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 Putts finally begin to drop for Price
Posted: Thursday July 16, 1998 07:26 PM
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) -- When the 22-foot birdie putt curved gently right to left and dropped dead into the hole, Nick Price couldn't wait for a greenside celebration. "Surprise, surprise," a delighted Price said to caddie Jimmy Johnson at the par-4 fifth. "No surprise," Johnson replied. The putting woes that have plagued Price for years faded away for at least one beautiful summer day at Royal Birkdale on Thursday. He shot 4-under 66 that left him a stroke behind playing partner Tiger Woods and John Huston after the first round of the British Open. The putts that never went in during the last round of the U.S. Open, when Price was in contention, dropped into the center of the cup to give him a chance at a second Open title to go with his two PGA Championships. "When I putt well, I have a good chance to win," Price said. "I made a couple of good putts. I'm happy. What more can I say?" Price, who shot 73 on the final day at the U.S. Open to finish fourth, overcame a shaky start to miss only one green over the last 17 holes in a round of six birdies and two bogeys. Bad club selection cost him a bogey on the first hole, when a 5-iron finished well short, and again at 10 when a 6-iron was hit through the green. But every other shot was rock solid, and good putting made up for the rest. Before making his putt on the fifth hole, Price sank a 15-footer (4 1/2 meters) on No. 3. He added a 12-footer (3 1/2 meters) on the par-4 8th, then made a 20-footer (6 meters) for birdie on 12. A pair of two-putt birdies on the par-5 15th and 17th holes completed the round. Price, who changes putters nearly as often as he changes socks, was using a new face-balanced putter that may have helped. Also helping were the hours of putting practice at his Florida home since the U.S. Open. Still, Price admitted, he had little idea that he would come out in the first round and actually make some putts. "Putting is such a fickle thing, I think it's a science, a game within a game," he said. Price's first Open win came in 1994 at Turnberry when he shot four rounds in the 60s for a 12-under performance. He was the runner-up in 1982 and again in 1988 and won the PGA Championship in 1992 and 1994. Still, the South African battles for recognition, even at home in Hobe Sound, Florida, where his neighbor and close friend is Greg Norman. "My kids still think Greg Norman is a better golfer than I am," Price said. Not this week he isn't, with Norman recovering from shoulder surgery. Instead of Norman, Price must contend with Woods, whom he will play with again on Friday. "He's learning every year," Price said of Woods. "He is diligent enough to go out there and refine and round off the rough edges." And Price's assessment of his own game at the age of 40? "I still love playing the game, so it's fun," he said. "If I could get to putt like I did from that spell from '92 through '94, I would have probably won a couple of tournaments this year."
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