Saturday's Dairy - Round 3
Weekend Charge Begins
Sunday expected to be one of the most 
exciting finishes in Memorial History
By Kevin Alcox, Columbus Wired
photo gallery

Justin Leonard is in the hunt.  Here he watches 
his monster drive on the first tee.

Saturday at the 2002 Memorial Tournament seemed to follow suit as the week has progressed here at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. Entering play today, the leader board seemed to be very unstable as Bob Tway, Stuart Appleby and Stewart Cink were atop the board before Friday’s play and by the end of play Friday the leader board showed Justin Leonard, Harrison Frazer, and Vijay Singh joining Tway and Cink.

The Memorial seemed to be set as these five golfers seemed to be ready to take over the weekend. Of course, at Muirfield, nothing is set in stone and no golfer is able to escape the possibility of competition sneaking up on them. Saturday was no exception as many players who were thought to be out of reach of the leaders, reared their heads and established themselves on the leader board.

Not to say that these players are unknown, but in Memorial history 20 of the 26 tournaments have been won by players with a Major title to their names, including the last nine Memorial winners. Does that eliminate some of the players atop the leader board?  Maybe – maybe not? Who is to say that the tournament will follow suit as the rest have.

As play began Saturday the early groups got off to a fast start, as the greens were very soft, allowing the players to be as aggressive as they wanted to be. And with little breeze and cool temperatures the course seemed to play “easy” as Jack Nicklaus described after his round of 71. “I think you’ll see some guys go backwards.”

Players such as David Duval (67), Shigeki Maruyama (67), Briny Baird (67), David Peoples (65) and John Cook (65) began to make runs at the leaders. As the day progressed and the leaders were able to hit the course, the board began to take shape as players with the early tee times began to find the 18^th hole.

As the leaders hit the turn Cink, Tway, Leonard, Kendall, and Singh all were playing leap frog to remain in the top position. But, at the same time they could not distance themselves from the rest of the field.

“I’ve got myself in a good position for tomorrow, “ said Tway. “I do not know what will happen tomorrow but I am looking forward to it. I will have a lot of patience tomorrow and we will see what will happen.”

The course seemed to play harder as the sun began to dry out the greens making them less forgiving and the wind also began to blow out of the south causing the players to play a little more conservative not allowing them to put some strokes between them and the other players on the leader board.

As the leaders came into the club house Sunday’s pairings to shape and legitimate contenders began to be established. Six strokes seemed to be the position one needed to be within to have a chance at making a last aggressive charge on Sunday. Problem for the leaders is that 20 golfers are within that six-stroke cut off.

Atop the leader board sits Tway (-12), Cink (-11), and Leonard (-10) with 16 players within 6 shots of the leader. Any of these 20 players have a chance depending on what type of style they bring to the final 18 holes. If they relax and expect all the other players to fall off the lead they will be mistaken.

“That’s exactly what I am looking forward to tomorrow, is just go out there and enjoy the competition again that I’ve missed so bad for the last eight or so months,” said Cink. “So I finally get to satisfy my appetite.”

Expect a field of about 6 golfers to bring the tournament down to the 18^th green making this one of the most exciting finishes in Memorial History.  The Memorial has only had four tournaments require playoff holes (1976, 1984, 1991 and 1992), in all cases the winner held off a charge from a player making a strong charge on Sunday.

"Hopefully I will get off too a better start tomorrow, but it will all depend on the conditions,” said Leonard. “We will just have to wait and see what (the weather) gives us tomorrow.”

What is too be expected for Sunday, well at the Memorial the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. Someone will make a charge, someone will fail to make the move up and of course the weather will tell a story all in itself.

Friday's Dairy - Round 2
Justin Leonard in the lead after two rounds
Tway falls to third, Woods and Nicklaus make the cut.
By Dave Weissman, Columbus Wired

photo gallery

Justin Leonard sits atop the leader board after carding a 7-under-par 65 in the second round of the 2002 Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. Harrison Frazar, who was the first-round leader in 2000, sits in second place with 9-under-par. 

