Alternate Shot: Will DiMarco win?

Originally Published: April 9, 2005

ESPN.com/Golf Digest

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AUGUSTA, Ga. -- There's a familiar name atop the leaderboard entering Sunday at Augusta National ... it's just not who we thought it would be.

Chris DiMarco has three career PGA Tour wins, was a Ryder Cupper last year and is known as a gritty competitor.

But he's not Tiger Woods.

Will DiMarco be able to hold onto his four-stroke lead over Woods and win The Masters? ESPN.com's Jason Sobel and Golf World's Ron Sirak debate whether we'll see a Gator in green in Butler Cabin.

Will Chris DiMarco win The Masters?

YES There are four reasons why you'll see Chris DiMarco slipping on a green jacket come Sunday evening: • He's got a four-stroke lead. • He's battle-tested in majors. • He's a momentum player. • Fate. The first reason is fairly self-explanatory. Say what you will about playing with a lead, but common sense says to go with the guy up four shots rather than the guy down four every time. DiMarco hasn't made a bogey since his first hole on Thursday; there's no reason to think he'll start making 'em on Sunday. OK, so DiMarco hasn't won a major. If you're rooting for him, that shouldn't bother you. We'd be a little weary if he'd never been in this position in a major championship before, but he has -- and recently. DiMarco was in the final pairing when Phil Mickelsonwon here last year (more on that later) and lost in a playoff at the PGA Championship. Did you happen to catch DiMarco's enthusiastic fist-pumps at last year's Ryder Cup? While most of the U.S. team looked like they wanted to dig a hole in the first fairway at Oakland Hills and crawl into it, DiMarco got the crowd involved. The more noise they made, the better he played. And now we come to the fourth and final reason. Fate. Simply put, if last year was "One Magical Sunday," as Mickelson likes to call it, well, DiMarco sure played a role in that, too, by giving Phil a read on his winning putt. Wouldn't it be fitting if Mickelson repaid his buddy by giving him a green jacket? -- Jason Sobel ESPN.com

NO There are four pretty compelling reasons why Chris DiMarco won't hang on to win the Masters: • Augusta National is a tough place to win your first major championship. • Tiger Woods • Phil Mickelson • Vijay Singh It's not like DiMarco is going into the final round with Curley, Larry and Moe trying to chase him down. Among the contenders are three of the best players in the world. I like the chances that at least one of the Big Three is going to get hot early, and when that happens the collar DiMarco is wearing will become about four sizes smaller. You just know that this tournament is going to come down to the final nine holes -- it just about always does. And when push comes to shove, experience at getting the job done is invaluable. DiMarco's hope is that the big guns play their way out of contention early. The other thing the dude with the claw grip has going against him is that he not only has to sleep on the 54-hole lead -- he has to sleep on the 45-hole lead. DiMarco doesn't have to protect his position for 18 holes on Sunday, he has to protect it for 27 holes. That's a lot to ask of a guy without a major championship, especially when he has to look on the leaderboard and see the names Woods, Mickelson and Singh. Part of the brilliance of the design at Augusta National is how easily strokes can be frittered away -- and how quickly they can be gained by a hot player. The beauty of the back nine -- the best back nine in all of golf -- is that it can be played in 30 or 40. There are birdie holes and there are eagle holes in that closing stretch, but there are also double-bogey holes. When someone starts to make a charge -- and someone almost certainly will -- a player trying to play defensively can find plenty of trouble to get into. Just ask Greg Norman. He went into the final 18 holes of the 1996 Masters with a six stroke lead -- and finished five strokes back. Nick Faldoshot a 67 that day while Norman staggered home in 78. That's exactly what can happen here. The winner of this tournament is not going to be the guy leading it going into the final round. -- Ron Sirak Golf World

Harrington needs Luck of the Irish

Updated: March 24, 2005, 6:59 PM ET

By Jason Sobel | ESPN.com

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Ever heard of the Luck of the Irish?

Of course you have.

Now someone just has to introduce this little phenomenon to Padraig Harrington.

Harrington has 26 career worldwide runner-up finishes, including each of the past two years at Sawgrass.

You might be wondering why the sixth-ranked player in the world even needs any luck. Well, just look at the numbers.

