Usually you play better

By admin
Ballet Shoes Center.com

Published: July 27, 2010

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Usually you play better.”Defending champion Jeff Sluman posted his second successive 67 to join Vijay Singh of Fiji, Jerry Kelly and Chris DiMarco on the six-under total of 134, six shots behind Azinger.Ernie Els, who lost a play-off to Tiger Woods at last week’s Mercedes Championships in Maui, is one of seven players – including Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik – seven strokes off the pace. I’m at a point I believe everything happens for a reason.”Azinger, who battled cancer in 1994, pitched to 12 feet with his third shot on the par-four first hole but missed his par attempt.But he played bogey-free golf thereafter, sinking three birdies on both the front and back sides including a chip in from 60 feet on the par-four 10th.Azinger said: “I’ve been in this position before You’re going to be nervous if you are trying to win. It didn’t feel that good.”Winning here would mean as much to me as all the guys behind me But I’m willing to accept whatever happens. Paul Azinger shrugged off a bogey on the first hole of his second round to extend his lead to five strokes at the halfway stage of the Sony Open in Honolulu. Paul Azinger shrugged off a bogey on the first hole of his second round to extend his lead to five strokes at the halfway stage of the Sony Open in Honolulu.
The 40-year-old American entered the day with a three-shot advantage following his opening seven-under-par round of 63 at the Waialae Country Club.And Azinger, who was runner-up three times when the tournament was known as the Hawaiian Open, kept up the pressure by adding a five-under 65 as he stepped up his bid to end a winless drought of almost seven years.His 12-under total of 128 left him well clear of 1998 champion John Huston, 1996 winner Jim Furyk and Australia’s Stuart Appleby, who all carded 67s.Azinger, whose last victory was also his only Major title at the 1993 US PGA Championship, said: “I’m really surprised. I haven’t missed a cut since Qatar last year, that’s 24 in a row, and I feel I’ve played very consistently.”Leading scores after the completed second round in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the 7,309-yard Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa:Trevor Dodds, Namibia 69-65 134Gary Orr, Scotland 69-67 136Anthony Wall, England 69-67 136Peter Baker, England 68-70 138Paul Broadhurst, England 68-70 138Ricardo Gonzalez, Argentina 70-68 138David Frost, South Africa 71-68 139Bernard Langer, Germany 70-69 139Steve Webster, England 70-69 139Jeev Milkha Singh, India 69-70 139Nic Henning, South Africa 71-68 139Paul McGinley, Ireland 73-66 139Philip Price, Wales 72-67 139Desmond Terblanche, South Africa 69-70 139Tjaart van der Walt, South Africa 72-68 140Tom Gillis, United States 71-69 140Mathias Gronberg, Sweden 72-69 141Maarten Lafeber, Holland 71-70 141Desvonde Botes, South Africa 72-69 141Retief Goosen, South Africa 72-69 141Marc Cayeux, Zimbabwe 70-71 141.

“I feel a bit rusty despite spending a few days at the David Leadbetter Academy in Spain but I can’t complain with my start.”It was a case of keeping concentration and I’m happy with my position. The first European Tour event of 2000 has been reduced to 54 holes after yet more rain at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. The first European Tour event of 2000 has been reduced to 54 holes after yet more rain at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Almost eight inches of rain fell on the Houghton course since the early hours of Thursday morning, eventually rendering parts of the course unplayable.Organisers now hope to complete the third and final round on Sunday although with more rain forecast play could be carried over into Monday.Tournament director Miguel Vidaor said: “We believe if we had been anywhere other than Houghton it would have been a washout after the thunderstorm on Thursday morning.”The forecast is the same for this evening and tomorrow morning but we can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel tomorrow afternoon.”We felt we needed to try and get a clear winner tomorrow and complete 54 holes, after which the full prize fund will be paid out but of course playing on Monday is a possibility.”The tournament has been plagued by bad weather, Germany’s Sven Struver winning in 1996 when it was also reduced to 54 holes and Tony Johnstone victorious in 1998 when it finished on Monday.The final group of leader Trevor Dodds from Namibia, England’s Anthony Wall and Scotland’s Gary Orr, had only just teed off from the first hole when play was suspended for the second and final time of the day.Dodds therefore retained his two-shot lead at 10 under with Wall and Orr on eight under and a large group two shots further back containing David Frost, Peter Baker, Bernhard Langer, Paul Broadhurst and Paul McGinley.Earlier in the day the rain had washed away Ian Woosnam’s hopes of ending his win drought when the former Masters champion, without a win since the PGA Championship in 1997, missed the halfway cut by just one shot after a costly bogey at the last.The 41-year-old Welshman had put in a battling performance on the back nine of his second round to give himself a chance of making the final two rounds.After an outward half of 39, birdies at the 15th and 16th took him back to one over par, right on the projected cut line with the par-five 18th to come.But his possible salvation turned out to be the former world umber one’s downfall as a bogey six, on a hole where most players were making birdies, saw him card a second-round 75 for a two-over total of 146.That proved to be one shot too many as the second round was finally completed, the cut falling at one over par.Woosnam, who started as one of the favourites after recent second place finishes in Hong Kong and Argentina, was at least in good company as Ryder Cup team-mates Jarmo Sandelin and Jean Van de Velde also missed out.The Open runner-up was already heading out when a triple-bogey eight at the last revived memories of his Carnoustie nightmare and gave him an eight over par total, while Swede Sandelin could only manage two rounds of 74.Eighty-one players made the cut, one of those being Hampshire’s Justin Rose, the 19-year-old making it courtesy of a remarkable finish to his second round yesterday.Rose had just double-bogeyed the 13th when the players were called off the course due to the waterlogged greens, and at five over par looked to have blown his chances.But after a 90-minute delay Rose, fourth in the 1998 Open at Birkdale, finished with two birdies and an eagle in his last five holes to scrape in right on the line at one over, then adding a birdie on the first hole of his third round.Earlier Orr had continued his remarkable consistent form, recovering from two three-putts to card four birdies coming home, including three in a row from the 12th, on his way to a five-under 67 to join Wall in second place.”It’s been a hard week, very stop-start,” Orr said. The 25-year-old Australian, who is the world No 1, had eight birdies to take an early two-shot lead from Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann and the American Juli Inkster.

Laura Davies had a 73 that included five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.. Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh and John Cook are in a chasing group of seven.Karrie Webb took up where she left off last year with an opening seven-under-par 65 in the first round of the Office Depot Tournament at West Palm Beach, Florida. Perhaps inspired by the absence of Tiger Woods, who is taking the week off after six successive wins, Azinger shot a seven-under-par 63. I suppose I have to bide my time, get into position and finish it off,” he said. “The pressure in those situations is something that you enjoy; you certainly don’t enjoy playing badly and missing cuts.”I played golf with friends back home last week but had a month off before that so I’m very pleased with my start I’m just sorry I brought the British weather with me.


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