It's all up in the air
Weather should play a major role in this tournament
Posted: Monday November 16, 1998 08:19 PM
By Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated
In trying to handicap the Grand Slam of Golf, it is important to remember that there are two Poipu Bay Golf Clubs. When the wind is down the course it is eminently playable, a lovely seaside links layout with artful bunkering, natural
waste areas, and challenging but fair greens. At least that's what I've heard.
When I played there two years ago it was windier than Rush Limbaugh, and the course was a monster. The fairways were only a rumor. The foursome I was playing with spent all day in jail off the tee, playing for bogey and only
occasionally succeeding.
The weather is particularly relevant for this Grand Slam because of the dichotomy in the field. Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh are two of the
most powerful players in golf, capable of lashing drives through the wind and muscling out of the junk. If the breeze is up they will have a huge advantage, and I would look for Singh to prevail, as he has been hotter down the stretch and seems to have exorcised the putting demons that continue to bedevil Woods.
However, if conditions are calm, it will mean an advantage for Mark O'Meara and Lee Janzen, two guys who make up for their lack of length with deadly putters. Poipu is only 6,959 yards, and without the wind it is relatively defenseless (for Tour players, anyway).
In the absence of gales, all four players will attack the course, turning the Grand Slam into a putting contest on user-friendly resort greens. If that happens I like O'Meara, who has made more clutch putts than any player in golf this season.
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