Victory Is Not Beyond All Hope for Sabbatini

By THOMAS BONK

Jan. 23, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PALM DESERT —

It’s last call at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which may be good news for one Rory Mario Trevor Sabbatini, whose parents stayed up all night in Durban, South Africa, last year drinking scotch and watching the scores change on the Internet when he had a chance to win the BellSouth Classic.

When the last round of the Hope begins today at Bermuda Dunes, the leader is this 23-year-old South African with the name longer than the 18th fairway and a swing destined to make short work of some tournament sometime . . . maybe even this time.

“I’m just going to go out there and play my game,” said Sabbatini, who is clearly a veteran in the cliche department despite his relatively youthful PGA Tour career, which now covers exactly 29 tournaments.

One thing about the Hope, when you have to play a whopping 90 holes over five days, it means there are only about a hundred players who have a chance to win.

By no means is Sabbatini going to be out there on cruise control today, basically because he is in danger of being run down from behind. Sabbatini’s 23-under-par total of 264 is worth a one-shot lead over Matt Gogel, thanks to Sabbatini’s searing eight-under 64 at Indian Wells Country Club.

Gogel posted a sedate 68 at Bermuda Dunes and finds himself one shot ahead of David Duval, Jesper Parnevik, Rich Beem and Stephen Ames. A six-time winner on the Nike Tour, Gogel promises not to be suffocated by the pressure of being chased by Duval and Parnevik.

“It’s not like I’m in awe of everybody I’ve been playing around,” Gogel said.

Perhaps, although a good, healthy dose of fear wouldn’t hurt when considering Duval.

Not only did Duval stay close to the lead with a 68 at Bermuda Dunes, he produced a potential highlight reel shot at the par-four 16th hole. He pulled his drive and the ball landed on a tree root, about 167 yards from the front of the green.

The tree impeded his swing, so Duval took a seven-iron, aimed 70 yards to the right of the green and unloaded a big, sweeping hook, the ball bouncing onto the green. He two-putted from 25 feet for par.

“I figured if I hit a good shot, I could get it up near the green,” Duval said. “I didn’t really expect to get on. But it turned out better than I expected.”

There are still 20 players within five shots of Sabbatini, who can only hope he begins the fifth round in the same way he ended the fourth. That would be with an eagle. At No. 18, Sabbatini reached the green from 208 yards with a five-iron, then sank a 15-foot putt for eagle.

Said Sabbatini: “It was a huge thing.”

As for the cut, it was a low thing. At 11 under, it was the lowest in PGA Tour history. Of course, the Hope is the only tournament with four rounds preceding the cut.

Steve Pate, the runner-up to Duval last year, missed the cut by one shot. Corey Pavin missed by two shots and Casey Martin missed by three in his debut as a PGA Tour pro.

Martin, who was 10 under at the turn after a 30 at La Quinta, shot a 39 on the back and double-bogeyed No. 18 when he had to drop his ball after he hit a three-wood off the tee and the ball rolled into a water hazard. Martin took off his shoes and socks and thought about trying the shot but decided he couldn’t do it.

“I’m bummed,” Martin said. “Four days of grinding and playing well and I get nothing for it. That sucks. That’s life. That’s golf.

“Would have been, could have been, should have been. I blew it on that hole. That’s all right. I’ll be better next week.” Sabbatini hopes his experience of coming close at last year’s BellSouth will make him a better player. He opened with back-to-back 65s and led by four shots, but closed with a 73-70 to finish third. Duval wound up winning.

“It taught me a harsh lesson,” Sabbatini said.

Many more lessons remain, although Sabbatini seems fairly advanced in the confidence department, which ought to serve him well eventually. Four days into the Hope, he isn’t waiting to fall apart.

“It’s not like I’m sitting here wondering, ‘I’ve had four good days, when am I going to have a bad day?’

“I’m ready to go out there and shoot even lower.”

That’s certainly the right idea at this place.

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

LEADERS

Rory Sabbatini 67-67-66-64--264 -23

Matt Gogel 66-67-64-68--265 -22

Stephen Ames 66-73-63-64--266 -21

Rich Beem 67-63-65-71--266 -21

Jesper Parnevik 69-67-66-64--266 -21

David Duval 68-67-63-68--266 -21

Kirk Triplett 69-64-69-65--267 -20