This story has been corrected in this online archive. Because of a reporter’s error, a story on Page 12D on Monday incorrectly stated Heather Clarke died Friday. She died Sunday morning.
Castle Rock – No. 17, which usually provides The International with its eventual champion in the final round, was not its usual friendly self Sunday.
That’s where Tom Lehman could have won the tournament with a couple of more inches on a downhill putt. That’s where young Bubba Watson’s chances got wet, and that’s where Rod Pampling’s hot streak ended.
Of the five past champions who made it to the final round, Pampling probably had the best chance to get back in the winner’s circle. He moved into a share of the lead halfway through his round with seven birdies and a lone bogey through the first 14 holes.
But at No. 17, where his eagle won the tournament in 2004, Pampling got overly aggressive and hit his drive under a tree.
“That kind of wrecked it,” Pampling said. “I needed eagle to have a chance to win because there were still a lot of points out there for the guys coming up. I tried to hit a strong draw up there and pushed it a little bit right and obviously resulted in a bogey. But realistically, a par or birdie wouldn’t have gotten the job done. I had to be aggressive, and unfortunately I missed the tee shot.”
Lehman hit a 5-iron to within 15 feet, but left his downhill eagle putt short and had to settle for a tap-in birdie that put him into a tie with Dean Wilson.
Bubba’s bubble burst
Watson, needing one of his patented 350-yard drives, instead delivered a 92-yard effort on No. 17 on Sunday, and in the process saw his chance for his first PGA Tour victory go into the drink.
A birdie seemed likely for the longest driver on tour, who could easily reach the green of the par 5 in two. Instead, his tee shot hit a tree left of the fairway and bounced onto the creek bank below. The left-hander took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and stood in the middle of the creek to punch his shot out. Watson maintained his sense of humor in post-tournament interviews, maintaining that the water was “freezing” and much colder than The International’s famous tasty milkshakes. The prospect of his barefoot bid from the creek on sports highlight tapes also wasn’t daunting.
“Any news is good news,” he said.
He eventually hacked his way to a double bogey, making his birdie on No. 18 meaningless in his bid for victory. For Watson, who hits a big hook off the tee, it was old news. On Thursday, he hit near the same spot of trees on 17 for a 111-yard drive.
“He was nervous down the stretch,” said his wife, Angie. “That’s to be expected. It’s a little bit of growing pains, but I’m so proud of him.”
First to last
Speaking of recent champions, none had it worse than defending champion Retief Goosen, who lost 5 points to finish last among the 36 players who teed off Sunday at 13 or higher.
“I played like a dog,” said Goosen, who Saturday admitted he lost his concentration after putting himself into position to contend.
Ernie Els, the 2000 champion, started and finished play like a champ, but in between it got ugly. He eagled No. 1 and had a birdie-birdie finish.
“But that was about it,” he said. “I had many opportunities in between, but all week I struggled to get the ball in the hole. That’s the one little thing that held me back.”
He gave the huge crowd lining the fairway and circling the green on No. 18 a thrill when he stuck his iron shot from the fairway to within a foot.
David Toms, the 1999 champion, and Tom Pernice Jr. (2001) got stuck on 23 points to finish in a tie for 19th and out of contention.
Sad day
All the players wore black ribbons on their hats Sunday to pay their respects to Darren Clarke, whose wife, Heather, died Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer.
“The guys from the PGA Tour came out with them this morning after we found out about Heather last night,” Sergio Garcia said. “It’s a sad thing. I know she’s been struggling for quite a while. I’m sure that Darren is going through a tough time. We’re all behind him, and we feel for him.”
Tom vs. Annika?
Before his first victory as Castle Pines, Wilson’s only claim to fame on the PGA Tour was playing in the same foursome with LPGA great Annika Sorenstam a few years ago at Colonial Country Club. Wilson was an adamant supporter of Sorenstam’s, while some other tour players didn’t believe she should be playing in a PGA event.
