Majors champs tee off in PGA Grand Slam
By Jaymes Song
Associated Press
PO'IPU BEACH, Kaua'i — Masters champion Phil Mickelson and British Open winner Todd Hamilton took two very different roads to get to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
It took Mickelson 47 major starts to finally win one and earn a trip to Kaua'i. For Hamilton, he made it in his rookie season, but spent 17 years playing in Asia and Canada.
Goosen
Hamilton
Mickelson
Both are making their debuts in the exclusive $1 million Grand Slam, which begins at 9 a.m. today at the Po'ipu Bay Golf Course. The Grand Slam is reserved for the winners of the four major championships. They are joined by PGA champion Vijay Singh and U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen.
Mickelson earned his 43-long green jacket at Augusta by sinking an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. Majors quickly became Mickelson's specialty. He went on to finish second in the U.S. Open, third in the British Open and tied for sixth in the PGA Championship.
"The biggest lesson I got out of it was how important it is to have a final-round lead," Mickelson said yesterday. "When you have a lead, you have those extra shots. When you're trying to make up shots, you don't have room for error."
But it was Singh who won nine events on tour, ascending him to No. 1 in the world. He also won the PGA Player of the Year award, snapping Tiger Woods' streak at five.
Singh is making his third Grand Slam appearance. He finished second in 1998 and 2000 to Woods.
At 41, Singh is the most senior member of the foursome and is playing his best golf in his career.
"You can't really say how long you're going to be up there," he said. "When you go to the gym and see guys a lot older than you and see how fit they are, it kind of gives you a little boost. I tell (my trainer), 'That's how I'd like to be when I'm 50.'"
Hamilton said he always believed in himself, but didn't expect to win a major so soon. He just joined the tour last winter after tying for 16th in Q-school.
"I always did (believe), not 100 percent, but I always felt I was good enough to, if not win tournaments, at least get on tour," he said. "Unfortunately, I took a different path than I would've liked to."
TV: 10:30 a.m. today, TNT
Ever since Hamilton, 38, defeated Ernie Els by a stroke to win the British Open, life hasn't been quite the same, especially for a small-town kid who grew up in Galesburg, Ill.
But he credits his time in Asia for sharpening his mental game and preparing him for the PGA Tour.
"I knew how to putt, hit iron shots and drive the ball, but I didn't know if I could manage my game or if I was patient enough to do well on the U.S. tour and that's why it took too long to get out here," he said.
Goosen is making his second Grand Slam appearance. The South African finished third in 2001.
But he's had other things on his mind lately. Goosen's wife, Tracy, gave birth on Friday to seven-pound, nine-ounce Ella Ann Goosen.
All four players will go home richer. The Grand Slam winner will earn $400,000, while the fourth-place finisher will get $150,000.
