Saturday, June 2, 2001
Azinger grabs lead; defending champ Tiger
just two back
By TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Writer
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Paul Azinger's most dramatic moment in
golf came here eight years ago when he dropped one in from a greenside
bunker to beat his close friend, Payne Stewart. He talked fondly
about it the day before the Memorial in a ceremony honoring Stewart.
Then he went out and began trying to win a tournament that means
so much to him.
Azinger grabbed the midway lead in the Memorial with five straight
birdies on on the back nine Friday for a 67 to move a shot ahead
of Vijay Singh.
Perhaps more importantly, Tiger Woods was just two shots back
after a second round 69 that he finished in cold and near darkness.
Woods was tied with first round co-leader Chris Smith at 7 under.
Azinger's 67 put him at 9 under through two rounds in the soggy
Memorial, where a morning downpour suspended play for two hours
and players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls.
A few players were unable to finish and will have to return early
Saturday to complete their rounds.
Azinger, who beat cancer discovered the year after he won here
in 1993, had a bigger task in this year's tournaments than his
other competitors. He gave the speech on Wednesday when the tournament
made Stewart its annual honoree.
No sooner had Azinger completed a 31 on the back nine, though,
than he rejected suggestions that somehow this was his tournament
to win because of his relationship with Stewart, who died in a
1999 plane accident.
“I'm not into all that mystical stuff,” he said.
Azinger gave the tribute to his late friend in an emotional ceremony
Wednesday behind the same 18th green where he blasted out and
into the cup to beat Stewart.
He had played poorly in a practice round earlier in the day while
thinking of his speech. After giving it, though, he switched into
golf clothes and went to the practice range feeling renewed.
“It was after I gave that talk that I was able to finally
gear in and focus,” Azinger said. “I came back and got,
really, some effective practice in. But it wasn't really until
after the ceremony that I was able to really get focused in.”
Azinger's round might have been even better, save for an intense
but brief storm that suspended play for two hours after flooding
the greens of the Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Still, it was enough to give him hope for only his second win
since he was sidelined by cancer.
“I'm not totally dialed in, but, obviously, it was very good,”
Azinger said.
Azinger was 2 under for the day through five holes when the storm
came, then went out and bogeyed two of his next four holes before
recovering with his 31 on the back nine.
Azinger then began his birdie streak on the 13th hole with an
8-footer before making four successive birdies from within 12
feet.
Tournament host Jack Nicklaus was an impressed playing partner.
“When I got to 18 I looked at the scorecard and I said, `good
gracious, that was five birdies in a row,” Nicklaus said.
“I didn't even realize it because he had played so well and
had the ball right around the hole.”
Woods, who teed off in cool, windy and wet conditions after a
storm that interfered with play for the 17th time in the last
50 rounds at the Memorial, had problems once again with the par-4
third hole. He improved from his double bogey the day before but
still made bogey after hitting it into the greenside bunker.
Woods had a chance to get it back, and more, but a balky putter
wouldn't allow him to go on a streak like Thursday when he made
two eagles and a pair of birdies in the final eight holes.
He hit an iron 246 yards within six feet of the hole on the par-5
fifth, then pulled his eagle putt left, prompting him to shout
an expletive loud enough for the large crowd to hear. He later
slammed his driver on the ground while walking to the next hole.
Woods missed the same length putt on No. 6, this time pushing
it to the right. Instead of getting upset, though, he went off
to the side of the green and began working on his putting stroke.
Scott Verplank, who shared the lead at 6 under with Smith to begin
the day, had a chance to be among the leaders but bogeyed the
final two holes to finish with an even par 72.
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