Associated Press
Thursday, August 24
AKRON, Ohio -- Tiger Woods was 7-under through 12 holes and needed only four birdies over the final six to shoot a 59. He says the thought never entered his mind.
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| Late trouble in the trees kept Woods from approaching a 59. |
Justin Leonard, who holed that 45-foot birdie putt that clinched America's comeback victory in the Ryder Cup, thought he had a decent chance at making the Presidents Cup as a captain's pick. But he had no problems being left off a U.S. team for the first time since 1995. Ken Venturi used his two selections on Loren Roberts, 11th in the standings, and Paul Azinger, the surprise pick at No. 24. Leonard agreed with both picks. "It's pretty hard to question that," he said. "If I had been picked, I think it would have been fine, too. I was in position to make the team this year, and I just haven't played well. There's no sour grapes. I just should have played better." Leonard was a runner-up in consecutive weeks at the Memorial and the Kemper, but he hasn't finished higher than 15th the rest of the year. His play has been so bad that Leonard said he wasn't using the Presidents Cup as motivation. "My main focus was to play better," he said. Leonard has played on every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team since 1996, although he has yet to win a singles match outright. Despite the cup-clinching putt on the 17th at The Country Club, he still wound up with a halve against Jose Maria Olazabal. Favoring Firestone
How good is Firestone Country Club? Jim Furyk loves the place, and he has never played particularly well on it. Firestone has been part of the PGA Tour since 1954. But in 2002, its only significant tournament will be the PGA Seniors Championship, because the NEC Invitational will be played at Sahalee outside Seattle. "I'd like to see as many tournaments here as possible," Furyk said. "And you're looking at a guy who has not played well here before -- so I like it." If Furyk could choose where to play big tournaments, he would go with Las Vegas, where he has won the past two years. Spice Boys lurking
Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, once known as the "Spice Boys" on the European Tour because of their love for high living, share something else in common. Both won tournaments by beating Woods down the stretch. Clarke beat Woods head-to-head in the Match Play Championship finals at La Costa. Westwood came from behind and beat him in Germany. How much that means depends on the player. Clarke, who has gotten to know Woods through swing coach Butch Harmon, said he left Woods a message on his answering machine after the British Open. "The better you play, the better it's make me look," he told him. "So keep on going." Westwood, however, seemed indifferent about ending Woods' four-year streak of protecting 54-hole leads. "I know if I play my best, I'm capable of beating him," Westwood said. "I've proved it to all of you, or anybody else who is looking into it and thinking about it. There's no edge to that." Both shot 4-under 66s on Thursday to trail Woods by two shots. Divots
