Wet Weather Doesn’t Stop Woods From Heating Up

The next generation made its move on the old guard at the Mercedes Championships on Friday. Then the elements got the better of them all.

A pair of 40-year-olds, John Cook and Nick Price, still held the top two spots at La Costa Resort and Spa, but Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson closed the gap before rain cut short the second round.

Cook had three birdies in seven holes Friday to move to 10 under par. Mickelson, 27, birdied the first four holes to move into second at eight under. And Woods, 22, bounced back from his disappointing opening round with six birdies in a span of 12 holes Friday, highlighted by an eagle on the ninth hole.

Woods is tied for fifth at six under with Ernie Els, David Duval and Stewart Cink. Price and Frank Nobilo are tied for third at seven under.

Weather permitting, the second round will resume at 8 this morning and the third round will start at 11.

Friday’s rain, which caused a 2-hour 23-minute delay in the morning but let up for a couple of hours in the afternoon, apparently did not bother Woods as much as the season-opening nerves that caused him to shoot an even-par 72 in the first round.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in rain,” said Woods, a native of Cypress. “I grew up in a climate here where we didn’t get a lot of rain. When it did rain, I always got on the golf course.

“My dad thought I was a little psychotic at the time. I figured that eventually it would pay off.”

It paid off here last year when Woods won the tournament in another rain-soaked weekend, and Woods’ performance through 14 holes of the second round has him thinking of a repeat.

He felt so good Friday that he elected to finish his round and hit a 15-foot putt for birdie after play had been called. He missed.

“I had the feel of the greens,” Woods said. “That’s why I putted. I didn’t want to wait.”

Cook, standing on the eighth green when play was called, did not mind waiting. He’d rather start his day today with a 20-foot putt than try an attempt in those conditions.

“There was no way we could have finished putting on No. 8,” Cook said. “It was coming down too hard. You can’t waste shots out here.”

By calling it off on the eighth, Cook ensured that his last complete hole of the day was his memorable 40-foot chip for birdie on No. 7.

On his approach, Cook hit a five-iron that landed short of the green and rolled down a hill, stopping just short of the water. He pulled out a sand wedge and popped up a shot that rolled in.

“I caught it just right,” Cook said.

Duval, who stopped after eight holes Friday, still has a chance to become the first man to win four consecutive tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1953.

Hogan’s is a name for the ages, but Duval found himself in pretty good company Friday. He’s tied with the 1997 player of the year (Woods), the 1997 U.S. Open winner (Els), and the 1997 rookie of the year (Cink).

Cink birdied three consecutive holes Friday to drop his score down from his 71 at the start of the round.

The main thing everyone in Cink’s group has in common? All are under 30.

Not that the older folks are willing to concede.

“It’s great to watch the next generation of golf,” Cook said. “But us 40-year-olds can still play a little bit.”