Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – The last time Stephen Ames found himself the focal point of the golf world, it was not a positive experience.
Before the start of last month’s World Golf Championship Match Play, Ames made a joke about the erratic driving of his opening-round opponent, Tiger Woods. The next day, Woods smoked him by a record 9-and-8 score.
Saturday, Ames let his clubs do the talking at The Players Championship. A third-round 70 left him at 9-under-par 207, one shot ahead of Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia.
Understandably, Ames was much more pleased with the latter experience.
“I just got killed (in the Match Play), that’s all there was to it,” he said.
Further reflection by Ames would have required devoting too much thought to the topic, and these days Ames is trying his best to avoid thinking too much – particularly on the golf course.
“Basically, I don’t want to be thinking anything at all,” he said. “I tend to have too many thoughts going on, and then my brother (Robert, his caddie) tends to butt in too many times, saying it’s a 6-iron when I want to hit a 5-iron.
“I just want to be able to see the shot I want to hit and then just hit it.”
No repeat performance
At one point, a final-round pairing between Mike Weir and Arron Oberholser seemed possible, a coupling that would have engendered far different feelings in the players.
This season, the pair shared the lead heading into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Oberholser shot a 72 for his first PGA Tour win; Weir shot a 78.
“I don’t know if it would be weird,” Weir said. “I would just be glad to be in the last group.”
By the end of the day, it was Oberholser who needed some good thoughts. He triple-bogeyed the 17th hole, and on the 18th his drive found the water, leading to a double-bogey. Oberholser finished the day at 3-under 213.
Footnotes
Seven countries were represented on the first page of the leaderboard. Only one European player, Sandy Lyle (1987), has won the championship. That list of international leaders did not include Colombian rookie Camilo Villegas, who made the field only because Chris DiMarco withdrew because of an injured rib. Villegas is five shots off the lead at 4-under. If Villegas could somehow emerge with a victory, it would virtually ensure him a spot in the Masters. Ames also would make the field with a win….Singh, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident, has never won the Players.
