Page 19 - Minister Alex Schwengle
P. 19
SPORTS A19
Saturday 26 September
Stenson stretches lead at East Lake; Spieth makes a surge
DOUG FERGUSON Henrik Stenson examines his ball as he prepares to putt on the fourth during the second round of press on if I want to leave
AP Golf Writer the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Club Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, in Atlanta. the guys behind me.”
ATLANTA (AP) — Two years The biggest challenge fig-
after Henrik Stenson sailed Associated Press ures to be East Lake, espe-
to victory at the Tour Cham- cially with more wet condi-
pionship, he has another left and a tree in front of Paul Casey made bogey made a late run on Sunday tions in the forecast.
comfortable lead after 36 him. He took a risk going from the bunker on the 18th and tied for second, cap- The Bermuda rough can
holes at East Lake and Jor- through the tree to 6 feet for a 70 and was four shots ping off a remarkable rook- be tricky when it’s dry be-
dan Spieth is chasing him. for par, and then rolled in a behind, while British Open ie season. cause it can be difficult to
Back then, Spieth was a 20-foot par putt for a bun- champion Zach Johnson He is looked at differently judge how far the ball flies
20-year-old rookie. ker save on the par-3 sixth. birdied three of his last now — the Masters and out of it. Wet rough is diffi-
Now he’s the Masters and “It was huge,” Spieth said four holes to overcome a U.S. Open champion and cult in a different manner.
U.S. Open champion, about the par saves. “I double bogey on the par-5 looking more certain to be It makes the course lon-
and he found a spark in a thought I may have to re- ninth. He had a 70 and was voted PGA Tour player of ger off the tee, and longer
steady drizzle Friday. tee, and I was just kind of at 4-under 136. the year. coming out of the thick
Stenson overcame a few all over the place at that Jason Day, in his first event “He’s one of the best play- grass.
mistakes off the tee and time. And that third shot I as No. 1 in the world, finally ers in the world as we know, Day hit a 3-wood from 195
was solid on the back nine hit on 5, I mean, one of 10, looked human. He felt flat, and had a fantastic year yards in the rough on No. 5.
for a 2-under 68, stretching maybe. There was no other wasn’t sharp off the tee or behind him,” Stenson said. Had it been dry conditions
his lead to three shots over option, but it wasn’t nec- into the greens, and shot “So he’s going to be a very like Thursday, Day figures
Spieth going into the week- essarily smart. And I had a 71. It was his third round tough contender through- he would have hit 8-iron.
end and moving closer to to have the wind blowing over par in his last 10 tour- out these last two days. He Stenson hit a 4-wood and
his first win of the year — this branch back and forth, naments, and it left him was good already back a gap wedge to a front
and a $10 million bonus for I had to hit it when it blew nine shots behind. then, but he’s certainly not pin on No. 4 in the open-
claiming the FedEx Cup. it this way or else it would Stenson was four shots any less good now. We ing round. On Friday, he hit
“I didn’t feel like it was my have gone up into it.” clear of Adam Scott after know that much. Once 3-wood off the tee and still
best day, but I managed He closed with a 20-foot 36 holes when he won the again, I’ve got to focus on had 6-iron to a back pin.
to keep it together and 2 birdie putt on the par-3 Tour Championship two my game and bring my “That’s a two-club differ-
under around here is never 18th to get into the final years ago, with Spieth an- game and keep my head ence when the air is heavy
bad,” Stenson said. group. other shot behind. Spieth down and foot down and and you’re not getting as
He doesn’t know anything much roll,” he said.
different. This was his sixth With a tougher golf course,
straight round under par at Stenson said there will be a
East Lake, a course where premium on making fewer
the Swede has led after ev- mistakes. Spieth is happy to
ery round he has played. be on a course of this na-
Stenson, who went wire-to- ture, especially after three
wire in the Tour Champion- weeks of watching play-
ship in 2013, was at 9-under ers — mostly Day — pour in
131. one birdie after another in
Spieth has made only one low-scoring affairs.
bogey over two rounds, It was demoralizing at
and a pair of par saves on times, especially when Day
consecutive holes on the started 61-63 last week at
front nine felt just as valu- Conway Farms.
able as his four birdies in a “I wasn’t going to catch
round of 66. The average him last week,” Spieth said.
score was 71.6 on a wet “I say that now. You tell me
day that yielded only four that at the time and I’ll get
rounds under par. mad at you. I don’t accept
Spieth went from the right that, and that’s my person-
rough to the left rough on ality. This week is a bit dif-
No. 5 and still had 60 yards ferent because there isn’t
a 22 under out there.”q
