Champions enjoy lack of winds
By Bill Kwon
Special to The Advertiser
KA'UPULEHU, Hawai'i — They sure got it right, renaming this the Champions Tour.
WEST HAWAII TODAY via Associated Press
These guys are good. Still good.
Fuzzy Zoeller chips on to the 9th green at Hualalai Golf Club.
Bruce Lietzke sank three eagles yesterday en route to a 7-under-par 65, but still found himself two strokes behind the leaders at the $1.5 million MasterCard Championships. at Hualalai Golf Club.
With ideal conditions — read, no wind — Fuzzy Zoeller (63), Larry Nelson (64) and Dana Quigley (65) shared the lead with a tournament record-tying 36-hole score of 131 entering today's final round.
Lietzke finds himself at 133 along with Bruce Fleisher, who also shot a 65.
"Usually when you think 65, you're knocking it dead," said Lietzke, who described his round as rather mediocre despite the three eagles, which matched the career best he set "many Hawaiian Opens ago."
It was a day in which 67-year-old Gary Player was somewhat disappointed in shooting a bogey-free 67.
"I was trying to break my age," said Player, who is 7-under for the tournament.
It was a day in which Lee Trevino was still 5-under and Jack Nicklaus was at 4-under after 36 holes. And then there was Arnold Palmer, who shot his age (73) in the opening round, was 2-under after eight holes, exciting his faithful.
"It's going to be a real shootout tomorrow. We have seen a lot of great golf," Player said.
"Today was a perfect day for scoring. You're not supposed to make bogeys on a day like today," added Tom Kite, the defending champion who is in a six-way tie for eighth place at 136.
"I just ran out of holes," kidded Zoeller about his round after four straight birdies at holes 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Quigley, who started the day tied for the lead with Hale Irwin and Steve Veriato, thought he was doing well in shooting 4-under for the day after birdieing 13.
"I found I was like in sixth or seventh place," he said. "Suddenly, Fuzzy was at 13. I don't know what the hell happened."
Playing in his 202nd consecutive tour event, Quigley said he gave himself a little pep talk after that, leading to a birdie-birdie-birdie finish.
The lack of wind helped in the rash of low scores, Quigley said.
"It's so much fun to play a golf course like this. It's the most perfect venue we play all year," he said.
Veriato, a Hilo native whose bio isn't even listed in the 2003 media guide, is at 10-under 134 with Stewart Ginn and still in contention to do something about his non-exempt status. Or, at least, pick up some serious money.
Almost every one in the 36-player field had fun like Quigley.
Twenty-six players shot in the 60s as the field shot a 68.1 average score.
Surprisingly, one of them wasn't Irwin, who had a 71, a so-so round for a day loaded with low scores.
Figure on more low scores today if the wind doesn't pick up appreciably.
