Duval Leads by One After Torturous Day

L.A. Times Archives

March 28, 1999 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

The Players Championship is not a major. By the look of things Saturday, it may be even harder.

Beaten and battered, David Duval trudged off the 18th green after his fifth bogey of the day and tried to muster enough strength to acknowledge the hometown gallery that applauded his perseverance as much as the fact he was in the lead at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“We just got kicked around,” Duval said. “As far as the golf course goes, this is as tough as I’ve ever seen it.”

The third round had the whipping wind of a British Open, the nasty rough of a U.S. Open, the terrifying greens of the Masters.

It ended with Duval holding a one-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and Skip Kendall.

Despite a bogey from the rough--the chip shot landed six feet in front of the hole and rolled 30 feet by--Duval survived with a two-over-par 74 for a 212, the highest score of a third-round leader since the tournament moved to the Stadium Course on the TPC at Sawgrass in 1982.

Mickelson had one of only six rounds under par on a day when the Stadium Course played a whopping 4.3 strokes over par, a 71 that left him tied with Kendall at 213.

Kendall chipped in for birdie on the 18th for a 70, the best score of the day.

“It was like playing Augusta and the U.S. Open on the same day,” Colin Montgomerie said after a 73. “I like none of them, so if you put it together, it’s worse.”

Twenty-nine players began the third round under par. By the end of a grueling day of groans and moans and hardly any smiles, only six remained.

One by one, players caught the wrath of Pete Dye’s design and Mother Nature’s dry, unyielding conditions:

* Payne Stewart, chewing his gum harder and harder as his ball descended on the 17th green, turned away when it bounded over the back and into the water for a double bogey that dropped him to even-par 216.

* Duffy Waldorf, at three under after a rare birdie on the par-three 17th, took an eight on the closing hole to finish at 217.

* Davis Love III recovered from a triple bogey on the first hole and was also at three under until he put two balls in the water on the island-green 17th and took a seven. He had a 78 and was at two-over 218.

* Ernie Els, at one point four under for the tournament, had a 42 on the back and finished at 220.

“Certain holes were almost impossible to play,” said Tiger Woods, whose 75 left him in the group at 216 along with Mark O’Meara and Hal Sutton, who both had 71. “The greens were so fast, so burnt out.”

The greens have been fried since the opening round, but the wind that began whistling through the pines at the crack of dawn set the table for a torturous day.

“If you hit good shots out there, it was fine,” said Scott Hoch, who is one under. “Any time you missed a shot, it didn’t turn out too good. It was survival. We all know that.”

Bob Duval kept his lead through the second round of the Senior PGA Tour’s Emerald Coast Classic at Milton, Fla., setting the stage for a possible father-son victory celebration in Florida.

While his son, PGA Tour money leader David Duval, took the lead in The Players Championship, the elder Duval’s lead was narrowed from four to three strokes by Buzz Thomas.

If the Duvals can maintain their leads today, they would be the first father and son to win simultaneously on the PGA and Senior PGA tours.

“I know David’s been in that position a lot of times; I’ve been in it two or three times,” said Bob Duval, who has yet to win in his professional career. “He knows how to handle it. I’m going to call him tonight.”

The son already offered some advice when they spoke on the phone after the first round Friday when the father shot a nine-under 61, one stroke off the senior record set by Asao Aoki in the 1997 Emerald Coast.

“He said, ‘Just go out and play. You shoot 65 or 75 . . . nobody really cares except you, your wife, your caddie and maybe a few friends,’ ” Duval said.

What he shot was a two-under 68 for a two-round total of 11-under 129 on the par-70, Scottish-style course at The Moors Golf Club.

Thomas, who shot a 65 Friday, closed the gap by a single stroke with a 67 for an eight-under 132.

Senior money leader Bruce Fleisher was third, trailing by six strokes at 135.

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In Front

Leaders through Saturday’s play (Complete scores, Page 16):

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP--Par 72

David Duval 69-69-74--212 -4

Skip Kendall 70-73-70--213 -3

Phil Mickelson 71-71-71--213 -3

Scott Hoch 72-70-73--215 -1

Colin Montgomerie 72-70-73--215 -1