Less thinking, more feel leads to Clark's run at 59

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NORTON, Mass. -- He knew he shouldn't be thinking about it, but Tim Clark couldn't help it.

The decision to stop thinking about his golf swing paid off big for Tim Clark Saturday. (Cohen/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Clark thru 36 Holes

Category Total Rank Eagles 2 T1 Birdies 13 T4 Pars 18 T84 Bogeys 3 T36 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 78.6% T8 Driving Distance 290.0 yds. 55 Greens in Regulation 83.3% T7 Putts per Round 26.5 T11 Putts per GIR 1.467 1 Sand Saves 75.0% T29

He had just driven the green -- well, the fringe, anyway -- on the 298-yard fourth hole at TPC Boston. He was staring at a 22-footer for eagle that would take him to 10 under with five holes and loads of possibilites remaining. Clark wouldn't have been human if he hadn't thought about a potential history-making 59.

The eagle putt went down, the South African's second in his last three holes, and a 4-footer for birdie followed on No. 7 to take Clark tantilizingly close to a number only three other players had ever shot. His gallery was increasing, as were the number of cameras, still and television, poised to capture the moment.

Unfortunately, the record run would end as a pair of bogeys followed. Clark's consolation prize, though, was a one-stroke lead over Mike Weir after the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

"I've been hitting the ball nice, and today I came up and it just was strange," Clark admitted. "I felt good all day and just kept making birdie after birdie after birdie, and then on the front nine, my back nine, a couple eagles really boosted the round. For a while there, there was certainly a chance of 59."

Clark compared the tension he felt on the final four holes to the nerves that attend a championship run on Sunday afternoon. And judging by the way he's playing, the 32-year-old just might have another chance at his first PGA TOUR victory when the final round unfolds on Labor Day for a rare Monday finish.

"Obviously I've been chasing my first victory for quite a while, and it's just one of those things that hasn't happened," said Clark, who has six second-place finishes and earnings of more than $11 million. "I've won on other tours, but it's definitely different out here. It's tough to win. I can only hope once I do get over that hurdle there will be more to come.

"But I'm still enjoying it out here, and I don't see that I put my added pressure to go out and win," he added. "I feel like the best way to go about it is go out and play golf, and if it's going to happen, it's going to happen."

If Clark continues to play the way he has over the first two days, that time could come sooner rather than later. He has hit all but six fairways and 30 of 36 greens in regulation. His putter, though, has been the key with him expending just 25 on Saturday and 28 in the first round.

Clark wasted little time setting the tone for the day as he hit a 7-iron to 20 feet on the 10th hole, his first of the day, and made the putt. He added a 15-footer at the next hole, then finished off a 30 on the front nine with putts of 12 and 2 feet on Nos. 14 and 17 and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th.

The momentum continued with a 9-iron to 8 feet at No. 1. Clark then hit a driver and a hybrid 3-iron to 8 feet for the first eagle at the second hole. The excitement really intensified when he made the second eagle putt from just off the fringe on the driveable par 4 but Clark lost tee shots to the right on the final two holes and had to settle for the 62.

"It was fun to watch," playing partner Sean O'Hair said. "He just putted well today. He did really well on the back, but on the front, he just gave himself a lot of opportunitites, and he made them.

"The guy just putted phenomenal. The putts on the last two holes probably should have gone in. On No. 8, the ball hit a spike mark and that one (for par on the ninth) could very well have gone in, too."

Clark, who tied for second earlier this year at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, said he felt surprisingly relaxed as the pressure mounted Saturday afternooon. He stayed aggressive and chased the elusive number, and couldn't be too disappointed even though he fell short.

"I've been comfortable with my golf game," Clark said. "At the start of the year I was fighting a lot of things. I couldn't really feel my swing very well, and like I said, the last few weeks I've just stopped thinking about my golf swing just going out and looking at the target and swinging. That's just, I guess, how I seem to play my best golf."

Clark went low two weeks ago at Greensboro, shooting four rounds in the 60s and 15 under to tie for fourth and move 15 spots up on the FedExCup list to 65th. He was solid last week at Ridgewood, too, breaking par in three of four rounds on a challenging course to tie for 38th and jump 20 spots to No. 40.

"I guess I keep coming into (the FedExCup) way out of the picture," Clark said. "I guess I'm just focusing a little bit more, trying harder. I didn't play a practice round this week. I didn't really even come to the course. But that's when I seem to play my best, when I relax off the course but I come out here to be focused and really try hard.

"Obviously that's paying off for me."

Clark needs to work his way into the top 30 to make the field for the final Playoff event at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. At the start of the second round at TPC Boston, Clark admitted, his goal had been just to make the cut to assure himself of being among the 70 players advancing to the BMW Championship.

Things quickly changed for the former North Carolina State golfer.

"I got off to a good start and it just snowballed from there," Clark said. "But I'm certainly not disappointed. I've still got 36 more holes to play and a lot of golf left. Disappointed about the 59, but still, at the end of the day, when I was out there, it was still early in the second round of the tournament.

"I need to keep going if I'm going to win this tournament because the scores I think are only going to stay low."