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Price may be right Zimbabwe's finest a heavy favorite at MCI Classic
Posted: Wednesday April 14, 1999 04:52 PM
By Benjamin Berman, CNN/SI If it seems like every week Nick Price is in the hunt to win a tournament, that's because he usually is. This week's Player to Watch, Price has enjoyed a magnificent career since turning professional in 1977. And in the 1990s, nobody has been better. His 15 PGA Tour victories in the '90s (he joined the Tour in 1982) are tops among pros, three better than Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara. Price and the PGA Tour travel to Hilton Head Island, S.C. for the MCI Classic this week. Located at Harbour Town Golf Links, this tournament has attracted the biggest names over the years -- and some of the best performances. This year's purse has increased to $2.5 million, with the winner pocketing $450,000. It is no wonder that very few players are taking the week off, even though the event comes the week after the Masters. Price, for one, is no stranger to the MCI Classic. In 1997, he blew away the field at Harbour Town, leading wire-to-wire and winning by six strokes. His four-round 269 was the fourth-best total in the tournament's 30-year history. In 1998 Price tied for sixth at the MCI Classic, and would have been right there if not for Love. A four-time champion of the MCI Classic, Love torched the field in an effort similar to Price's the year before, winning by seven strokes. The PGA thinks highly of the difficulty of this event. According to the 1999 PGA Media Guide, "The scenic home of the MCI Classic has tight driving areas, small greens, swirling winds and enough trees to make players want to carry chainsaws in their bag." There is one final curve to throw into this weekend's event: Besides the difficulty of the course and the intense competition, the MCI is especially tough to play because it follows the emotionally draining Masters. That leads this week's Watch back to Price. It is no surprise he plays well on this course year after year. Players need to be strategic and patient to fare well at this event. That's Nick Price.
No. 4 in scoring average on Tour at 69.66 strokes per round, there is no doubt Price has the tools and experience to play well this weekend. Price, who makes his home in Hobe Sound, Fla., has amassed an astonishing 39 victories in his career, including 23 on international circuits. It wasn't until 1993 that Price became a household name in the U.S., though. Price won three straight on the PGA Tour that year -- the first person to do that since Tom Watson in 1980. Then came 1994, and Price became the sport's best player. He won six times, including two majors -- the British Open and PGA Championship. Price disappeared for two years after that. He still was in the Top 10 on several occasions, but he couldn't get a win. Finally, at the '97 MCI Classic, Price reemerged with his easy win. It was obvious by year's end that Price was back. He finished in the Top 20 in earnings for the first time since '94. And in 1998, he went over $1 million in earnings for the second consecutive season and won the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic. So far this year, Price's game has been terrific. Although he has not won, Price has been a factor nearly every week. His best finish is third, coming at The Players Championship at Sawgrass -- another demanding event. He ranks fifth in all-around statistics, including fifth in putts per round and eighth in total driving. He is also No. 14 on the money list at $690,600 and has three Top 10s in just six events. As for last week at the Masters, Price was on the leaderboard all week before finishing tied for sixth at 3 under. He's playing well, he has the history and he is one of the most experienced players on Tour. Sounds like a good combination for a player going from the biggest tournament in golf to one of the most difficult.
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