Golf

Steady swing pays for Hoch

He isn't one of the tour's long hitters but he finds ways to contend.

By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 8, 2003

MIAMI -- Scott Hoch has developed a reputation as a bit of a complainer. The PGA Tour veteran often has groused about the setup of courses, saying they favor the longest hitters, which he isn't.

A recent anonymous survey in Sports Illustrated among players pegged him among the biggest whiners on tour.

That same survey also listed him among the most underrated, a fact that is easy to support.

In his 24th year on tour, Hoch, 47, is still among the most accomplished players. In 2001 he won twice, the ninth and 10th victories of his career. Last year he had seven top-10 finishes and ranked 38th on the money list.

He probably is best remembered for missing a 2-foot putt in a sudden-death playoff that would have won the 1989 Masters. Less discussed is that Hoch has finished outside of the top 100 money-winners just once, in 1992, when injuries limited his appearances. For seven straight years, Hoch has earned at least $1-million. He has made two U.S. Ryder Cup teams.

"It means I've been a pretty good player for a long time," said Hoch, who lives in Orlando. "I just keep trying to do the best I can. I don't think age has anything to do with pride out here. The young guys have pride, too. It's all how you finish.

"I figured I'd be a good player, but as far as playing this well, this late and this many years down the road. ... I never thought about that. Of course, not too many people in their early 20s do think that far."

Hoch shot 2-under-par 70 Friday at Doral's "Blue Monster" course, good for fifth place after 36 holes of the $5-million Ford Championship. He is three strokes behind leader Bob Tway, who followed his first-round 65 with 68 and is at 133, 11 under par. Jim Furyk (66) is another shot back at 134, followed by Carlos Franco (68) and first-round leader Rodney Pampling (71).

The tour's leading money winner, Mike Weir, is in a group at 137, four strokes back.

This is the third tournament of the year for Hoch, who didn't begin his season until two weeks ago at the Nissan Open because he felt the setup of the early-season courses weren't favorable for him. With little rough on long courses, Hoch decided to forget it. So he hardly picked up a club in the offseason, waiting until just a few days before the Los Angeles tournament to start getting ready.

"What most people think that I complain about is I want to play short courses with rough," Hoch said. "That's not true. You can get an 8,000-yard course if you want to, as long as it has rough or penalties for errant shots. It's getting to where it's a bomber's tour. I guess that's what people are drawn to.

"I mean, other than Gary Player, what short hitter has really gotten a whole lot of notoriety? The long hitters are the ones who have carried the tour. And the longer I have been out here, the more they have given them the benefit. I think a lot of us would just like to see more variety. I mean, I'd love to see all of the courses fit my game, but I know that's not fair. Just like the long hitters, they shouldn't all fit their game."

But who's complaining?

Hoch likes Doral because the rough is penal and long hitters don't prosper as much. He grumbled about his three bogeys Friday, and that a bothersome hand injury makes it difficult to swing his driver. And yet he's three shots out of the lead.

How does he do it?

"It's good to have a swing that's fairly repeatable," he said. "It's been one that hasn't changed much over the years. There is only a couple of things that usually go wrong with it and I can usually figure it out."

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