Last year, Harrington finished in second place at The Players Championship. The year before that? Second place.

Playing follow the leader is more than just a trend for Harrington; it's a way of life. Sure, he won the Honda Classic two weeks ago for his first career PGA Tour win. And OK, so he has nine other international victories.

But he also owns a whopping 26 second-place finishes worldwide.

That's right, folks: The man from Dublin has been doublin' and triplin' his runner-up total over the past few years.

Let's just say the Irishman had a right to be a little green with envy. And if he told you to kiss something other than his Blarney stone, well, that might be understandable, too.

After all, it took a little pre-St. Patrick's Day luck – the good kind this time – for him to claim his first PGA Tour win at the Honda Classic. Competing with Vijay Singh on the second playoff hole, Harrington saw the No. 1 player uncharacteristically miss a two-foot putt, giving him his first victory on U.S. soil just four days before the annual Irish festival known as Lá Fhéile Pádraig.

Now that he has finally got the leprechaun off his back and a win under his belt, you might think Harrington would be itching to get back on tour this week. You'd be wrong.

"I certainly didn't want to come," Harrington said Wednesday.

No, he isn't still a bit despondent from his close calls at Sawgrass the past two years. Instead, Harrington wanted to remain in Ireland with his father, Paddy, who has cancer and became ill recently.

"This situation only came about last Wednesday," said Harrington, who returned to Ireland after his Honda triumph. "I'd rather not be here. But the fact that I'm here means that I'm going to go out there and try to do my job as professionally as I can."

On Thursday, that meant putting golf before his father, if only for a few hours. It meant four birdies in his first eight holes. And it meant a 5-under 67, good enough for a share of eighth place.

"Obviously, [my mind] wasn't where I wanted it to be today at times," Harrington said. "I was slightly distracted at times, and I did struggle with my concentration."

Let's hope Harrington is able to keep his concentration for three more days. Let's hope Paddy gets to see his boy win another one. Let's hope that string of second-place finishes is a thing of the past.

And let's hope that Harrington finds a little Luck of the Irish this week. The good kind, of course.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.

Jones' 8-under 64 leads TPC

Updated: March 25, 2005, 8:37 AM ET

Associated Press

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- There's more than the Big Four at The Players Championship.

Vijay Singh matched his best start ever on the TPC at Sawgrass. Phil Mickelson lit up the tame course with seven birdies inside 4 feet, only to give away five strokes with shots that went under trees and under water.

Tiger Woods stalled. Ernie Els never got going.

"Then along came Jones," said former U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, who stole the spotlight with an 8-under 64 in the lowest first-round scoring at Sawgrass in nine years.

The Players Championship had its share of surprises Thursday, none bigger than Jones, who dabbled in commercial real estate last year when he thought an elbow injury might end his career, winding up atop the leaderboard.

"Dig up the archives here," said Fred Funk, who joined Zach Johnson and Lee Westwood at 65.

Funk was only slightly startled when his caddie looked at the leaderboard and noticed that Jones had just completed a bogey-free round at 64, one off the course record.

"I go, 'Steve Jones shot 8 under? Where did he come from?"' Funk said.

Last seen riding around in a cart as an assistant captain at the Ryder Cup, Jones made seven birdies in eight holes on a TPC at Sawgrass course that was so soft that the fairways could not be mowed.

An elbow injury kept him away from competition all of last year. He hasn't won since 1998.

"Eight birdies, no bogeys. That's a good thing, right?" Jones said, showing he hasn't forgotten everything about life on the PGA Tour.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that first-round scoring at Sawgrass (71.87) was the lowest since 1996, the year Jones won the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills.

"I think he's healthy now," Singh said. "He's no mug. He can play."

Singh continued to show the best form of the Big Four, matching his best start ever at The Players Championship with a 5-under 67 that was highlighted by two good par saves in the middle of his round and a mammoth tee shot on the 18th that set up a birdie.

The others broke par, but couldn't keep up with Jones. Mickelson and Woods had a 70, while Els was at 71.

It was the first time all four of them broke par in the first round.

Big deal.

Sawgrass has rarely been this soft and still, and it showed in the low scores. Even the island-green 17th, the most daunting par 3 in golf, played under par.

