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Notebook Garcia misses cut after second-round 75
Updated: Friday August 17, 2001 11:22 PM
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) -- There will be no Sergio over the weekend at the PGA Championship. Sergio Garcia shot a 5-over 75 Friday and missed the cut. He was joined by former PGA winner John Daly, who won this tournament a decade ago, and former British Open champion Paul Lawrie. Daly shot a 41 on his opening nine Friday, which included a triple-bogey eight on the par-5 12th hole. He double-bogeyed the same hole in the first round. The only thing consistent about Daly over the two days at the Atlanta Athletic Club was his ability to avoid the media after his two rounds. After signing his scorecard, he refused to answer any questions about his round and quickly headed to the locker room each time. Lawrie was 4-over for Friday and finished two shots shy of the cut, which was 1-over. Some other former champions didn't fare well the last two days, either. Mark Brooks, the 1996 champion, missed the cut after a pair of 71s, while 1977 winner Lanny Wadkins carded an 86 and 85 to finish 31-over par, by far the worst showing in his 28 PGA Championships. And Tom Lehman might have lost the most. His two 72s should push him out of the 10th and final roster spot for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He'll now have to count on captain Curtis Strange selecting him as an at-large pick. "It's out of my hands," Lehman said. "I don't even feel like thinking about it now. Whatever happens, happens."
Waite a minuteWhat a difference a day makes. Just ask PGA Championship first-round leader Grant Waite.Waite shot a 64 Thursday to take the lead, but followed that up with a 4-over 74 to fall from contention. "I don't think I made a putt over 3 feet," said Waite of New Zealand. "On a course like this you've got to putt well." Waite needed just 29 putts in his first round, but had 34 Friday. He also hit two fewer fairways in his second round. "It's not the putter," Waite said. "It's just mentally allowing myself to putt. I probably left four, five or six putts within 18 inches dead short. My game is easily good enough to contend in a tournament like this, but you've got to allow it to work."
Pate's PerilsJerry Pate raised got some attention when he began the day 5-under through 14 holes, but he faltered down the stretch and missed the cut.The 47-year-old player was invited to the PGA Championship as a special exemption. He won the U.S. Open at the Atlanta Athletic Club 25 years ago. And it appeared Pate would make the cut with a solid second round, but he finished with a pair of double bogeys after plunking balls in the water on Nos. 17 and 18. "I picked the wrong two holes to make bad swings," he said. "In the first 14 holes I looked like I could beat anybody in the world. I hit it in the fairways and stroked it." But a limited schedule caught up with Pate. He has played in just five tournaments in the last six years. "The only reason I finished the way I did is because I'm not tournament tough," Pate said. "I would like to play more on the regular tour, but sometimes you feel embarrassed to pick up the phone and ask people for a sponsor's exemption. "I know I can still play, but you can't play when you're sitting at home in Pensacola, Fla. and working in the office." Pate said he plans to play on the Senior PGA Tour when he turns 50.
Strange weekendCurtis Strange will have plenty of time to mull over his at-large picks to the U.S. Ryder Cup team this weekend.The Ryder Cup captain shot rounds of 74 and 77 to finish 11-over-par and miss the cut at the PGA Championship. "I hope it's not a situation where I have to flip a coin," Strange said. "It looks like enough guys are playing well." Strange said he would be watching the tournament on TV even if he wasn't picking the team. "We all forget this is a major championship. Sure I will watch, but a little closer for obvious reasons."
Clubbing itRick Schuller was breathing hard and was dead tired, but a hug from his children meant he had made the cut at the PGA Championship as a club professional.And Schuller, a pro at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, Va., did it in style with a two-day total of 2-under 138. He's tied for 26th heading into the third round. It could have been better for Schuller as he got to 5-under before he double bogeyed No. 16 and bogeyed 18 to settle for an even-par round of 70. "I was just trying to hang on there those last four holes because it was getting long out there," the 38-year-old Schuller said. "My heart got beating after I hit my tee shot on No. 15. I was just saying, 'Try not to stumble all over yourself.'" His two-day total tied for the third-best by a club pro. The mark is held by Jay Overton with a 134 in 1988. "As club pros we play all of our tournaments in carts, so I haven't been disciplined enough like I should," he said. "I was beat down the stretch." Schuller said making the cut was the highlight of his golfing career. "I won my state open and I played in some PGA Tour events back home, but this is it, this is my Augusta."
DivotsSteve Elkington, who won the 1995 PGA Championship, withdrew before the second round with an illness. ... Tom Watson made his second straight PGA Championship cut after missing his previous three.
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