the last 10 years, all you have done is hit the ball and putt like an absolute idiot.' I said, 'Get your old putter, start hitting aggressive putts toward the hole, see what happens.' "

What happened was a 10-shot turnaround, the day's lowest score, a 7-under 65 that put him in the thick of contention at The Players Championship, just two strokes behind second-round leader Hal Sutton.

Allem started making putts with the same putter he used to win the 1993 World Series of Golf, the tournament that gave him a 10-year exemption, the only reason he is playing today.

The last few years have not been kind to Allem, who has not had a top-three finish since 1993 and also failed to crack the top-100 money-winners in that span. Last year, he made just 12 cuts in 26 tournaments.

And this is no ordinary putter. It is Ping Scottsdale that Allem bought for $2,500.

"It paid for itself pretty well," Allem said. "If you know anything about the old Ping Scottsdale putters, they are worth that much. ... It kind of comes out with me every now and again. It was behaving very nicely that week. Who knows, it could misbehave again at the end of the week and go back in the closet for five years. It's all just feel and confidence."

The outspoken Allem, 42, is the first to admit, however, that the problems with his game are far more than just putting.

His troubles began, ironically, soon after he was making a name for himself by winning at Colonial and at the World Series of Golf in 1993.

After winning Colonial, Allem called home to South Africa, where his wife, Colleen, had traveled with their two children. He was surprised to learn she wanted a divorce.

"I thought she was joking," Allem said. "That was it. I went back to South Africa, tried to patch things up. ... Then we spent the next four or five years kind of in between misery and happiness. Eventually she left with some ski instructor from Denver."

Asked if she knew what that victory at the World Series would mean to his career, Allem replied: "Honestly, I don't think she knows too much from a hole in the ground."

"It was a pathetic divorce," he said. "I was on the golf course, and my mind was nowhere near golf. I tried to play through all that, and it leads to frustration, then it leads to losing your confidence."

Allem seems to have it back now. He's played better recently, with just a few putts holding him back. Now he's ready to take on the field, even Tiger Woods, if necessary.

"He is something. Hits 50 yards by me and can beat me by 15 strokes," Allem said of Woods, who is tied for fifth, four shots behind Sutton. "But when I stand on the first tee, I look into his eyes, I am looking to try to beat him. I am not going to sit back and watch you. I am going to have a go."