My O’Meara
Experience struck back in 1998
Posted: Tuesday January 05, 1999 04:18 PM
| |
O'Meara began his '98 championship run at Augusta David Cannon/Allsport |
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- Mark O'Meara is no longer just the middle-age man who lives next door.
Graying around the edges, slightly balding on the top, O'Meara did not fit the prototype of the new face of golf in 1998. He was a career grinder, with 14 wins in 18 years. His contribution to the game was thought to be merely a steady influence on his neighbor, Tiger Woods.
Meet the new bully of Isleworth, the central Florida home to the golf stars where O'Meara was often overlooked by young guns such as Woods and Ernie Els.
When O'Meara raised his arms in victory after sinking a 20-foot (6-meter) birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the Masters, it was considered a nice reward for a nice player who had enjoyed a nice career.
Three months later, when O'Meara won the British Open in a playoff and raised the claret jug for the world to see, he became a champion no one could overlook.
"It's just an incredible feeling to have two major championships in a year," O'Meara said. "If I could put my finger on it, I'd have done it earlier in my career. I think it's just a little bit of experience, and a little bit of wisdom, and that usually comes with age."
The year in golf was indeed one for the ages.
While the 41-year-old O'Meara became the oldest player ever to win two majors in one year, his feat was matched on the LPGA Tour by a 20-year-old rookie from South Korea.
Twenty years after Nancy Lopez had perhaps the greatest rookie season in golf, Se Ri Pak put women's golf on the front page by winning the LPGA Championship, the U.S. Open in a 20-hole playoff and then setting an LPGA scoring record.
Pak wasn't the only snapshot of youth.
Who can forget amateur Matt Kuchar smiling during the Sunday pressure of Augusta National and the U.S. Open? Or Justin Rose, the English teenager who rejoiced after his birdie chip-in on the last hole to finish tied for fourth in the British Open? Or the shock on the face of Jenny Chausiriporn, hand cupped over mouth, as her 45-foot (13.5-meter) birdie putt disappeared into the hole to force the playoff against Pak in the U.S. Open?
Woods, meanwhile, had to settle for consistency instead of major championships.
A year after his record-setting win in the Masters raised expectations out of this world, the "Future of Golf" was put on hold. Woods won in Dubai and Atlanta, but that was about it.
Winning a major in 1998 required experience, not to mention a little luck.
Lee Janzen's wayward tee shot fell out of a tree at The Olympic Club just when all seemed to be lost. He went on to his second U.S. Open title, helped also when Payne Stewart's perfect drive landed
in a divot. Vijay Singh had a ball ricochet through the many trees of Sahalee in the final round of his victory in the PGA Championship.
Even O'Meara caught a break at Royal Birkdale when a spectator not only found his ball in the third round, but picked it up -- giving O'Meara a free drop.
Tom Watson won again on the PGA Tour at 48 but also missed the cut in all four majors for the first time. Jack Nicklaus made another Sunday charge at Augusta National at 58, then hobbled away from the game with an ailing hip and ended his Ripkenlike streak of 146 consecutive majors.
Casey Martin hobbled into history. Because of a rare circulatory disease in his right leg, Martin won his federal lawsuit against the PGA Tour for a right to use a cart. He also won outside the courtroom -- first in the Nike Lakeland Classic, then a spot in the U.S. Open, where he tied for 23rd.
Meanwhile, Greg Norman was spending his summer away from golf recovering from shoulder surgery in April. Norman missed most of the PGA Tour season and the last three majors, but returned in time to help the international team win the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, handing the United States its worst loss ever in a cup.
The real drama in match play took place at Muirfield Village, where Dottie Pepper infuriated Europe with her cheerleading and led the underdog Americans to a victory in the Solheim Cup. Across the
pond at the World Match Play Championship in Wentworth, England, the old guy showed up again.
O'Meara gave Singh the worst beating ever in the 35-year event, 11 and 10, then rallied over the back nine to beat Woods 1-up with a final-hole birdie putt from the fringe.
Youth did not disappear. Justin Leonard won The Players Championship, Phil Mickelson won two more tournaments -- he has 13 wins at age 28, none of them a major -- and David Duval emerged as
perhaps the most feared player in golf. Duval won four times, led the PGA Tour in scoring average and earned a record US$2.59 million.
Hale Irwin felt young again on the Senior Tour, winning seven times, US$2.86 million and setting a record for scoring average at 68.59. He was the overwhelming player of the year on the Senior Tour, while Annika Sorenstam beat Pak for the LPGA award, which was based on points.
Duval won twice as many tournaments as anyone else on the PGA, which gave players something to consider when they voted for their player of the year. The vote went to O'Meara, who had a year no one will soon forget.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
