PGA TOUR Notebook: Watson's game still going strong LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Based on his performance at Pebble Beach, one suspects Tom Watson could hang with the PGA TOUR and do just fine. Watson's name was near the top of the leaderboard on the weekend, and he wound up tied for 19th. The 57-year-old Watson extended his streak on the PGA TOUR to 37 years making at least one cut. That dates to 1971, the year he turned pro (Jack Nicklaus made at least one cut 43 straight years from 1958 to 2000). It also was the 20th time Watson has finished in the top 25 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Still, Watson likely will play only one more PGA TOUR event, the Masters in April. He is exempt for life, but listening to him talk about the oversized Augusta National course, he might not be there much longer. Watson also is exempt to the British Open until he is 65, but he won't be back this summer at Carnoustie. He won the first of his eight majors -- and five claret jugs -- at Carnoustie in 1975, but he has a conflict that will keep him away. His daughter, Meg, is to be married on Saturday of the Open. Watson will be walking her down the aisle. "I will be thinking a little bit about it," Watson said. "I won't tell her that, though." DRIVER WANTED: In this era of technology, Jim Furyk would have thought it would be no problem to replace a broken driver. It's been since November, and he's still waiting. Furyk split the face of his driver during the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai at the end of last year and hasn't found a suitable replacement. Despite his dissatisfaction, he won the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa, was 18th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and tied for fourth at the Sony Open. "I just had a hard time matching it up with the rest of my set," he said. Furyk tried a new driver at Pebble Beach, and played well until catching the worst of the weather at Pebble, the toughest course in windy weather. He finished tied for sixth. How long the driver stays in the bag is another matter. It's the second time in the last two years that Furyk has cracked the face of a driver, but he says that's nothing new on TOUR. Most of the big hitters do it all the time, although Furyk hardly falls into that category. "Little pea shooters like me wear that like a badge of honor," he said. BEATING THE PRO: Comedian Tom Dreesen chipped in twice and holed a 45-foot putt on his last three holes at Pebble Beach in the first round, and was pleased to add up his score and realize he shot 78. He wound up beating his pro, Robert Gamez, by one shot, although Dreesen played a forward set of tees. It reminded him of the time he played with Steve Pate in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic one year. Pate played poorly in the first round in 1989, shooting an 81, and Dreesen had a 77. He ran into Pate's wife the next day, who told him of a bizarre night. "She sensed this shadow moving through their room at 3 o'clock in the morning," Dreesen said. "She looks up and there's Pate, just pacing back and forth in the hotel room. She says, 'Steve, what's wrong?' "He says, 'A comedian. I got beat by a comedian.'" Not to worry. The next day, Pate shot 62. DIVOTS: Ernie Els will receive the Gold Tee Award from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association at the annual dinner June 18 in Rye, N.Y., near Westchester Country Club, where Els won in consecutive years. ... David Feherty got his exercise last week at Pebble Beach by riding a bicycle on 17-Mile Drive in the morning. Sweat pouring off his face, the Irish funny man said, "I found out it's actually 28 miles." ... Phil Mickelson now has won four PGA TOUR events at least three times -- the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am (1998, 2005, 2007), the BellSouth Classic (2000, 2005-06), the Buick Invitational (1993, 2000-01) and the Chrysler Classic of Tucson (1991, 1995-96). STAT OF THE WEEK: The wind blew 20 mph from the south in the third round, and the average score on No. 9 at Pebble Beach was 4.97. There was only a breeze from the north in the final round, and the average score was 3.98. FINAL WORD: "Now I have more TOUR wins and majors than Johnny Miller, so if he ever gives me a hard time up in the booth, I can rough him up a little bit." -- Phil Mickelson, on the significance of his 30th career PGA TOUR victory. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. |