little tougher, definitely,’ said former US Open champion Lee Janzen. ‘None of the pins we saw yesterday or today were anything new. They just used a few of the easier ones yesterday.’
Even Faldo said: ‘There were a couple of racy ones. If you hit it in the wrong place, then it’s scary.’ That was exactly what happened to Norman on the 11th green. But the Shark was not alone. There were 31 three-putts recorded at the 11th hole in the second round, so it happened to one out of every three players. No other green saw more than nine three-putts. Having survived without three-putting for a bogey, however, Norman had to step onto the 12th tee. The day before, the treacherous par-three had played as the easiest of the short holes, and there were no balls in the water. On Friday it ranked the hardest hole on the course.
Ben Crenshaw, the defending champion, made a triple-bogey six, as did Hal Sutton, Payne Stewart and rookie Paul Goydos, who managed it without going in the water. Crenshaw went in twice. His first effort with a seven-iron was 30 yards short and left of where he was aiming, ‘just the sickest looking shot,’ admitted the Texan. ‘That hole had the worst gusts I’ve seen,’ Crenshaw added. In a bowl at the far end of the course, the wind swirls around the trees and leaves players pondering which club to hit to the green that sits at an angle just over Rae’s Creek. Norman took a seven-iron and came up short, the ball rolling down the bank at the front of the green but stopping 14 inches above the waterline. It was the sort of moment of good fortune that helped Fred Couples to victory in the final round in 1992. ‘I thought about that,’ Norman said. ‘I said let’s do what Freddie did. He made a three, I made a three.’ His chip was exquisite, and left him a tap-in for his par.
In fact, six balls out of the 18 that came up short on the 12th on Friday stopped on the bank. ‘It was a little spongy there,’ Norman said. ‘There was a lot of water on the bank. They haven’t shaved it as they did last year, they left a little long grass there. I had 159 yards from the tee and the wind was swirling. I was trying to put it over the middle bunker but the ball ballooned a little bit.When it landed, it started trickling down but it didn’t come back with any force. I knew from the practice rounds that the grass was a little longer. I wasn’t concerned. Maybe a little bit but if it had gone in the water, I would have panicked. As it turned out, I think the putt on 11 was more important than what happened on 12.’
Afterwards, Norman was asked if he was looking forward to the next two days? ‘Oh, I’m looking forward to it. I feel very comfortable with myself.’ For the first time in his press conferences, he was asked about his back over the first two days. ‘My back is fine,’ he said. ‘It hurt a little yesterday.’ Asked if he had had treatment, he said: ‘I have treatment every day. Freddie [Couples] had been working with a guy named Tom Boers from Columbus, Georgia. I’ve seen Tom a couple of times.
‘Freddie’s back and my back are very similar, and this guy is good with what he does. When he first came here, I went to see him just to make sure I wasn’t out of alignment. I was stiff Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Tom basically helped it out and loosened it up a little bit. And now I have my guy, Pete, who always works with me when he’s in town to make sure everything stays in place. You know, you just protect it and make sure nothing gets out of line.
‘I’ve got a pretty good feel going now and if I wake up stiff, you’ve got somebody there who can help me get unstiff. I like to say stiff in the right parts, not the wrong parts.’
Norman was also asked if he was surprised at doubling his lead from two to four strokes. ‘No, not really. It’s a nice feeling. Faldo played good today. Phil [Mickelson] struggled a little today, but he kept it together coming in.
Even Faldo said: ‘There were a couple of racy ones. If you hit it in the wrong place, then it’s scary.’ That was exactly what happened to Norman on the 11th green. But the Shark was not alone. There were 31 three-putts recorded at the 11th hole in the second round, so it happened to one out of every three players. No other green saw more than nine three-putts. Having survived without three-putting for a bogey, however, Norman had to step onto the 12th tee. The day before, the treacherous par-three had played as the easiest of the short holes, and there were no balls in the water. On Friday it ranked the hardest hole on the course.
Ben Crenshaw, the defending champion, made a triple-bogey six, as did Hal Sutton, Payne Stewart and rookie Paul Goydos, who managed it without going in the water. Crenshaw went in twice. His first effort with a seven-iron was 30 yards short and left of where he was aiming, ‘just the sickest looking shot,’ admitted the Texan. ‘That hole had the worst gusts I’ve seen,’ Crenshaw added. In a bowl at the far end of the course, the wind swirls around the trees and leaves players pondering which club to hit to the green that sits at an angle just over Rae’s Creek. Norman took a seven-iron and came up short, the ball rolling down the bank at the front of the green but stopping 14 inches above the waterline. It was the sort of moment of good fortune that helped Fred Couples to victory in the final round in 1992. ‘I thought about that,’ Norman said. ‘I said let’s do what Freddie did. He made a three, I made a three.’ His chip was exquisite, and left him a tap-in for his par.
In fact, six balls out of the 18 that came up short on the 12th on Friday stopped on the bank. ‘It was a little spongy there,’ Norman said. ‘There was a lot of water on the bank. They haven’t shaved it as they did last year, they left a little long grass there. I had 159 yards from the tee and the wind was swirling. I was trying to put it over the middle bunker but the ball ballooned a little bit.When it landed, it started trickling down but it didn’t come back with any force. I knew from the practice rounds that the grass was a little longer. I wasn’t concerned. Maybe a little bit but if it had gone in the water, I would have panicked. As it turned out, I think the putt on 11 was more important than what happened on 12.’
Afterwards, Norman was asked if he was looking forward to the next two days? ‘Oh, I’m looking forward to it. I feel very comfortable with myself.’ For the first time in his press conferences, he was asked about his back over the first two days. ‘My back is fine,’ he said. ‘It hurt a little yesterday.’ Asked if he had had treatment, he said: ‘I have treatment every day. Freddie [Couples] had been working with a guy named Tom Boers from Columbus, Georgia. I’ve seen Tom a couple of times.
‘Freddie’s back and my back are very similar, and this guy is good with what he does. When he first came here, I went to see him just to make sure I wasn’t out of alignment. I was stiff Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Tom basically helped it out and loosened it up a little bit. And now I have my guy, Pete, who always works with me when he’s in town to make sure everything stays in place. You know, you just protect it and make sure nothing gets out of line.
‘I’ve got a pretty good feel going now and if I wake up stiff, you’ve got somebody there who can help me get unstiff. I like to say stiff in the right parts, not the wrong parts.’
Norman was also asked if he was surprised at doubling his lead from two to four strokes. ‘No, not really. It’s a nice feeling. Faldo played good today. Phil [Mickelson] struggled a little today, but he kept it together coming in.
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