Duval Hopes 62 at Pebble Is Steppingstone to Title

By THOMAS BONK

Feb. 2, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PEBBLE BEACH —

In his three years on the PGA Tour, David Duval has grown a goatee, won $2 million, lost about 35 pounds and adorned himself with sunglasses roughly the size of a windshield.

But he hasn’t won a tournament, an ugly little hole in the resume that Duval can fill in today at soggy Pebble Beach in the final round of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Duval stuffed a three-shot lead into his bag Saturday after he tossed a third-round 62 at poor old Pebble Beach, equaling Tom Kite’s record set in 1983 under similar lift-and-place conditions.

Afterward, Duval tried to explain what went right.

“I don’t know, shoot, I was just hittin’ it and I went on from there,” he said.

Chances are, from there to here on in, it isn’t going to get much easier for Duval, whose 54-hole total of 198 is 18 under par.

The chase is on and the leader is pursued most closely by Mark O’Meara, who had a 67 at Pebble, and second-round leader Jim Furyk, who had a 69 at Pebble. They are at 15-under-par 201.

If nothing else, O’Meara is confident, probably because he has won this tournament four times. O’Meara said he feels something rumbling in his stomach and it isn’t last night’s dinner.

“I almost feel like somebody is watching over me on the Monterey Peninsula,” he said. “All week long, I’ve had a feeling things are going my way. I’ve had that feeling before.”

Most everyone else is feeling as if it’s going to be a four-player race that also includes Jesper Parnevik, the Swede with the flip-top cap, who is four shots back at 202 after his 67 at Spyglass.

Meanwhile, there was a familiar name throwing his swoosh on the green. That would be Tiger Woods, who is tied for fifth and seven shots behind after wringing a 63 out of the water-logged course.

Woods said he learned quickly how to play Pebble Beach.

“You don’t hit the ball in the ocean,” he said.

Always a fine idea. Woods also learned something quite unexpected when he checked the scoreboard and saw Duval rising faster than that fog bank at Carmel Bay.

Here’s how Duval started: birdie, eagle, par, birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie. After seven holes, he was eight under par.

Woods was playing in the same group with Steve Stricker and they thought the scoreboard was malfunctioning.

“We said, ‘Is that real?’ ” Woods said. “We were just shaking our heads.”

So was Duval, who knew he had just enjoyed an odd experience.

“It was weird because at that point I don’t think I’ve ever been more under par than holes played.”

Duval eagled the 502-yard No. 2 when he swung a three-wood and knocked a ball through the branches of a tree 231 yards to within eight inches of the hole.

Three holes later, he had another eagle. This time, he used a five-iron from 201 yards and the ball stopped six feet from the hole.

Duval, who had a 28 on the front, said he is in much better shape now since he noticed something he didn’t like about himself.

“I knew I had gotten fat and I had to do something about it,” he said.

So Duval embarked on a fitness program last year that involved a lot of cardiovascular activity, and his weight dropped from 226 pounds.

“I do feel 1,000 times better,” he said.

Woods felt the same improvement quotient about his play, although he wasn’t very happy about the distractions caused by fans taking pictures when he was swinging.

This is the only PGA Tour event that permits spectators to use cameras.

“It’s really ridiculous when we’re trying to play,” Woods said. “People want to have that one shot. Unfortunately, it’s at our expense.

“A lot of people are being inconsiderate. They fail to realize we are playing for a living out here.”

Woods said the cameras should not be used when a player is in his backswing, but he understands it still is bound to happen.

“Today my patience was a lot better with these people,” he said.

The lift, clean and place rule will be extended to include the fourth round. That’s probably going to help everyone, including the guy with the three-shot lead.

“It all depends on what David does,” Woods said. “If he goes out and plays the first six or seven holes really well, it’s going to be real difficult for anybody to catch him.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Leaders

After the third round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Par 72):

David Duval: 65-71-62--198

Mark O’Meara: 67-67-67--201

Jim Furyk: 67-65-69--201

Jesper Parnevik: 65-70-67--202

Craig Stadler: 70-69-66--205

Steve Elkington: 70-66-69--205

Tiger Woods: 70-72-63--205

Mike Brisky: 69-68-68--205

Paul Azinger: 69-70-67--206