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Notebook: Winners Will Receive
Medals Again
By Alex Miceli
Toledo, Ohio -- For the first time in many years, the winner
of each USGA event will receive a medal affixed to a ribbon
that will be placed around his/her neck at the ceremony following
each championship.
The motivation for this came from the book, the "Greatest
Game Ever Played," according to USGA Executive Director
David Fay.
"Reality is, I was reading that book, the "Greatest
Game Ever Played" on the 1913 U.S. Open," said Fay.
"It was reported that the USGA President (Robert C. Watson)
draped the medal around [Francis] Ouimet’s neck. That triggered
something in my mind, thinking that’s pretty cool, like the
Olympics, so we just changed it this year."
Putting Troubles
Although he hit 15 greens in regulation in the final round,
Tom Watson could not convert on putts.
While Watson was second in greens in regulation for the week,
averaging 12.50, and second in fairways hit with 11.75, he
was 29th in putts with 29.50.
"Today I had a lot of good looks at it, really good
looks at it," said Watson of his putting attempts. "I
had the looks, just couldn’t make it. Just like a guy being
a little bit off of his jump shot. Getting open and getting
a good shot at it, just not holing out."
Tough Stretch
The stretch of holes three through seven were the hardest
this week at the Inverness Club,
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| Tom Watson was 29th in putts
this week, a big reason why he didn’t win. (Steve Gibbons/USGA) |
ranking eighth, first, second, third and fourth, respectively,
over the four days.
While winner Bruce Lietzke and Watson were even par over
those holes, Jack Nicklaus was 10 over on the same stretch
and finished 9 over for the championship.
"Three, four, five particularly are just so tough,"
said Nicklaus. "You are always over par, seems like,
when you get done with that stretch, and I was 3 over [Sunday]
after five. And then I played well after that."
Nicklaus finished with a 2-under 69 in his final round when
he birdied five of the last 10 holes after making two bogeys
in the stretch from the third to the seventh holes.
Scoring
The scoring average for the week was 76.336, with the most
difficult hole being the fourth, which played to an average
of 4.654 (+.654).
Seventeen of 18 holes played over par for the week. The only
one with an average below par was No. 13, which averaged 4.935
(-.065).
Doyle And The Greens
On the 8th green, Allen Doyle rolled a perfect
putt and sauntered straight toward the hole. It came to a
stop a centimeter away as the crowd "Aaaawwww"ed
in sympathy.
On the 16th green, Doyle was putting for birdie,
hoping to drop to even par for the round. The ball arced toward
the hole, crawled to a stop and halted perched over the edge.
On the 18th green, Allen Doyle’s putt – you guessed
it – stopped just microns away from the edge.
It was that kind of day.
In an up-again, down-again round, Doyle struggled on the
greens to end the day with a 2-over 73. It dropped him into
a tie for fourth place with Fuzzy Zoeller to finish the Senior
Open at 285. Doyle came into the day as one of only four players
under par for the Open. None of the four (Doyle, Vicente Fernandez,
Bruce Lietzke, Tom Watson) could break par Sunday.
While Doyle’s round was still a fair performance on a day
when the rest of the field found problems of their own at
Inverness, it remains the worst of Doyle’s four rounds of
the 2003 Senior Open.
The tied for fourth finish is Doyle’s fourth top-10 ending
at the Senior Open in as many years. It’s his best finish
since 2001 (also a tie for fourth).
Alex Miceli is a free-lance writer from the Golf Press
Association. Kevin McManemin of the USGA contributed.
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