Pinehurst, N.C. – Steve Jones had to smile Thursday when asked if he missed not playing in the past two U.S. Open Championships because of elbow surgery.
“I missed playing, period,” Jones said after shooting 1-under-par 69. “When it’s your turn, you try to make the most of it.”
Jones, the 1996 U.S. Open champion and former University of Colorado golfer, has experience fighting through adversity. A hand injury suffered in a 1991 dirt-bike accident cost him three years on the PGA Tour. In 1999, he suffered from an irregular heartbeat that subsequently required surgery and also had shoulder problems.
Jones hurt his right elbow three years ago and played through the pain before undergoing surgery in August 2003. Rehabilitation from the surgery progressed slowly. He didn’t play golf four consecutive days until January at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
In 13 tour starts this season, he has missed eight cuts. His best finish is a tie for 36th. He said the elbow is about 90 percent healed.
“First I was concerned if I was ever going to play again, because to do surgery repair on a tendon and scraping the elbow, you never know how it’s going to heal,” Jones said. “Once it felt like it was getting better, I wasn’t sure how long it would last.”
Jones got to 3-under through six holes but bogeyed Nos. 7, 9 and 11. He gained back a stroke at 13 with a birdie after landing a sand wedge to within 2 feet of the pin. Jones, 46, last won a PGA Tour event in 1998. His Chicago-based swing coach, Todd Sones, flew in Sunday to work with Jones.
“I guess I needed him more than I realized,” Jones said with a grin.
Jones, who recently moved from Bozeman, Mont., to the Phoenix area, learned the game on the wind-swept courses of the Eastern Colorado plains while growing up in Yuma.
Something in common
Jones is playing the first and second rounds with David Duval, who finished 6-over. They talked a bit about living in Colorado and trout fishing, Jones said.
“I was very pleased with the way David was playing; he actually should have played a lot better than that,” Jones said. “He hit the ball a lot better than what he got out of his game. He’s not too far off.”
Brayden Brent Duval, born April 21, attended his first major championship with his mother, Susie.
“He’s 8 weeks old today,” Duval said. “He’s a real joy.”
Fast Rory
Rory Sabbatini, who played out of turn Sunday in the final round of the Booz Allen Classic after being frustrated by the slow pace of playing partner Ben Crane, expected to hear some catcalls from the gallery at Pinehurst. He did.
“Unfortunately, there’s still a few critics that made comments in the crowd,” Sabbatini said.
