When it comes
to an incredible streak of golf, Mark Calcavecchia can understand
what Tiger Woods experienced.
One day after
setting the PGA Tour's 72-hole scoring record with a 28-under 256
to win the Phoenix Open, Calcavecchia played a practice round with
Woods at Cypress Point.
"I picked his
brain a little bit,'' Calcavecchia said. "He said an interesting
thing. When you're in the process of doing what you're doing, it
just sort of happens.''
For example,
Calcavecchia said he had no idea how much under par he was in the
second round until he realized he needed to birdie the last three
holes to shoot 59. He got two of them for a 60.
"Tiger said
he doesn't remember a thing about that 6-foot putt he hit to force
a playoff at the PGA,'' Calcavecchia said. "He doesn't remember
anything other than seeing it fall in the left edge of the hole.
He was in the moment, or wherever he was.
"That's what
happened to me pretty much the whole week,'' he said. "I was in
a zone, in a daze, where no matter what happened, nothing affected
me.''
One difference?
Calcavecchia
was in a zone for four days. Tiger was in a zone for four months.
MONTY'S
MARRIAGE
Colin Montgomerie's
record reign in Europe ended last year when he failed to win his
eighth consecutive money title. Looking back, the 37-year-old Scot
said that probably saved his marriage.
In a candid
editorial for the Daily Telegraph of London, Montgomerie and his
wife discussed their marital problems and admitted they separated
briefly at the end of last year. They reunited after a vacation
in the Caribbean.
"For years,
my wife, Eimear, and I had been papering over the cracks but, finally,
we had to confront the problems,'' he said.
Montgomerie
said he became obsessed with his achievements, and Eimear, who gave
up a law career when they married in 1990, said she wasn't getting
any emotional support. Their three children also began to notice
his mood was related to his performance.
Montgomerie
said he learned a "painful but vital lesson,'' and Eimear said the
ordeal has helped them develop as a couple, and said her support
would be as strong as ever.
This could
be a turning point in Montgomerie's career. With 24 titles in Europe
and three runner-up finishes in the majors, he says his ambition
will be less obsessive. Still, he said "the competitive edge is
as sharp as it has ever been.''
BOUNCING
BALLS
Among full-line
equipment companies introducing new golf balls at the PGA Merchandise
Show were Wilson (i-wound), Strata (Tour Ultimate), and Callaway
(CB1). Titleist launched its Pro V1 late last year.
Conspicuously
missing was Taylor Made, which already has revamped its drivers
and irons. President Mark King expects to have a new ball out by
the end of the year, and that it was important to have a full line
of equipment.
"We don't have
any ambition to compete with the top golf ball companies,'' King
said. "We want to have a high-performing ball that is supported
by our staff players and tour players. If we do that, we'll sell
our fair share of golf balls.''
That could
have ramifications on its tour staff. King said when Taylor Made
has a ball that pros can play to compete at the highest level, "We
would require them to play it.''
Ernie Els,
for one, has long played the Titleist ball. Would Taylor Made risk
losing him because of a ball that King hopes will snare as little
as 3 percent of the market share?
"If we had
a ball we thought was competitive, we would,'' King said. "We believe
in our equipment. If we don't, who's going to?''
DUVAL'S
NEW STICKS
David Duval
became the first player to use Nike Golf irons on the PGA Tour when
he played with a set of blades in the Phoenix Open. He had a 1-over
143 and missed the cut for the first time since New Orleans in 1999.
Titleist filed
a complaint against Duval when he terminated his contract. Duval
already has switched to the Nike Tour Accuracy ball.
Neither Duval
nor Titleist chief Wally Uihlein are commenting on the complaint
until it is resolved. But Uihlein, who believes Nike came after
Duval while he was still under contract, was curious to hear about
the new irons Duval used in Phoenix.
"It took us
14 months to get Tiger Woods into a set of irons. It took 12 to
14 months to get Davis Love into a set of irons,'' Uihlein said.
Duval sent
notice that he was terminating his Titleist deal on Dec. 21. Five
weeks later, he was using the new Nike irons.
HIDDEN
TALENT
Ernie Els was
nearly baited into believing he had to sing at the Bird's Nest during
the Phoenix Open.
"You don't
want to hear me sing,'' Els said. "Frank Nobilo, he's the only guy
that can get me to sing at his karaoke parties at his house. And
that's after a lot of wine.''
Turns out,
Els has done some crooning. Nobilo said the Big Easy sang at Presidents
Cup dinners, and with a band.
"His voice
... I would have to say is very, very poor,'' Nobilo said. "But
with a few beers, it doesn't sound too bad.''
DIVOTS
One topic of
discussion at the USGA annual meeting this weekend is whether to
give Fred Couples an exemption from qualifying for the U.S. Open.
... Best sight from the PGA Merchandise Show -- Nike Golf president
Bob Wood taking to the stage at The Groove at Universal Studios
and playing the electric guitar with an all-Nike band. ... Victor
Chandler On Course has been designated as the "Official Bookmaker
of the 2001 Ryder Cup.'' ... Titleist boss Wally Uihlein said he
had a chance to be part of The Golf Channel debate between Ely Callaway
and USGA executive director David Fay. He balked when the topic
was limited to non-conforming drivers, instead of the impact of
technology. "That's the Cuban missile crisis,'' he said of hot drivers.
"I want to talk about the Cold War.''
STAT
OF THE WEEK
The oldest
72-hole scoring record on the PGA Tour is at the Canadian Open --
John Palmer's 263 in 1952.
FINAL
WORD
"There's 44
tournaments every year. If it was the only tournament, I would never
miss it." - Fred Couples, on why it took him so long to return to
the Phoenix Open.