Three players holed out from the fairway for eagle, as the pins were cut in accessible positions.

"They're all pretty much the easiest pins we'll see," Mickelson said.

It was no surprise that 87 players were at par or better, and 29 players were in the 60s.

Westwood had a chance to join Jones at the top until he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on his final hole, the par-5 ninth.

Sergio Garcia was among those at 6-under 66, although the 25-year-old Spaniard was slightly disappointed after ripping a 3-wood from 281 yards over a tree and onto the green at the ninth, where it rolled by the hole to about 8 feet. He missed that eagle putt, and missed a 3-footer for birdie on No. 4.

Jones thought his career might be over when he suffered a severe elbow injury two years ago. His health returned, but it wasn't until a recent conversation withHale Irwin that Jones decided to kick it into gear. He wouldn't divulge details of the motivational speech, but the gist was to stop complaining and go to work.

"I've felt that something was going to happen soon," Jones said.

The birdies came in bunches - seven of them in an eight-hole stretch, including putts of 25, 40 and 50 feet. The most important might have been the shortest, when his tee shot landed in a divot on No. 4, leaving him a delicate 90-yard shot over water to a front hole location.

"I could have complained about it, but I said, 'You know how to hit this shot.' I just choked way down on a pitching wedge ... and I hit it a foot," Jones said. "That was a big turning point."

Singh cared only about a good start, not that he was three off the lead. He has lost on the final hole each of the last two weeks, but got into Sunday contention after having to recover from indifferent starts.

"It's nice to start off a tournament in contention for a change," Singh said. "Normally, I'm chasing. Five under is a good start for me."

It was his best since he opened with a 67 in 2001, the year he was runner-up to Woods in The Players Championship.

Woods birdied two of his first three holes, but was aggravated over missing three birdie putts inside 8 feet, one that led to a three-putt par on the par-5 16th.

"You just can't afford to do that," he said.

Mickelson was fascinating as usual with a mixture of brilliance and bad shots, and no hole captured that like No. 5. He hit his tee shot so far to the right that it went beyond the bunker and nearly in the water. Then, he hit a low bullet out of the rough that ran up onto the green to within 2 feet for birdie.

He made seven birdies, the longest of which was 4 feet.

But he was wild at times, hitting under a tree on the par-3 eighth to make double bogey, barely finding land on the island-green 17th for bogey and hitting 3-wood into the water on the 18th.

"It was feast or famine," he said. "If I had three birdies and bogey, it would have been a great round. But because I had so many birdies, and so many chances to turn it into a great round and didn't, that's what is disappointing."

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

First-round Indonesia Open scores

Updated: March 24, 2005, 1:39 PM ET

Associated Press

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JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Scores Thursday from the first round of the $1 million Indonesia Open at the par-6,851, par-70 Cengkareng Golf Club (57 players failed to complete the round due to rain):

Arjun Atwal, India                  30-32--62  8-under
Michael Hoey, Ireland               32-30--62



Chris Williams, South Africa        32-31--63  7-under
Matthew Cort, England               30-33--63

Ron Won, United States              32-32--64  6-under  
Scott Bar, Australia                32-32--64
Andrew Buckle, Australia            31-33--64
Eiji Mizoguchi, Japan               34-30--64
Gaurav Ghei, India                  32-32--64

Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium          33-32--65  5-under
Mardan Mamat, Singapore             34-31--65
Boonchu Ruangkit, Thailand          33-32--65
Shiv Kapur, India                   33-32--65
Roope Kakko, Finland                33-32--65
Sam Little, England                 31-34--65
Sam Walker, England                 34-31--65
Mike Cunning, United States         33-32--65
Johan Skold, Sweden                 33-32--65

Adam Fraser, Australia              36-30--66  4-under
Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand          32-34--66
Brad Kennedy, Australia             31-35--66
Peter Fowler, Australia             33-33--66
Anthony Kang, United States         33-33--66
Richard Moir, Australia             32-34--66

Colin Montgomerie, Scotland         34-33--67  3-under
Rick Gibson, Canada                 35-32--67
Gary Simpson, Australia             32-35--67
Wang Ter-chang, Taiwan              33-34--67
Matthew Morris, England             34-33--67
Stephen Browne, Ireland             35-32--67
Frankie Minoza, Philippines         32-35--67
David Griffiths, Canada             31-36--67
Vernon Sexton-Finck, Australia      32-35--67
Pablo Del Olmo, Mexico              36-31--67

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

Ogilvy overcomes 8-shot deficit

Updated: March 12, 2005, 11:28 PM ET

Associated Press

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Another gusty day at the Honda Classic made the golfers' loud trousers ripple. Geoff Ogilvy kept calm in the wind, fortified by winning his first PGA Tour title just two weeks ago.

