Long-driving Kuehne finally breaks out of 2004 slump
By BOB HARIG
Published October 23, 2004
LAKE BUENA VISTA - Hank Kuehne knows he is something of a curiosity, a golfer with enormous gifts who can hit the ball jaw-dropping lengths.
All of that is fine, and Kuehne doesn't shy away from hitting the ball far when necessary.
But all things considered, Kuehne would prefer simply to be known as a golfer.
That is a difficult task for Kuehne, who has struggled to put up the scores that such long drives seemingly should yield. He did so Friday, shooting 8-under-par 64 at Walt Disney World's Palm course to move into contention at the Funai Classic.
It was Kuehne's best score of the year and put him in position for a weekend run, something that has been rare for the 29-year-old.
"I haven't really played that well this year at all," said Kuehne, a former U.S. Amateur champion whose sister, Kelli, plays on the LPGA Tour and whose brother, Trip, lost in the final of the 1994 U.S. Amateur to Tiger Woods. "I really struggled with my golf swing the first six months of the year. I was fortunate enough to play well enough a few weeks to make enough money to still keep my card and do whatever else. But as far as the year as a whole ... I haven't been very satisfied with the way I've played."
Kuehne's 36-hole total of 133, 11 under par, was good for a third-place tie, two shots behind leader Briny Baird and a shot behind Tom Lehman. Baird added 66 to his opening 65 to finish 13 under. Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion who has not won since 2000, shot his second straight 66. Baird and Kuehne are among those committed to play in next week's Chrysler Championship.
Tied with Kuehne were Kirk Triplett (67), Skip Kendall (67) and Cameron Beckman (65). Chris DiMarco was among a group tied for seventh, three back of Baird. Clearwater's John Huston shot 71 and was tied for 11th.
The 36-hole cut came at 140, 4 under par.
That is the number Kuehne has flirted with most of the year. This is the 15th time in 29 tournaments that Kuehne has made the cut. His best finish was fifth at the Nissan Open. He has earned $806,627 to rank 95th on the money list.
Although he again leads the tour in driving distance with an average of 314.8 yards, other areas of his game keep him from contending. For example, he is 199th in driving accuracy, hitting less than 50 percent of the fairways. He is 151st in greens in regulation at 62.9 percent.
Perhaps he has found the perfect venue at Disney. The resort courses lend themselves to power players who do not necessarily hit the ball straight.
Actually, Kuehne would prefer that to hitting the ball far, if it helped him score better.
"I want to play good golf," he said. "If that means I hit it 260, that means I hit it 260. Last year, I hit driver pretty much on every measuring hole.
"This year it's been a lot different. I'm just trying to play the golf course. I really don't care if it's a driving hole or isn't a driving hole. I just hit whatever club is the right club to hit off the tee. I've tried not to pay much attention to it this year."
CHAMPIONS: Tom Kite shot 2-under 70 in the second round to maintain his one-stroke lead over Morris Hatalsky, Dana Quigley and Hale Irwin in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, Calif. Hatalsky's 5-under 67 was the best round among the leaders, but Kite stayed in front at 10-under 134 with an afternoon of saves and clutch putting. Irwin shot 69. David Eger and 2003 champion Jim Thorpe matched Hatalsky for the day's best round.
PGA QUALIFYING: LPGA Tour rookie Isabelle Beisiegel shot 7-over 79, her best round of the week, but it will not end her attempt to become the first woman to qualify for the men's tour. Beisiegel's 35-over 323 was last among the 78 golfers who completed all four rounds of the first-stage qualifying tournament. She said she would try the process next year or try some one-day qualifying events for PGA stops in 2005.
EUROPEAN PGA: Paul Broadhurst shot 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Madrid Open. Broadhurst, who hasn't won on the tour in nine years, is 10-under 132, just ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez (63), Darren Fichardt (66) and Johan Edfors (67).
SOLHEIM CUP: The biennial event will return to Sweden in 2007 organizers said. The competition pits the top European-born golfers from the Ladies European Tour and the top American players from the LPGA in a competition similar in format to the Ryder Cup.
Information from Times wires was used in this report.
