Doyle Turns In Round Under Par, On Leaderboard

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Toledo, Ohio – With heavy rain showers saturating the Inverness Club course Thursday night, Allen Doyle looked at his early tee time Friday and knew it was time to go to work.

Allen Doyle took advantage of tamer conditions Friday morning to him himself in contention this weekend. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

Doyle took advantage of the softer conditions, grinding out a 2-under 69 in the second round of the U.S. Senior Open to get in contention at 1-under 141 entering the weekend.

First-round leader Tom Watson, who was 5-under 66, went off in the afternoon.

With the 6,983-yard par-71 layout baking in the sun for Thursday’s opening round, Doyle employed a defensive strategy. That was thrown out the window with the 8:10 a.m. starting time Friday.

"I didn’t to start off with [on Friday] because of the softness of the greens," said Doyle, a semifinal loser to eventual champion Justin Leonard at the 1992 U.S. Amateur and a three-time member of the USA Walker Cup squad (1989, ’91 and ’93). The greens were so soft that approach shots were causing deep indentations on the putting surfaces. "Knowing the greens and the condition they’re in, you know you couldn’t let it get away."

And Doyle didn’t.

After a 50-foot chip-in at the 10th hole, his first of the day, Doyle knocked a 3-wood from 238 yards to within 18 feet of the hole at the 511-yard par-5 13th. He sank the putt for an eagle.

Maybe just as impressive was how he survived holes three through seven, which are, arguably, the toughest at Inverness because of the undulating greens. He’s played that wicked stretch in one over through the first two rounds.

"That’s the meat of the course," he said.

He did bogey Nos. 3 and 4, but birdied the fifth hole.

On No. 4, which features a sloped green, he "didn’t fear the brutal speed," which led to a three-putt.

Doyle, an amateur until he was almost 50, has ties to the USGA. Besides the Walker Cup appearances, he also represented the USA on three World Amateur teams (1990, ’92 and ’94). This year marks his fourth Senior Open, with his best finish at tie for fourth in 2001 at Salem (Mass.) Country Club.

"These are the easy days," Doyle said of the first two rounds. "You don’t get too excited on Thursday and Friday. The work starts now."

Speaking of work, that’s what two-time Senior Open champion Jack Nicklaus had to do in his second round, stabilizing at 2-over 73 after opening with a 6-over 77 that didn’t leave him happy. The early prognosis is that Nicklaus should make the cut, estimated to be 10 over.

Nicklaus took four fewer bogeys and struck more fairways and greens in regulation. His biggest problem was not taking advantage of scoring opportunities. On Thursday, he failed to hole several putts inside 10 feet and through 36 holes, he has 59 putts, 29 of which came in Friday’s second round.

On holes 12-14, he pushed all of his approach shots to the right of the flagstick despite good lies.

"I basically wasted three shots in a row after really getting myself in position," he said.

After the first round, he left the course irritated.

"I suppose I was more disappointed in my own attitude," he said. "I didn’t really want to play. And even coming to the golf course [Thursday] with [wife] Barbara, I said, ‘You know, I don’t really want to play.’

"And if you don’t want to play, you’re not going to play well. I shouldn’t say ‘I don’t want to play.’ I want to play. I want to play well."

This year he’s struggled with his chipping and putting and those areas are critical for scoring. A sore lower back has prevented him from working on his chipping, although he stopped short of using it as an excuse, other than saying he’s not prepared.

As the afternoon approached, a cloudless sky and strong breeze were drying things up in a hurry. Still, 1997 winner Graham Marsh (2-over 143 for the championship) wasn’t convinced that the course would chew up players like it did on Thursday.

"With Tom Watson and others, I suspect they may get under par because the course isn’t playing as difficult as [Thursday]," he said.

Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org with questions and comments.