He Was Driven to Distraction

It could have gone down as the worst blunder in golf since Roberto De Vicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard in the 1968 Masters.

Instead, the two-stroke penalty against Ian Woosnam for carrying too many clubs in his bag Sunday becomes merely an unfortunate footnote to the final round of the 2001 British Open.

Woosnam, who hasn’t won since 1997 and wasn’t expected to contend here, was a surprise leader--with three others--at six under par after Saturday’s third round.

When he hit a six-iron on the par-three first hole within six inches of the cup, it appeared as if he might emerge in a two-way tie at seven under with early starter Niclas Fasth. A tap-in birdie seemed to confirm it.

Instead, his score on the hole turned into a bogey four when his caddy, Miles Byrne, discovered that there were 15 clubs in the bag, one over the limit. That left him at five under for the tournament, two shots off the lead.

“I teed my ball up at the second and my caddy said to me, ‘You’re going to go ballistic,”’ Woosnam said. “I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘We have two drivers in the bag.’

“At that time, I felt like I had been kicked in the teeth. It is hard enough to be level with some of the best players in the world. To give them a two-shot advantage . . . I wasn’t feeling too enthusiastic about it.”

Woosnam used two drivers on the practice range. Witnesses said he told his caddy to put one in the bag and make sure the other was left out.

“I suppose I should have checked the clubs,” Woosnam said. “That is what you pay a caddy for. It’s the ultimate sin for a caddy, counting the clubs. The biggest tournament there is--Jesus.”

Woosnam parred the second, but he bogeyed Nos. 3 and 4. He made up those two shots with an eagle on No. 6, but he didn’t get back to seven under until he birdied the 13th. He couldn’t sustain any momentum, though, and finished at six under, four shots behind winner David Duval, and tied for third.

“I would have finished second most probably,” Woosnam said. “You know, it might have cost me a couple of shots until I recovered from it. So that’s how it goes. I will just have to win it next year, won’t I?”

Hugh Campbell, chairman of the tournament committee, said Woosnam should accept some blame because he arrived at the first tee with only 30 seconds to spare. That didn’t give officials time to give him the obligatory reminder of the club limit.

“Usually, you ask them to check the number of clubs just in case an extra one has been put in there by mistake,” he said. “Most times, they look at you like a congenital idiot for asking.”

Another factor was that the first hole is a par three, meaning that the caddy didn’t reach for the driver until the second tee. If Woosnam had played the second hole with an extra club, he would have been assessed the ultimate penalty of four strokes for the infraction.

Television commentator Curtis Strange said he would have fired the caddy on the spot and carried his own bag.

“He will have a severe bollocking when I get in, but I won’t sack him,” Woosnam said. “He’s a good lad. I imagine he’s feeling as sick as a parrot.”

*

De Vicenzo shot a three at the 17th hole in the final round at Augusta 33 years ago, but his playing partner, Tommy Aaron, recorded a four for him. De Vicenzo signed the scorecard after the round, making it official, and giving him a total score of 278 for the tournament. A correct scorecard would have read 277, qualifying him for a playoff with Bob Goalby.

*

What do you expect, Tiger Woods to win every major tournament?

Well, yes.

But Woods reminded reporters Sunday after shooting an even-par 71 for a one-under 283 total that not even he should be expected to do that. That is the same total score he had in tying for 12th in the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in Tulsa, seven shots behind winner Retief Goosen. He tied for 25th here, nine shots behind Duval.

Asked if his finishes in the last two majors made him appreciate more the four in a row he won, he said, “No, because I probably understand a lot more than you guys do how tough it is. I’m out there playing and trying to deal with the emotions and the situations down the stretch of a major championship.

“It’s not easy. Probably I am a better judge of that than most people because I’ve been there. I do appreciate what I did.

“The game is very fickle and we try as hard as we can and I am not overly disappointed with today, or this week, because I tried as hard as I could. You are not going to play well every week. Everyone who plays this game understands that.”