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Dream round Sutton overcomes sleep disorder to regain game
DULUTH, Ga. (Reuters) -- Hal Sutton, revitalized after finding treatment for a sleep disorder, played a dream round Thursday as the short, but straight hitter kept up with the power players to join the chase for the PGA Championship. Former PGA champion Sutton shot a 3-under-par 67 on the 7,213-yard Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club, which was expected to favor the long hitters after being softened by rain early in the week. Besides contending with the likes of British Open champion David Duval and world No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the top of the leaderboard, Sutton has also had to deal with his recently diagnosed condition, sleep apnea. The disorder causes him to stop breathing while sleeping. "The brain sends a message to the heart to beat more because it's not getting enough oxygen," Sutton said. "The heart beats faster, and it wakes you up." Sutton is using a breathing machine to help him sleep better and to avoid the after-effects, which make him feel sluggish in the mornings. "Every morning when I wake up, I feel like I've just run a marathon," said Sutton, who won the 1983 PGA Championship at Riviera Country Club as a 25-year-old. Sutton is enjoying another fine season and is a virtual lock to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team as he stands sixth on the points list. The Louisianian won earlier this season at the Houston Open to continue a streak of four years in a row with a PGA Tour victory. Sutton's 67 included three birdies in a bogey-free round that was his best score in a PGA since his second-round 66 in his 1983 run to victory. "I felt like I drove the ball well," Sutton said. "I missed three fairways today and only one of them did I really miss, the other two were just a foot or two off. I hit 17 greens so I liked the way I played."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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