Sutton Making Some Noise Too

The voice sounds as if it’s coming through a CB radio late at night.

It’s part trucker, part Baloo the bear from Disney’s “Jungle Book.” It belongs to Hal Sutton, and it was the sound that periodically pierced the rare moments of silence when the fans weren’t locked in on Tiger Woods.

Sutton was in Woods’ threesome at the Nissan Open on Friday, which meant he was cast as a background singer. Despite playing in the largest shadow cast across the current sports terrain, Sutton forced you not only to listen but to watch him.

He shot a four-under-par 67 to bring him within three shots of the lead at six under for the tournament.

There weren’t many words of encouragement for Sutton. Very few shouts of “Go get ‘em, Hal!” The fans saved most of their “You da mans” for Tiger.

“It’s pretty hard for anybody to pay attention to anybody but Tiger, you know,” Sutton said. “But I played good. I was happy with my round.”

Playing with Tiger means playing with Tiger’s gallery, which starts to rumble, rustle and move out after every shot he takes. Sutton’s caddie had to double as a marshal, calling out, “Stand still, please,” every time Sutton went to putt.

“It might not be as easy,” Sutton said. “They’re watching him putt, they’re ready to leave as soon as he gets through putting. You just stay focused on what you’re doing.”

With his booming drives, Woods is so dazzling that even his pars can be spectacular. It’s like Barry Sanders; some of his best runs gained no yardage, but it was fun to watch him juke three guys to get back to the line of scrimmage.

And Woods is a showman. He did his ball-bouncing trick while waiting around on the 18th tee. Except this time he didn’t use an iron, he bounced the ball off the head of his driver.

Sutton’s side entertainment came from his down-home sayings.

“I’ve got a load of those things,” he said after another near-miss putt on the sixth hole.

Sutton used to be the golden boy of the tour, back when he was named rookie of the year in 1982, won the most money in 1983 and had people hailing him as the next Jack Nicklaus after he beat Nicklaus by a shot at the 1983 PGA Championship at Riviera.

Then he went without a victory from 1987 through 1994 and looked like a candidate for “Whatever happened to . . . “ At the worst of his slump, in 1992, he made the cut eight times and produced only one top-25 finish.

“Any time you have adversity in your life, if you’re really looking at it, it’s a growth period in your life,” Sutton said. “I tried to use the things that I went through to learn and to become more mature and be able to cope with life and golf together.”

Sutton recovered and won the B.C. Open in 1995, and in 1998 he won twice, including the Tour Championship. Last year he won the Bell Canadian Open. But by then, a new generation of stars had arrived.

Sutton did play well enough to make the 1999 Ryder Cup team, and he kept the U.S. team alive over the first two days of competition, when the Europeans were dominating at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

Sutton had 3 1/2 points, the most of any American. But he didn’t make most of the highlights.

Justin Leonard is remembered because he made the dramatic 45-foot putt that clinched it.

David Duval is remembered because he finally came out of his shell and had as many fist pumps as he did birdies on the final day.

Woods is remembered because he’s Tiger Woods.

Sutton is lucky if people remember he was there.

“I was just happy to be part of that team,” Sutton said. “It was a great team, it was a great comeback. It’ll probably be a part of our memory banks for a long time.”

Sutton and Woods were the only Americans to play every match. That was a much bigger accomplishment for Sutton, 41, who is 17 years older than Woods.

“I was probably a little tireder than he was at the end of that deal,” Sutton said. “He’s in better shape than I am.

“I wanted to be part of it so bad, and wanted to contribute. I realized after it was over how tired I was.”

The rest didn’t come quickly. He got three hours of sleep before he caught a 6:30 a.m. flight back to Shreveport, La.

He was born there and still lives there, even after a career that has made him more than $9 million. He didn’t seek a tax haven in Florida. Sutton keeps it real.

First of all, you have to like anybody named Hal. Hals are guys who let you borrow their lawn mowers. They always have plenty of beer in the fridge when you stop by.

Except Hals don’t tend to attract the casual fan. Tigers do. So do Sharks, leaving the Hals on a different plane.

“I don’t want to hover just below those guys in the limelight,” Sutton said. “I want to beat ‘em.”

He winked his right eye. Just to be sure it wasn’t overlooked, he winked his left eye.

Hals don’t leave anything to chance. They take care of business.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com.