The Australian mounted a charge in difficult conditions Saturday, erasing an eight-shot deficit to tie Brett Wetterich for the lead after three rounds. While none of the players among the top eight at the start of the day broke par, Ogilvy shot an 8-under 64 to reach 12 under after 54 holes.

"I just kept hitting nice shots and getting good putts," he said. "Maybe six months ago, sneaking right up the leaderboard deep on Saturday, I might have gotten a bit more nervous than I did. I was nothing but comfortable."

Ogilvy won at Tucson, his first title in 108 tour starts, and then took last week off.

"Everyone congratulating you on your first week back is quite nice," he said. "You don't get tired of that. ... There's a big psychological boost to winning a tournament. It makes you believe you're a better player, I think."

Five golfers among the top 10 on the leaderboard will bid for their first tour title Sunday. That includes Wetterich, who began the third round alone in the lead, scrambled to a 72 and joined Ogilvy at 204.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen three-putted No. 18 for a bogey to fall out of a three-way tie for the lead. A round of 72 left him 11-under and tied withPat Perez.

"At the start of the week, all you want to do is have a chance on Sunday," Janzen said. He's seeking his first title since winning the Open in 1998.

Perez, a fourth-year tour veteran seeking his first win, shot 67.

With gusty conditions and the elevated greens firmer than in the first two rounds, bogeys became more frequent on the long Country Club at Mirasol course. But the wind it failed to faze Ogilvy.

Shrugging off a first-round 73, he began to surge Saturday when he birdied four of the first six holes. He also finished with a flourish, sinking birdie putts on Nos. 17 and 18. Ogilvy missed only three greens and needed just 26 putts.

Two shots behind was American Joe Ogilvie, who reached 10-under with a 67 and was poised to create considerable confusion in the final round.

"We very regularly get each other's stuff in our lockers," leader Ogilvy said of the fifth-place Ogilvie. "He has probably been congratulated a few times this week for winning in Tucson, because I've been congratulated when he plays well. It's a bit of a running joke between us. We have a law firm -- Ogilvy and Ogilvie."

Another twosome, Wetterich and Janzen, played in the final pairing Saturday and swapped the lead three times early. They struggled on the back nine and slipped back to Ogilvy.

"Once you get to 13, every hole seems to be into the wind coming in," Janzen said. "You've got to hit a lot of good shots just to make par."

Wetterich could only agree. On No. 15, he drove into a hazard and took a stroke penalty before sinking a 12-foot putt to save bogey. That dropped him out of a three-way share for first.

He regained a tie for the top at No. 17 when he hit a bunker shot from about 100 feet to within six inches of the pin for a birdie. He retained a share of the lead despite missing eight fairways.

"I felt really proud of myself," he said. "I thought I really hung in there, especially the last six or seven holes."

Among those undone by the wind and fast greens was Chad Campbell, unable to build on a 64 that gave him the first-round lead. He bogeyed six consecutive holes on the back nine, shot 80 and fell to 1-under.

Davis Love III, runner-up the past two years, double-bogeyed three of the final five holes and shot 78 to drop to 2-over.

No. 2-ranked Vijay Singh, the lone player entered among the world's top six, shot 70 and was 6-under. Todd Hamilton, the champion last year, shot 72 and was 4-under.

A few players thrived in the gusty conditions -- 1993 champion Fred Couples andMark Hensby each shot 66. Couples was 8-under and Hensby was 6-under.

Divots

Campbell had the longest drive of the day, hitting his tee shot 317 yards at the par-5 No. 12. He still made bogey, starting his run of six in a row. ... Eight players have won their first PGA Tour title at the Honda, including Hamilton last year.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press