Notebook: Azinger aces the monster
Associated Press
Saturday, March 25
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Paul Azinger felt he had been playing good golf all week, but had nothing to show for it. He got his big break Saturday with a hole-in-one on No. 17.
It was the first ace of the week at The Players Championship and it came on one of the most famous holes in golf. Azinger used a 9-iron to ace the island hole, which was playing at 145 yards.
"When I hit it, it lined up perfectly," Azinger said. "Some guy in the back screamed that it was right at it, and it was. It took a perfectly straight bounce and just kept rolling. I couldn't believe it when it disappeared."
The ace helped Azinger finish a 2-under-par 70 for the day and 2-under 214 for the tournament. The walk toward the green was a moment he'll remember forever.
"You're a little self-conscious because you know everyone's looking at you," Azinger said. "It was something to cherish, just a special moment you may never have again."
Young inspiration
Hal Sutton drew inspiration Friday night when he returned from his round of golf and saw that both of his twin 14-month-old daughters, Sara and Sadie, had learned to walk.
"I walked into the house and they just started walking up to me," Sutton said. "I thought it was pretty neat."
Sutton carries a one-stroke lead over Tiger Woods into Sunday's final round.
Aces
One shot that may have outshined Azinger's ace was Woods' second shot on the par-5 11th.
It was a 211-yard 4-iron out of a bunker that came to rest six feet from the pin. Woods made the putt for eagle.
He said it was among the best shots he's ever made.
How many other players could hit that shot?
"I had to throw it in there pretty high," Woods said. "I wouldn't figure a lot of guys could get the clubhead speed to hit it that high. Maybe John Daly. Maybe Davis (Love)."
Duval's gift
Defending champion David Duval shot 2-under 70, but wasn't pleased with his round. Afterward, he gave his putter to a little girl in the crowd.
"I think it was broken, it didn't work right," he said laughingly. "I just couldn't make any putts. I don't want to be tempted to use it tomorrow."
He sat at 2-over 218, 11 strokes off the lead, and conceded that he was almost surely too far behind to make a comeback.
"I don't think I'll be repeating this year, but you never know," Duval said. "If I can shoot 61 or 62 tomorrow ..."
Fulton's follies
Fulton Allem shot a 10-over-par 82 to fall from fourth place to 60th at 6-over.
Among the lowlights -- and there were many -- was a tee shot he snap-hooked into the water on No. 10. He hit his third shot into a sand trap, then blasted out into a bunker filled with thick grass.
Allem needed a 12-foot putt to save double bogey.
On No. 11, he mishit his tee shot into the first cut of rough and went storming off the tee box. Tom Lehman, feeling badly for his playing partner, ran to catch Allem, grabbed him by the shoulders and offered a few words of encouragement.
All choked up
Shortly after Sutton made a five-foot putt for birdie on No. 6, a spectator choked on chewing tobacco and fainted.
Sutton and playing partner Omar Uresti rushed to the ropes as emergency medical workers performed the Heimlich maneuver.
The spectator was OK.
Secret gets out
Scott Verplank shot 68 to break 70 at the
Stadium Course for the first time in 20 rounds.
"I didn't know anybody knew that," Verplank said when asked about the accomplishment. "It was nice. I was thinking about that on the 18th hole. I wanted to get to under par after today. That way, maybe I'd be in shouting distance."
Verplank fell two shots short of his goal. He's 1-over after three rounds, 10 strokes behind Sutton.
Divots
Jeff Sluman shot a 6-under-par 66 to get back into contention, five strokes behind Sutton. Two weeks ago he won Greg Norman's member-guest tournament at Doral. "It was another title to my name," he joked.
Like Sluman, Robert Damron shot 66. He finished at 2-under after playing the first round at 6-over 78. "If you would have asked me after Thursday's round, I would have bet I was going home on Saturday," he said.
The tournament is considered the last good tuneup for The Masters, which is a good thing for Sutton. He has missed the cut in his last eight appearances at Augusta.
Uresti went from second place to 28th after shooting 8-over 80, including a quadruple bogey on No. 17. He is at 3-over for the tournament.