But playing with Lehman on Sunday was a much more rewarding experience, Wilson said.
“That was always a positive for me,” Wilson said. “But I’ve always been telling myself, ‘Dang, I’ve got to win a tournament, so I’ll have something else for people to ask me about.”‘
On a similar note, Nathan Green, whose only claim to fame is having played with Michelle Wie in a PGA Tour event, had a pretty good day, too. Green finished ninth with 29 points, scoring 8 in the final round.
Footnotes
Wilson became the first Hawaiian-born player to win on the PGA Tour since David Ishii, who won the 1990 Hawaiian Open. … Green posted his sixth top-10 showing of the season, best among rookies. … Watson, the longest hitter on tour, led the field in putting average for the week (1.457). … Wilson is the ninth first-time winner on tour this season.
19TH HOLE
YOU CAN DO THIS
Out of the woods and into the creek
Defending champion Retief Goosen found himself deep in
the woods at No. 17 after yet another wayward drive. From
there, the South African popped it out into a shallow creek,
where he fished out several balls before he found his. With
one foot on a rock, he blasted out of the water and wound
up with a bogey. Hole Nos. 3 and 10 were even more
frustrating. Double bogeys there left Goosen
with a -5 for the day, and 13 points total. Among
the 36 who teed up Sunday, he wound up last.
YOU CAN’T DO THIS
Power and finesse
Ernie Els wowed the crowd on
the 644-yard No. 1 hole with an
eagle. The South African, who
won The International in 2000
with a record-tying 48 points,
hammered his tee shot 362 yards
with his driver. Next, he used a
5-wood to come within 40 feet of
the hole, and drained the long
putt.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who do you like in the PGA Championship this week, and why?
“I’m sure you’re going to get the same answer from everybody just because even when he doesn’t play well, he’s still the best in the world by a lot. And he’s playing really well, so I don’t even have to say his name. But I don’t know, maybe Sergio (Garcia) challenges, because he certainly has good memories of Medinah. And you know, (Phil) Mickelson prepares so well, he’s always right there, and Ernie (Els) looks like he’s playing decent, so I think it’s going to be the usual suspects, but it’s tough to beat the man.”
Joe Ogilvie
“Well, myself, because I just had a good round, so why not? I think my game’s good enough. It’s just letting myself play the shots out there and not get too intense, and not get too down on myself. I’m very demanding of myself, and it’s a hard thing to not be demanding of yourself. But that’s where the guys like Tiger (Woods) are. When he’s playing good, he wins, and when he plays bad, he wins, and that’s what I need to learn to control. I know I’ve got the shots to win. It’s just letting myself play, and I think I can win.”
Rod Pampling, above
“That’s a bit of a stupid question, don’t you think?”
Retief Goosen
“I like Tiger. He gave me his autograph and a driver earlier this year. Tiger Woods, I love him. That’s the guy I look up to, that’s the guy I watch. I can hardly wait to watch it next week, just to see what he does, what his mannerisms are and how he stays so focused.”
Bubba Watson
DAILY DIARY
Throughout The International, Denver Post staff writer Anthony Cotton spoke with some of the participants to get their take on life on the PGA Tour. Sunday, Sergio Garcia, who played with eventual champion Dean Wilson, talked about staying in the background.
My first PGA Tour win was at the Colonial (in 2001). I played with Glen Day in the final round. Today, I was trying to do my best in terms of my own game, but toward the end, really, the whole day, we were trying to help each other. I enjoyed watching him play well. He had a good round of birdies.
We’ve played together before, and we enjoy each other’s company, and you could say that we’re kind of friends. I was pulling for him toward the end. You try to help each other in that situation by complimenting each other’s shots – the things you do for a fellow player. Of course you feel it. We all do when you’re coming down the stretch with a chance at winning. We all feel a bit nervous. You could probably see it on 18 (in regulation) when he hit his drive. He was driving the ball beautifully all day, but you could see that there was a bit of hesitancy. (After the tournament, Wilson would say that he “choked my guts out” on that drive.) You can’t really say anything then. You go and hope you find it, then try to hit it close to the hole. And he got a bit of a break and hit a good shot from there and made a great par that you hoped would be huge for him.
