Welcome to the first installment of Cole's 73rd hole! The PGA tour is at the Bay Hill Invitational this week. Let’s break down the action.
Located in Orlando, Florida, this challenging golf course has hosted a PGA event 14 times. The past four years, Tiger Woods has walked away as the champion. Other winners of the tournament include Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Tom Kite, and Fuzzy Zoeller.
During his practice round on Thursday, Tiger had to discontinue play after 11 holes. The second ranked player in average driving distance (304.7 yards) complained of severe pain in his neck, and quickly went to receive treatment. He felt better on Thursday.
Tiger was vying for his fifth consecutive title, a feat unmatched by any other professional golfer. After a first round 67, Woods said, "I haven't won anything yet." And he is right. There are many extremely talented golfers. After round one, Tiger trailed Chad Campbell, Shigeki Maruyama, and Darren Clarke, all of whom shot 66.
At the close of round two, Shigeki Maruyama held the lead by two strokes at 6 under. Tiger Woods had a difficult day as he carded a 74, tied for 27th place. His quest for the 5-peat was still attainable, however, it was going to take a huge run in the third and fourth rounds. Who knew what would happen when Tiger sports his patented red shirt on Sunday. During Friday's round, Tiger was unable to hit fairways while botching several putts.
Meanwhile, the 5-7 Japanese sensation Maruyama was looking to capture his first victory since winning The Chrysler Classic of Greensboro last October. On Thursday and Friday, he shot consecutive 66's. He is playing at a high level right now, and he was certainly in good position to take home the $4.5 million first place prize.
What makes Maruyama's early success in this tournament sweet is his past struggles at Bay Hill. In four tournaments at the same course, he had never even broken 70.
Woods needed to match one of his greatest comebacks to win this tournament. "If the leaders play well, hats off to them. I just need to take care of my own business," said Tiger on Friday.
Big name players who did not make the cut include Ernie Els, who missed playing during the weekend by one stroke, and Retief Goosen, who fired a second round 74. Goosen, the 2001 U.S. Open winner, ended his personal streak of shooting par or better at 30 rounds.
The action grew in intensity during the third round. Four straight birdies on the front nine catapulted Stuart Appleby into the lead. Windy conditions didn't affect Appleby en route to a third round 66. He leads by four strokes over Chad Campbell.
Tiger Woods struggled once again, shooting a 2 over 74. Heading into Sunday, Tiger trailed by 15 shots. His chance at making history appeared to be over, at least for now. Following the third round, Tiger said, "Hey, I tried my best. It's not going to happen." Woods was tied for 46th after round 3.
The windy conditions forced Campbell and Appleby to have to make some putts. That is exactly what each did. "He would make a putt, I would make a putt," Campbell said. "It was fun."
John Daly continued his sensational play. He was tied for 12th after the third round. The scores for the 2004 Buick Invitational winner were 68-70-70. The 31st ranked player in total birdies, Daly has won a total of $1,139,646 already in 2004 and has shown signs of future success.
Maruyama struggled on Saturday, finishing with a 75. He trailed Appleby by seven strokes.
Heading into Sunday, the leader board looked like this:
1 Stuart Appleby (200)
2 Chad Campbell (204)
3 Adam Scott (206)
4 Shigeki Maruyama (207)
T5. Rod Pampling (208)
T5. Steve Lowery (208)
T5. John Daly (208)
T5. Darren Clarke (208)
T9. Sergio Garcia (209)
T9. Fredrik Jacobson (209)
Round four validated the weekend of chaos on the leader board. Trailing by four shots, Chad Campbell shot a smooth 66 in the final round. It qualifies as one of the greatest comebacks in Bay Hill history. The 29-year-old Campbell has risen to star status on the PGA tour. His bogey free round on Sunday marked the first time a player has come back to win here since Phil Mickelson did it in 1997. On a side note, Phil chose not to participate in this event for personal reasons. The tide turned against Stuart Appleby on the 11th hole. He hit from one bunker into another, bogeying the hole. He trailed when he three putted on the fourteenth.
Woods had another difficult day. He shot a 73, the first time he has shot three consecutive rounds over par in a regular PGA tour event. Woods said, "My bad shots were unplayable. I just need to tighten up those shots." Tiger felt confident he would have his game in order when the PGA tees it up for the TPC Sawgrass, the Players Championship.
The final scoreboard looks as follows:
1. Chad Campbell (270)
2. Stuart Appleby (276)
T3 Adam Scott (277)
T3 Scott Verplank (277)
5 Jerry Kelly (278)
6 Stephen Ames (280)
6. Darren Clarke (280)
6. Zach Johnson (280)
6. Shigeki Maruyama (280)
10. John Daly (281)
10. Dennis Paulson (281)
Cole Craddock is a freshman at the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys playing a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and golf. You can email questions or comments to Cole by clicking here.
