'He's a pretty darn good player'
Maruyama makes name for himself at Presidents Cup
Posted: Sunday December 13, 1998 10:10 AM
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Quest for perfection: One more win will make Maruyama only the second man to go 5-0 in the Presidents Cup in one year AP |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- After winning all five of his matches in the Presidents Cup, Shigeki Maruyama couldn't help but smile. The Americans couldn't help but wonder: Just who is this guy?
One of the least known players on an International team loaded with stars like Greg Norman, Steve Elkington, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, Maruyama stole the show at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The International won the Presidents Cup on Sunday, and Maruyama was a big reason why.
Five matches, five victories and some pretty impressive victories.
Maruyama, whose six professional victories have all come in Japan, gave the International team its biggest lift Saturday in an alternate-match with Craig Parry when he sank a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to even the match against Fred Couples and Tiger Woods.
Parry won it a hole later with a 50-foot chip-in for birdie.
In the afternoon, Maruyama teamed with countryman Joe Ozaki and dusted off David Duval and Phil Mickelson in a best-ball match. After Mickelson squared the match with a 30-foot putt, Maruyama ended the match in a hurry with three straight birdies for a 3 and 2 victory.
Events like the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup are a perfect place for an unknown star to emerge, and this year the label fits nicely on the 5-foot-6 Japanese dynamo.
"It certainly has brought the recognition of players into focus -- other than the United States players and Australian players who we all know about," said U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus. "From a television standpoint, I think it's wonderful."
Maruyama is regarded in Japan as the next Jumbo Ozaki, who has won over 100 tournaments and is ranked No. 13 in the world. But the knock on Ozaki is that he can never win outside Japan.
Maruyama already is a little more traveled.
Not only was he among the early leaders in the 1996 British Open and this year's PGA Championship at Sahalee, the long-hitting Maruyama finished 11th in the World Series of Golf in August, which was won by Duval.
"Outside of Japan, a lot of people don't think of Japanese golf at this level," Maruyama said through an interpreter. "We wanted to do our best and to represent Japan to everyone around the world.
"We don't go out of Japan very much, but when we do, we like to play well."
Going into Sunday's matches, only two players had unblemished records through two days and 20 matches at Royal Melbourne -- Maruyama and Joe Ozaki, added to the team when his brother, Jumbo, decided he didn't want to make the trip. Joe Ozaki lost his singles match Sunday to Scott Hoch 4 and 3.
Ozaki's two victories came in the best-ball matches when he was teamed with Maruyama. And Maruyama has been the one making the difference.
In their 4 and 3 victory over Mark Calcavecchia and John Huston, Maruyama made three straight birdies on the front side for a 3-up lead that they never relinquished. On Saturday, he once again gave the Japanese team the early lead with birdie putts, then turned it on right when it looked like Mickelson and Duval were ready to make a run.
In the alternate-shot matches, Maruyama took advantage of Parry's knowledge of Royal Melbourne -- they whipped U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and Scott Hoch 3 and 2 on Friday, then added the 1-up victory over Woods and Couples on Saturday.
"I hit where Mr. Parry told me to hit," Maruyama said.
On Sunday, Maruyama beat John Huston 3 and 2 to continue his amazing run and tie the record held by Mark O'Meara in 1996. Maruyama was never down in his match with Huston and won it on the 16th hole when he and his opponent halved the hole.
Maruyama will never be confused for O'Meara, the Masters and British Open champion, but he's certainly making a name for himself.
"Maruyama hasn't played much in the States, but when he plays, he usually plays pretty well," said U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus, who has watched him at his own Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour. "He's a pretty darn good player."
The Americans found that out in a hurry.
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