Lagging Behind in First Round, Fasth Gets Feet on the Ground

Niclas Fasth knows all about traveling, so when he played last week in Perth, Australia, then showed up this week at Riviera Country Club, he was sort of expecting jet lag. At least he wasn’t disappointed.

The 30-year-old Swede shot a five-under-par 66 Friday at the Nissan Open and that looked a lot better than the 75 he’d opened with Thursday, when he felt hammered by the effects of flying.

“It was tough, I was gone,” he said. “I can quite honestly say it affected my play.”

Fasth, a key member of the European Ryder Cup team last year, was the runner-up to David Duval in the 2001 British Open at Lytham and plays almost exclusively on the European Tour.

Fasth says he’s considering playing the PGA Tour regularly next year.

“I’ve got a good mix now and for at least this year, I am playing mostly European Tour events,” he said. “But this tour is on my mind and I want to play against the best players on the best courses. Maybe next year, but before I make that decision, I want to feel comfortable with the way I’m playing.”

Fasth is ranked 46th and will put Bay Hill, the Players Championship and the Bell South on his schedule if he remains in the top 50. He’s already assured of playing the Masters.

In 1998, Fasth tried to play the PGA Tour and the European Tour but said it was a mistake because he spent too much time on airplanes, thus becoming an expert on jet lag.

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He seemed to be in a hurry to get off the green, so maybe that’s why Jose Maria Olazabal knocked in a short putt on his closing hole without bothering to stand still.

After rounds of 80-78, Olazabal’s 15-over-par 158 wasn’t something he really cherished.

It was a rough couple of days for the two-time Masters champion.

Olazabal’s explanation of what went wrong: “Everything is bad. Irons are bad. Putting bad. Chipping bad. Driving no good. No excuses.”

Neither did Olazabal have any excuses last week when he missed the cut at Torrey Pines. He said he wouldn’t be taking much away from his last two weeks on the golf course.

“It’s not going to be anything good, that’s for sure. I’m just going to try to sit back and think about it and be as positive as I can be. But it’s going to be tough.”

After he tied for 33rd at Kapalua, Olazabal missed the cut at Honolulu, tied for 65th at Phoenix and now has missed two more cuts. Olazabal, who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999, ranks 159th in driving distance, 169th in fairways hit and 128th in putting.

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On Thursday, Aaron Baddeley promised he was going to go through his wardrobe and wear the most colorful attire he could find for the rest of the week.

On Friday, Baddeley wore a black shirt and white pants.

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What would Stephen Ames do if he ever got healthy? At Phoenix, he was 12 under, tied for 28th and won $27,800, then shot 22 under and tied for eighth at the Bob Hope, winning $126,000.

But Ames was sick at Phoenix, not much better at the Hope and had flu last week at Torrey Pines, forcing him to withdraw.

Ames shot a second-round 69 and is tied for fifth at three-under 139 after 36 holes, even though he’s still recovering from flu.

“I’m still a little weary,” said Ames, who said he also grew weary of being rained on last week. He’s playing at Doral next.

“I need that sun in Florida,” he said. “I’ve had enough of this West Coast. I looked at this week’s weather forecast on the computer and if it was bad, I wouldn’t have played.”

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Injury update: Jesper Parnevik strained his ribs on his left side and withdrew after playing only four holes.

Meanwhile, Phil Tataurangi, who was 65th and out of next week’s 64-player field at the Accenture Match Play event at La Costa, made it in after all when Nick Faldo pulled out because of flu. Tataurangi’s reward: a first-round match against Tiger Woods.

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Equipment controversy update: Duval says there is not even an issue to discuss, because neither Nike nor Titleist owns its own foundry.

“And that is it,” he said. “So what does that mean? They are getting made at the same place.

“Explain to me how one is better than the other.”

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Mike Weir shot a 68, but he bogeyed his last hole for the second day in a row. He’s still two under after 36 holes and in a group that includes Woods, Corey Pavin and Baddeley.

Weir, who won the Bob Hope three weeks ago, says he worked hard in the off-season to get his game in shape so he could start quickly.

“I got off to a good start, but I don’t want to settle for it,” the left-hander said. “I want to push it and see how far I can go.”