Page 22 - aruba-today-20190209

A22 SPORTS
Saturday 9 February 2019

Wild finish for Mickelson, wet one for Spieth at Pebble

By DOUG FERGUSON and stopped a foot from
AP Golf Writer the cup. And then he had
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) another struggle on the
— Phil Mickelson survived a par-5 seventh, hitting out
wild finish without having to from under a tree, over an-
deal with the rain. Jordan other one and threw the
Spieth endured a wet finish fairway. His third shot was
to his day with three tough just right of the green, and
pars, followed by some un- Spieth immediately called
witting help by a spooked for a ruling when he saw
fan. a fan’s hand swat the ball
Both were atop the lead- onto the green.
erboard Friday in the AT&T By the time they got that
Pebble Beach Pro-Am, sorted out, the rain was
joined by Lucas Glover, coming down harder and
Paul Casey and Scott Lang- workers had to use a squee-
ley, when the second round gee — twice — to clear off
was suspended because the standing water. Spieth
the rain had formed large two-putted for par.
puddles on the greens. A minute later, the rain kept
They played more golf than falling and Johnson had to
expected by moving up have the green cleared for
the start by an hour, and it his putt.
was entertaining as ever. Phil Mickelson follows his drive from the 11th tee of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the second Johnson, who had hit his
One day after Mickelson round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Pebble second shot into the wa-
didn’t miss a single fairway Beach, Calif. ter, missed from 10 feet for
for the first time in 1,664 Associated Press bogey. He missed from in-
rounds on the PGA Tour, lucky to get done now and ers could complete the start the front nine. side 3 feet for par on the
he couldn’t seem to find get the round over with and hole. “I got off to a really nice previous hole, and missed
one at Spyglass Hill. He still have ... guys unfortunately Casey was on his final start, which helped, know- another 3-footer on No. 3.
managed to surge into the are still out there playing in hole at Monterey when he ing that the conditions He was 2 over for his round,
lead, including one 3-wood some tough stuff.” heard the horn, followed were blowing in, trying to seven shots to par behind.
from 256 yards out of the Mickelson was the first to by two more. take advantage of the “Not a good day on the
trees on the par-5 14th to 6 finish at 10-under 133. Glov- “I went from upset to hap- front nine,” he said. greens,” Johnson said as he
feet. er started strong in tame py in an instant,” he said. “And then once they start- walked away, sounding like
It caught up with him at weather at Pebble Beach Spieth was among 44 play- ed to come in, it was just try someone who had one of
the end. After banging in and shot a 6-under 66 to ers who had to return Sat- and hold on for dear life.” those days before.
a birdie on the par-3 fifth, get to 10-under 134, while urday morning — weather He went just long of the Two of the fairways Mickel-
Mickelson missed three Langley (69 at Spyglass Hill) permitting — to finish the green on the par-3 fifth hole, son missed on the front nine
straight fairways that led to and Casey (7-under 64 at last two holes of his round. his ball in the sandy dune were on par 5s, one lead-
three straight bogeys un- Monterey Peninsula) nar- Part of him was happy to above the green about 3 ing to par, the other a bo-
til he closed with a 4-iron rowly finished at 10-under be off the course consider- inches from the collar of gey.
to 18 feet for birdie and a 133 ahead of the horn that ing the fight he had on his rough with not much green He needed to avoid the
4-under 68. ultimately stopped play for hand in cold, raw rain with between him and the hole. water left of the seventh
“I hate not finishing the the rest of the day. increasing wind. Spieth blasted out to 4 feet green and pulled it too
round off, making three Three short blasts signaled Spieth shot 31 on the back and saved par. much into the trees, came
bogeys after having a pret- the stoppage, but because nine at Spyglass Hill to get After coming up short on up short of the green and
ty good round going in,” it wasn’t a dangerous situa- in the mix, and missed two the uphill sixth into the wind, hit a poor chip, missing the
Mickelson said. “I’m also tion, such as lightning, play- good birdie chances to his 40-yard pitch checked putt.q

Parnevik shoots 63 for 1-shot lead in Oasis Championship

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) gling with his game. “It’s a three-day event,” ers, Tim Petrovic and Ken year. “I was out of my ele-
— Jesper Parnevik shot a “I probably tried 40 putters Langer said. “You can’t Tanigawa shot 65 in the ment and kind of shaking
9-under 63 on Friday in the just this week and prob- afford to have a medio- first full-field event of the like a leaf, which I didn’t ex-
Oasis Championship to ably 50 different strokes,” cre day somewhere. You season, and Tom Lehman, pect,” he said. “But I kind of
take a one-stroke lead over Parnevik said. “Nothing need three good rounds if Kevin Sutherland, Tom By- pulled it together, birdied
Bernhard Langer. was working. At the last you want to win the tour- rum and Marco Dawson the third hole and was off
Parnevik had four straight second, I said I’ll do every- nament. I played fairly followed at 66. Lehman to the races.” Fred Couples
birdies on Nos. 4-7 on his fi- thing opposite from what solid golf most of the time, won the season-opening also opened with a 67.
nal nine on The Old Course I think. If I slide my hips like a couple of good up-and- Mitsubishi Electric Champi- Retief Goosen also made
at Broken Sound. The crazy, I feel like I’m hang- downs, a couple long putts, onship last month in Hawaii. his senior debut, shooting
53-year-old Swede won ing back, bam, that works. so very happy with it.” Gary Nicklaus, the 50-year- 69. He will be inducted into
the 2016 Insperity Invita- So I did that, which felt like The 61-year-old German old son of Jack Nicklaus, the World Golf Hall of Fame
tional for his lone PGA Tour terrible, but man, it was un- won the 2010 event and had a 67 in his PGA Tour in June. John Daly opened
Champions victory. believable. Man, I’m mostly finished second last year, Champions debut on a with a 71, and Calcavec-
He took the first-round shocked right now.” two strokes behind Mark sponsor exemption. Nick- chia had a 72. Hal Sutton
lead a day after going into Langer closed with birdies Calcavecchia. laus did not get through shot 73 in his first start on the
“panic mode” while strug- on Nos. 17 and 18. Woody Austin, Gene Sau- Champions qualifying last tour since May 2017.q