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The Week: Greater Heartfelt Open Jacobsen and Whaley were the stars of a rousing GHOBy Alan Shipnuck
 Suzy Whaley's goals at last week's Greater Hartford Open were simple, and profound: to inspire little girls, enhance her fund-raising efforts for the March of Dimes and make her dad proud. She steadfastly refused to speculate about the numbers she'd like to shoot, explaining that there are other ways to measure success. For the better part of the last eight years, Peter Jacobsen, 49, has seemed similarly unconcerned with his scores. Jacobsen has gracefully become an elder statesman and fan favorite, using his presence on Tour to promote his rock band, course design firm, sports marketing and management company, and, more recently, a zany variety show on the Golf Channel. But last week both Whaley and Jake played a little golf, too, and both triumphed.
On Thursday, Jacobsen shot a seven-under 63 at the TPC at River Highlands, his second-best score in 27 years on Tour, but Whaley stole the show, displaying the best smile this side of Shigeki Maruyama and a putting stroke that Annika Sorenstam would kill for. After a jittery double bogey on the 1st hole, Whaley showed remarkable poise and grit, especially given the brutal conditions. Sorenstam handpicked the venue for her PGA Tour cameo, Colonial Country Club, because its claustrophobic, sun-baked fairways evened the playing field for her by taking the driver out of longer hitters' hands and giving her some extra roll off the tee. Whaley was stuck with River Highlands, a more expansive ballyard that rewards aggressive play. Her 240-yard drives were hardly long enough to reach the doglegs on some par-4s, especially since weeks of rain had left the fairways saturated. "I got literally no roll," Whaley said. Facing high winds in the first round -- "I felt as if I was playing the British Open" -- she hit fairway woods into all but three greens (not counting the par-5s). Still, her five-over 75 beat 13 men in the field and stands as one of the best rounds in recent memory. Whaley was predictably drained, emotionally and physically, for Friday's round, and she shot a 78, which left her 13 strokes above the cut line. Even with Whaley gone, the GHO's magical week continued. (Bo Jackson and Bill Murray had enlivened the pro-am and Buick signed on as a sponsor, rescuing an event that was facing extinction a year ago.) Jacobsen has been an adopted son since long before his victory in 1984, when the tournament was still named for Sammy Davis Jr., who was on hand that year to present him with the trophy. Two decades later the galleries cheered Jacobsen to the 54-hole lead, built on strong ball striking and a rejuvenated short game, thanks to recent work with Stan Utley, the hottest instructor in golf. On the eve of the final round Jacobsen talked about being inspired by the good play of his contemporaries Jay Haas and Craig Stadler, but that only emphasized his age. Jacobsen came into the week with six career wins, but none since 1995 (not counting the U.S. Open in Tin Cup). Prodded on how he could hope to withstand the Sunday pressure, Jacobsen got a little testy in his own defense. "I'm a good player," said Jake, who nonetheless had finished better than 138th on the money list only twice since '95. "I have a bio. I have actually played out here before. I've played in a few more tournaments than Suzy Whaley. About 800 of them." (Actually 624, but who's counting?) That experience was obvious on Sunday, when he shot an airtight 67 that left him two shots clear of Chris Riley. Jacobsen earned the biggest check of his career -- $720,000 -- but he wasn't the only one enriched by the feel-good tournament of the year. O.B.: The Futures Is Now for Cejka Issue date: August 4, 2003 |
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