EYE ON
Bogey tailspin
The 26-year-old Spaniard started tied for seventh but was not a factor, falling to a tie for 29th via two double bogeys and two bogeys.
What’s up? Garcia started the day with 22 points and ended it with 21.
Bottom line: Garcia is unlikely to play in The International next season because the date change moves it closer to the British Open, creating an Atlantic Ocean shuttle trip he does not want to make. Fans who flock to the demonstrative player will miss him.
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Early decline
Johnson, 30, went into the final round leading by a point. He started with a double bogey on No. 1, and then added five bogeys.
What’s up? Johnson fired an eagle on No. 17 to make a bid for 20 crucial U.S. Ryder Cup points, via a top-10 finish. But on No. 18 he missed a par putt and dropped into a tie for 13th.
Bottom line: Johnson, winner of one tour event, did not contend in the final round and damaged his prospects for his first Ryder Cup.
—————————————-
Fast finisher
The 35-year-old PGA rookie scored 32 points to finish tied for third with Steve Flesch. Maruyama started the day tied for 12th with 19 points and posted his best PGA finish with eight birdies.
What’s up? The resident of Urayasu, Japan, is growing more comfortable on the U.S.-based tour. His previous best was a fifth-place tie this season in the St. Jude Classic.
Bottom line: Maruyama’s only poor output was an opening-round 2 points. From there, he shot 10-7-13.
COURSE LIFE
HOLE OF THE DAY
No. 17, par 4, 492 yards
The fates of a trio of contenders rested on this hole. Bubba
Watson owned 31 points when he teed up on No. 17.
Rather than adding a few points on the hole that played
the easiest in Sunday’s final round, Watson’s total had
dwindled to 28 points by the time he putted out after his
tee shot hit a tree and he went for broke swinging out of
a shallow creek. Dean Wilson was on in two shots, but
his long bid for eagle came up short. Drilling a 4-foot
putt, he birdied to increase his scoring total to 34 points.
Tom Lehman came along in the next twosome and also
put himself in position for an eagle, but his 15-foot putt
came up a few inches short and he had to settle for birdie,
increasing his total to 34 points. The duo finished
at 34 points, and Wilson won The International
on the second hole of their playoff. No. 17 on
Sunday produced two eagles, 22 birdies, nine
pars, two bogeys and Watson’s double bogey,
yielding a scoring average of 4.389.
BY THE NUMBERS
Bubba goes short and long
4.306 scoring average on the
par-4, 485-yard 10th hole, the most
difficult hole Sunday.
12 bogeys on No. 10.
92 yards, the length of Bubba Watson’s
drive on No. 17 on Sunday
it hit a tree and landed in a creek.
111 yards, the length of Bubba
Watson’s drive on No. 17 on Thursday
the longest driver on the
PGA Tour hit the same tree.
352.3 yards, the average length
of Watson’s drives at The International.
Year Player Score
2005 Retief Goosen 32
2004 Rod Pampling 31
2003 Davis Love III 46
2002 Rich Beem 44
2001 Tom Pernice Jr. 34
2000 Ernie Els 48
1999 David Toms 47
1998 Vijay Singh 47
1997 Phil Mickelson 48
1996 Clarence Rose 31
Year Player Score
1995 Lee Janzen 34
1994 Steve Lowery 35
1993 Phil Mickelson 45
1992 Brad Faxon 14
1991 Jose Maria Olazabal 10
1990 Davis Love III 14
1989 Greg Norman 13
1988 Joey Sindelar 17
1987 John Cook 11
1986 Ken Green 12
