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A Minor Miracle

The Week: Nov. 23-29

We were thrilled when Tiger Woods won the '97 Masters at 21, but today golf has gone positively peach fuzz. An 18-year-old, Aaron Baddeley, won the Australian Open (beating Greg Norman, among others) in a fitting end to the year of Woods, Sergio Garcia, 19, and the 13-year-old Wongluekiet twins -- Naree, who won again last Saturday, and Aree. Golf is still about the majors, but these minors matter.

GOLF PLUS EXTRA My Shot: Barbara Nicklaus Baddeley, 18, showed grit beyond his years at Royal Sydney Golf Club. Nick Wilson/Allsport UP DOWN Fred Couples David Duval Aaron Baddeley Greg Norman Defibrillators Cigars Fanny Sunesson Nick Faldo 2000 1999 NEXT UP JCPenney Classic THREESOMES Q. What do these players have in common? Terry Dill DeWitt Weaver Rocky Thompson A. They are the only Senior tour players 60 or older to finish in the top 15 in driving distance this year. Dill was fifth at 278.6 yards per drive, Weaver (277.0) and Thompson 13th (272.9). INSTANT POLL Will Tiger Woods extend his winning streak on Tour to five straight at next year's season-opening Mercedes Championships? Yes No View Results

PGA
John Daly, who gave up a $3 million endorsement deal with Callaway so he could resume drinking and gambling, asked to play in the Nov. 18-20 Callaway Invitational at Pebble Beach but was turned down.... Jaxon Brigman, 28, of Abilene, Texas, missed earning his Tour card by a stroke when he mistakenly signed for a 66 after shooting a 65 in the final round of Q school at Doral Resort and Spa in Miami.... Fanny Sunesson has resigned as Nick Faldo's caddie after 10 years.... Woods's 15 Tour victoriesin his first three years beat the old record of 14 set by Horton Smith in 1928-30.... The $400,000 Woods collected for winning the PGA Grand Slam in Kauai, Hawaii, increased his overall earnings to $7,681,836 in 1999.

LPGA
Maria Hjorth of Sweden, who won twice in '99, set a tour record for birdies in a season with 408. Kelly Robbins had the old record with 383 in '97.... The former Sara Lee Classic, a 12-year-old event in Nashville, has been resurrected as the Electrolux USA Championship Hosted by Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

SENIOR
The 2001 PGA Seniors Championship is scheduled for May 24-27 at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., marking the first time since 1938 that the Seniors' oldest major has been played outside Florida.

ALSO
Australian Open winner Baddeley (SI, July 12), the amateur who beat Norman and Nick O'Hern by two shots,is six days younger than Ivo Whitton was when he won the event in 1912.... Wongluekiet defeated Catherine Cartwright, 16, one up in the final of the American Junior Golf Association Polo Classic in Orlando.

Issue date: December 6, 1999

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