Bob Tway began the day as the leader (-7), increasing his total to 10-under-par by the thirteenth hole. But bogeys at the 14th and 17th holes would place him in a tie for third with former Memorial Champion Vijay Singh and Stewart Cink. 

On the fourteenth hole, Tway would hit his approach shot into the sand trap at the back of the green. His sand shot would roll across the green and end up on the fringe. He used use the butt-end of the putter, but the ball came up short of the hole. He one-putted for the bogey to drop him back to 9-under-par. 

“I had a beautiful 3-iron on 14. I actually had a beautiful yardage for the shot I needed to hit,” Tway said. “I tried to play left of the pin just barely, and I pulled it maybe five feet of where I was trying to and it takes one bounce and skips into the bunker. I’ve hit it in the bunker before and knew I was dead.” 

At 17, his drive went to the far right side and behind the big tree. His second shot would hit smack into the tree and drop into the ravine. Once again after a chip shot to the fringe, he would rely on the butt-ended putting to get it off of the fringe. He scrambled to save par on 18 but would end the day tied for third.

“I was actually very pleased with how I played,” he said. “I was 3-under through 12 holes and with a little bit of luck on the greens it could have been more than that. I hit the ball better than the 71 that I shot, but that’s the way golf is.”

Tiger Woods had a better day than yesterday, shooting 2-under-par for the day and staying even for the tournament to make the cut. He would birdie hole numbers 4, 5, 11 and 18.

Thursday’s round of 2-over-par left him very upset and frustrated. “I was not exactly pleased,” he said. “I went home and tried to cool off and get it out of my system. I didn’t feel like it was best to go out and hit balls and beat my mind up anymore than I already than it already was at the time.”

He showed a look of ‘about time’ when his putt for birdie went in on 18. Though, he still seemed frustrated with his game. “My speed (putting) was a little off,” Woods said. “I’m having a hard time getting the speed right. The change from last week (Germany) to this week and from yesterday to today. It was a little rough.”

Because the U.S. Open is in two weeks, Woods has decided to skip next week’s Kemper Open to rest and prepare. 

Rain would start to fall (this is Muirfield after all) right after Tiger Woods finished his round and Harrison Frazar would take advantage of the softening course to card a 7-under-par 65 to temporarily take over the lead. However, Justin Leonard, a friend of Frazar’s since their days in college, would also card a 65 for the day to move to 10-under and the lead at the end of the day. 

Tournament host Jack Nicklaus will play this weekend after making the cut at just plus-2. 

Jack Nicklaus surveys the line after his putt rolled over 
the cup on 18.  He would make the second putt for par.

Notables who did not make the cut include Curtis Strange, Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Couples, rookie Bryce Molder, Gary Nicklaus and John Daly, who it is rumored gave his driver to a fan after his tee shot on number 10.

Thursday's Dairy - Round 1

Tiger Woods reacts to a bad 
tee shot on hole #10.

Sunny and bright skies were in abundance today instead of the usual rain as the first round of the 2002 Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio got underway.  Three-time champion Tiger Woods was nowhere to be seen atop the leader board, but Bob Tway, who has missed the cut twice the year, is the leader after shooting a seven-under par. 

Tway, the former PGA champion and 1989 Memorial Champion hasn't won on the a PGA event since 1995,

Hometown hero and tournament founder Jack Nicklaus would energize the crowd as he birdied four of the last five holes for a 1-under 71.  “I was debating all week whether I wanted to take up a spot from somebody,” he said.  “And yesterday I just said, “Hey, I’m going to play.” 

Stuart Appleby started out strong, 
but is currently in third place with 5-under par

He joked that his good game of late is hurting his handicap.  “I’ve been carrying a two or three handicap at home all year. I shot a 69 about a month ago and ruined my handicap,” he said.  “I shortened my handicap (again) today by several shots.” 

Tiger Woods found the course rough going shooting a 1-under front nine and three over on the back nine, including a three-putt double bogey on the 18th hole.  Woods failed to break par in the opening round for the first time all year. He was not in the mood to talk to reporters after the round, instead opting to make a beeline to the clubhouse. 

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