Fort Worth, Texas – Rory Sabbatini knows he will need to take a break to avoid becoming fatigued and frustrated.
Since his impressive streak of three straight top-three finishes that included the Masters and Wachovia, Sabbatini has started to feel the effects of playing so much.
“Actually, everything still is really good,” Sabbatini said Wednesday. “Last week, I kind of felt my body at the end of the week and just wasn’t able to keep myself mentally focused. That’s just wear and tear from playing a couple of events in a row.”
Still, time off will have to wait until after the Colonial, his fifth consecutive tournament – and one not far from his home in Southlake, Texas.
“I look forward to it every year. It’s a great event,” Sabbatini said. “There is obviously a great tradition behind it.”
Sabbatini didn’t skip Hogan’s Alley, where the course itself is one of the biggest parts of the tradition. He already has withdrawn from next week’s Memorial, another tournament he has always enjoyed, but knows he needs a breather before the U.S. Open next month.
But a lot of other top players are skipping the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which begins today.
Only two players in the Colonial field are higher in the world ranking than 16th- ranked Sabbatini. They are Jim Furyk, third after Phil Mickelson took over the No. 2 spot last week, and No. 14 Trevor Immelman.
Mickelson and Sergio Garcia are among former Colonial winners not playing, but defending champion Tim Herron is back, along with two-time winners Kenny Perry and Corey Pavin.
Furyk said the Colonial is “probably my favorite course to play and probably my favorite tournament” even though he has only four top-10 finishes in 11 Colonial appearances.
While length is a premium at so many modern-day layouts, the old-style par-70, 7,054-yard tree-lined Colonial course is pretty much the same as it was when Ben Hogan won there five times from 1946-59.
The only three top 10s for Furyk this season came in consecutive tournaments before the end of February. He was 13th at the Masters, but hasn’t been better than 28th in any other tournament since, allowing Mickelson to leapfrog him in the world rankings after Mickelson won The Players Championship.
“I wish I was playing great golf and he was just playing better,” Furyk said. “He has been playing great golf and my game has been only mediocre the last couple of months. … I just haven’t been doing the things that I needed to do to score well.”
Sabbatini tied for third at the Wachovia Championship despite a closing 74, which came a day after he matched the course record of 64 and said how much he wanted to play in the final group with Tiger Woods. Sabbatini was 44th at The Players Championship and closed with a 73 at last week’s AT&T Classic to tie for 24th.
“I could tell my body was getting a little tired,” he said. “I felt good going into the last two weeks, but just haven’t felt that same ability to be able to maintain my focus throughout the rounds.”
After getting home from Georgia, Sabbatini didn’t hit a golf ball until playing in the pro-am event Wednesday.
SPOTLIGHT: JOHN DALY
Long-hitting Daly remains a commodity
In 2006, John Daly withdrew from five tournaments and missed the cut in eight others on the PGA Tour. His best finish was third place at the Skins Game, which had only four players. And that didn’t count, because it was after that season, the worst of his career. As a result, Daly lost his card. But not his appeal. How else to explain why tournaments would trip over themselves to give sponsor exemptions to someone who has missed the cut, withdrawn or been disqualified from 45 percent of his PGA Tour events since his rookie season in 1991? “I always get three questions,” said Kym Hougham, tournament director of the prestigious Wachovia Championship. “‘Is Tiger coming?’ ‘Is Fred Couples coming?’ ‘Is John Daly coming?’ As strong a field as we had, people still thought it was important to have him.” Daly will not be part of the Colonial field this weekend.
DOUG FERGUSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Long John: Less than stellar
John Daly’s career since his rookie season on the PGA Tour in 1991:
PGA Tour events 382 Victories 5 Top-10s 32 Missed cuts 141
Withdraws 27 Disqualifications 4 Rounds in the 80s 50
Can’t win them all
“It’s golf, man. There ain’t nobody perfect at this game. If they were, they would win every time they teed it up.”
Boo Weekley, on his, Tiger Woods’, Nick O’Hern’s, and Heath Slocum’s missed short putts recently that lost them tournament wins
THIS WEEK:
PGA Tour
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Colonial C.C., Fort Worth, Texas
What’s up: Jim Furyk looks to rebound at his favorite course after Phil Mickelson overtook him last week for No. 2 in the World Golf Rankings, behind Tiger Woods.
LPGA Tour
Corning Classic, Corning Country Club, Corning, N.Y.
What’s up: The top three in earnings and player of the year standings will be absent. Lorena Ochoa, not among the field, is the only two-time tournament winner this season.
Champions Tour
Senior PGA Championship, Kiawah Island Golf Resort (The Ocean Course), Kiawah Island, S.C.
What’s up: Wind played havoc with Wednesday’s practice rounds on the 7,201-yard course, something Hale Irwin knows too well. He was one of the first to play the blustery course in competition, at the 1991 Ryder Cup.
