Presidents Cup Notebook
Summer suds satisfy players
Posted: Tuesday December 29, 1998 08:27 PM
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Towel boy: Steve Elkington tried to fight the 105 degree heat with some homemade shade Nick Wilson/Allsport |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- It knocked out eight TV camera crew members, sunburned thousands more and baked Royal Melbourne's lush greens hard and fast within a day. Welcome to Australia's blistering summer.
A relentless sun sent the thermometer to 105 degrees Friday -- the second- hottest December day this century in Melbourne.
Nowhere was it hotter than the shadeless tees and fairways of Royal Melbourne Golf Club, where Presidents Cup players batted away flies and sweated profusely through up to 36 holes.
Eight members of the network carrying the Presidents Cup live in Australia collapsed as they lugged heavy gear around the course, organizers said. Players smeared themselves with sunscreen and kept a steady supply of water.
The players -- who come from sun-bleached countries such as Australia, South Africa, Fiji and Paraguay and who mostly live in balmy U.S. states such as Florida -- are not ones to complain.
"As little golf as I've played this year I have probably played 20 days that were hotter than this one," said Jack Nicklaus, the U.S. team captain. "The weather was fine. It was a nice day."
Asked what the feeling was among the players at the end of the day, International team captain and Melbourne native Peter Thomson said: "They were very thirsty. They went straight for the beer barrel."
And the heat is not about to let up. The forecast for Saturday is for another day in the 100s with gusty winds to continue. Thunderstorms and a cooler wind change were expected by late afternoon.
Match-play movesNick Price and Ernie Els twice showed some of the gamesmanship that makes match play special.
On the fifth hole of the best-ball match against David Duval and Phil Mickelson, Els elected to go first with his 6-foot birdie putt, even though Price was about 12 feet away. Duval had a 10-footer.
Had Price gone first and missed, Duval would have had the right to putt next. But Els made his shorter birdie putt, Price picked up and Duval stood over his putt knowing he had to make it to halve the hole -- and he did.
The same situation came up again on the 18th hole, with Duval and Mickelson trying to hang on to a 1-up lead. Els was about 15 feet away, Duval had a 10-footer for birdie and Price was only 4 feet from the cup. Els had Price make his birdie putt, and Duval needed his to win the match. This time, he missed.
Papa Bear
At the opening ceremony, U.S. team captain Jack Nicklaus almost shed a tear when he introduced his team, which he said he considers family-like.
The Golden Bear paused in his opening remarks before a crowd, which included former U.S. President George Bush at the ceremony Thursday and said the Presidents Cup was a very emotional time for him.
On Friday, when David Duval and Mark O'Meara were two-down in the first day's foursomes match and New Zealanders Frank Nobilo and Greg Turner, Nicklaus walked with Duval down the 14th hole to give them support.
"They were two down, I thought it would be a good idea," Nicklaus said. "I'm the captain and these are my children in so many ways. I wouldn't tell them anything, just basically say, you know, I'm there for you.' "
Duval and O'Meara won the hole, but lost the match.
Two years on
When the most recent Presidents Cup was held in 1996 at Gainesville, Virginia, 1991 British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch was the assistant captain. This year, after having virtually retired from competitive golf, he's among the spectators.
On Friday, he followed Australian Stuart Appleby and Zimbabwean Nick Price during their halved match with Americans Davis Love III and Justin Leonard. Baker-Finch, who was mired in a horrible slump before deciding to put away his clubs, spent much of his time talking to the players and caddies and signing a few autographs.
A few comments from the gallery about a possible return to the pro tour were met only by smiles.
Special autographs
Autograph hunting is usually out of bounds while play is under way, but Greg Norman fetched his own pen from his golf bag and made for the ropes when he saw two physically disabled spectators on the 10th hole Friday.
Norman walked ahead and while waiting for foursomes partner and fellow Australian Steve Elkington to tee off, signed International team flags and baseball caps for the two, who sat in wheelchairs in the shade of some shrubbery.
The two didn't speak, but broad smiles and a thumbs up were Norman's thanks.
"You got it, mate," Norman said.
The distraction didn't appear to affect Norman's game. The Australian pair birdied the par-5, 483-yards hole to halve with Americans Jim Furyk and John Huston, who lost the match 2-down.
Bug problem
Flies and other bugs reveling in the hot conditions at Royal Melbourne are making their presence felt on the course.
Players and onlookers previously unfamiliar with the "the great Aussie salute" -- a loosely-defined gesture which involves touching a finger to one temple then waving the hand across the face in a motion designed to keep away buzzing flies -- are getting the hang of it fast.
Play even stopped once Friday when a bug landed on Australian Stuart Appleby's ball during his foursome match. No amount of staring, or even gentle blowing on the ball, could move the pest, which left in its own good time.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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