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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, January 12, 2002

SONY OPEN
No bogeys puts money in Riley's pocket

 • Cook's sizzling 62 good for 3-stroke Sony Open lead
 • Ishii, Wilson survive to play final rounds
 • Sony Open leaderboard
 • Sony Open scoreboard

Advertiser Staff

Here it is the halfway point of the Sony Open in Hawai'i and Chris Riley has already finished in the money.

His caddy's wallet, that is.

Chip Carpenter, the caddy, has a standing deal with his pro that pays $25 for each bogey-free day. Two days into the tournament Riley has yet to bogey a hole on the way to an 8-under-par 132 that has him in third place, four strokes back of John Cook.

The last time he's managed back-to-back bogey-free rounds came in the John Deere Classic last July.

"I didn't make a bogey until the 50th hole," Riley said.

Riley, however, says he doesn't feel too bad about taking Carpenter's money.

"He knows if I don't make a bogey, he's gonna be doing all right at the end of the week. He'll be getting it back."

Caddies typically receive 10 percent of the purse if their pro wins a tournament.

The Sony pays its winner $720,000.

• Funk facts: This was the year that Fred Funk was supposed to be sitting out, recovering from surgery to remove the "mayonnaise jar" — as he calls it — from inside his left armpit and end the pain it has caused for the past year.

Funk said he was diagnosed with fatty tissue "the size of an egg" near the nerve in his left arm and surgery was recommended to remove "the mayonnaise jar."

"They said it would be anywhere from two months to a year off to career-ending (so) I said, 'to hell with it, I'm not gonna do it.' As long as I can swing at all, I'm gonna keep playing."

Yesterday, it didn't keep him from posting a 5-under-par 65 for a two-day total of 133 and a share of fourth place.

Funk said, "it is pretty painful but loosens up as I play."

• Right neighborhood: Living in and playing at Windermere, Fla., which is also home to Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara and Lee Janzen, among others, has its benefits, Sony Open leader John Cook says.

"His (Woods') work ethic is incredible and how he tries to get better hitting a lot of different shots. He's the No. 1 player in the world and he hits three bags of 9-irons trying to flight his ball. He does it for a reason — he's trying to beat us (the rest of the tour) up. He makes you want to work a little harder because you know he is (working harder)."

• Tournament honeymoon: Gary Nicklaus is on a honeymoon of sorts having married his physical trainer earlier this month.

The 32-year old son of Jack Nicklaus was married in Florida.

He has a two-day total of 139.

SHORT PUTTS: Chris Riley lost to Waipahu's Guy Yamamoto in the final of the Public Links national championship nearly a decade ago. ... Hidemichi Tanaka, who won last year's Hawai'i Pearl Open, aced the seventh hole (172 yards) Thursday, using a 6-iron. Tanaka shot even-par 70. ... Ty Tryon, the 17-year-old wunderkind who became the youngest to qualify for the PGA Tour, is the only rookie not in the Sony Open field. The other 22, who earned playing privileges at the Qualifying School and as Buy.com Tour graduates, are all at Waialae. Tryon told Sony officials he couldn't play because of a high school biology class. He will start his career in two weeks at the Phoenix Open. ... Mark O'Meara, who won here in 1985, withdrew yesterday because of illness. O'Meara shot 68 on Thursday. ... Garrett Willis also withdrew and did not give a reason. Willis shot 80 Thursday — the first round's highest score — and finished last at the Mercedes Championships last week. ... Donna Summer played at Thursday's Pro-Am party.