The putter may
not be the most important thing in David Toms's bag this week in the Buick Challenge.
Sure, he took only 80 putts
through the first three rounds at Callaway Gardens, good enough for a three-stroke
lead after another 6-under 66 today. But without those little packets of aspirin,
Toms might be flat on his back.
"There
were more Advils than birdies," he said of his round.
Popping aspirin to relieve the pain in his back, Toms put some distance between
co-leaders Stuart Appleby and Harrison Frazar with three birdies down the stretch,
and he walked gingerly off the Mountain View course at 16-under 200.
Appleby closed with eight straight pars for a 69 and was at 203. Frazar, who took
as much aspirin as Toms for his ailing right wrist, had a 70 and was another stroke
back.
"Hopefully,
I got my bad round out of the way and tomorrow will be a good one," Frazar said,
trying to win on the PGA Tour for the first time.
A round of 2-under 70 is hardly a disgrace, but it was a sure way to lose ground
on another day for good scoring at Callaway Gardens. Toms figured that out before
he went to the fitness trailer -- a daily ritual -- and teed off.
John Maginnes turned in the best round of the day, an 8-under 64 that shot him
up from 45th to fourth place at 205.
"I
knew birdies were out there to be made," he said.
But first things first. Toms's back has been ailing him off and on the past 10
years, and it showed up against on Wednesday when he walked out of his pro-am
and thought he might have to withdraw. The daily routine is no longer the practice
range but the fitness trailer.
"He
cracked my back a couple of times, and off I went," Toms said. "It's been fine,
just a day-to-day thing."
Toms went eight straight holes without a birdie in the middle of his round, but
managed to stay patient. He hit a 9-iron to 5 feet on 14, then blasted out of
the bunker to 15 feet for another birdie on 15.
He closed out his second straight 66 with an 8-foot putt on 17 and got up-and-down
from the first cut of rough on the final hole.
Like his soft-spoken nature, Toms is quietly having the best season of his career.
Having won the Sprint International in August, he is 13th on the PGA Tour money
list and could get into the top 10 with a victory Sunday.
"I'm
very happy, but I'm not surprised," he said. "I've been out here long enough,
and it's time to get over that hump. Now, I'm in position to do some great things."
Davis Love III stayed in
the hunt with a 68 and was among eight players at 206.
"I'm
not gaining any ground, but I kept myself in it," said Love, trying to win for
the first time this year.
Maginnes proved someone from back in the pack could make a big run. He started
birdie-eagle-birdie and turned in the best score of the day.
"I've
never played a golf course where 3-3-3 is not a good start, and that includes
par-3 courses," Maginnes said.
Appleby didn't find much difference between his 69 and a 64 on Friday, except
for the putts not going in.
"You
don't make birdies with drivers and irons," he said.
Still, a strong finish Sunday could lead to his second victory of the year, or
at least get him off the bubble -- he is No. 30 on the money list with the Tour
Championship only a month away.
Frazar also is playing hurt, and he winced a few times when shots he had to gouge
out of the rough caused some pain in his right wrist.
"I
just have to keep it in the fairway," he said.
That's good advice for everyone. If there was one weakness in Toms's game it was
his driving. The stiff back kept him from freely swinging his driver, although
he managed to hit all but four greens.
As long as he keeps a big supply of aspirin in the bag, he should be just fine.
DIVOTS:
Coming off the most thrilling Ryder Cup ever, Love is worried about the future
of the Presidents Cup. "It's a great event, but it's not as exciting as the Ryder
Cup. You can see that in the players, see that in the fans," he said. Love said
while everyone looks forward to playing in Virginia next year for Ken Venturi,
a half-dozen may not want to go to South Africa in 2002. ... Here's an example
of how a putt defines a career. Justin Leonard missed a par putt on No. 9 Friday
and was walking solemnly to the 10th tee when a fan said, "Great putt, Justin."
Leonard glared at him and said curtly, "Thanks, I made bogey." The started fan
replied, "I meant the Ryder Cup." ... Frazar made an eagle for the third straight
day, this one on the par-5 second hole. ... Love left after his round for Atlanta
to see the NHL debut of the Thrashers. ... Maginnes has fond memories of Callaway
Gardens. He was a Monday qualifier in 1992 to make his first PGA Tour event. Four
years later, he was part of the five-man playoff won by Michael Bradley when the
tournament was shortened to 36 holes because of rain.
