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The man with the magic wand Faxon's putter something to watch at Compaq Classic
Posted: Monday May 03, 1999 06:18 PM
By Benjamin Berman, CNN/SI Brad Faxon can putt. He's not the best driver. He's not the best iron player. And he doesn't come close to hitting the most greens. But Brad Faxon can putt. In a sport where golfers "drive for show and putt for dough," there's a great contradiction. Every golf fan has heard of John Daly, but not nearly as many know Faxon. This week's Player to Watch, Faxon is to putting what Daly is to driving -- even more so. Big John doesn't hit the fairway on his huge drives nearly as often as Faxon hits the bottom of the cup on a long putt. Currently No. 2 in putting on Tour, Faxon is always one of the best on the PGA with the flat stick. In 1999 he is averaging meager 1.716 putts per hole -- less that 31 putts a round. Only the unreal David Duval is better (1.703 per hole). This week, the PGA Tour travels to New Orleans for the $2.6 million Compaq Classic, formerly known as the Freeport-McDermott Classic. This tournament changes its name even more than golfers go through caddies -- 1999 marks the eighth sponsor change in the event's 61-year history. Faxon won this tournament in 1997. His 272 total was good for a three-stroke win over Bill Glasson and Jesper Parnevik. But since that victory -- his fifth on Tour -- Faxon hasn't seen a first-place check. In fact, 1998 was a tough one for Faxon, a pro since 1983. He finished 74th on the money list and his best finish was a sixth-place tie at the Sprint International. Although the season wasn't a normal one for Faxon, he did manage eight Top 25s and finished among the Top 100 on the money list for the 13th consecutive year. Faxon has continued to struggle in 1999. He has yet to crack the Top 10 and his 13th-place finish at the Greater Greensboro Open two weeks ago was his best of the year. Is he due? Faxon is more due than a pregnant woman in her 10th month.
And the English Turn Golf and Country Club may be just the place to get going again. This course is home to two of the toughest par 4s in all of golf. Nos. 18 and 14 finished 1oth and 44th, respectively, among the toughest holes on Tour last year. With distances well over 450 yards, these holes will need a strong drive, a smart approach and acute putting. Not a bad place for Faxon to get rolling and prove he belongs with the elite. It has been a long time since his two-victory 1992 season, but Faxon has shown signs of brilliance since. In 1995 he shot a front-nine 28 in the final round of the PGA Championship, just the second 28 in major championship history (Denis Durnian did it in the 1983 British Open). In 1996 -- possibly his best year as a pro -- he was runner-up in four events. Not only did he make all 22 cuts that year, he went over the $1 millon mark in earnings for the first time, too. At 37, Faxon isn't one of the Generation Next golfers. But his time is far from over. As one of the PGA's best putters, Faxon may be having his best season on the green. Look for Brad Faxon to have a strong showing this week at the Compaq Classic.
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