The 19th hole
By BOB HARIG
Published April 28, 2005
DIVOTS
FOLLOWING THE PATH OF WOODEN DRIVERS: Joey Sindelar was the last of a dying breed on the PGA Tour. He carried a 1-iron in his bag, which had become something akin to hitting a wooden driver. For roughly six months, Sindelar had been the only player to use a 1-iron, a club rarely employed by average players even when it was popular among the pros. But, alas, Sindelar finally replaced it with a hybrid equivalent at the MCI Heritage. "You have to generate speed to keep a 1-iron in the air, and at age 47, I'm not going to get any faster," Sindelar told GolfWorld. "Plus, the lower-spinning balls make it harder to get up (in the air) so it doesn't land as soft as with the old golf balls." Sindelar still put the club to good use in his playoff victory last year at the Wachovia Championship, hitting it off the tee on the 18th hole in regulation and again in a playoff he won over Arron Oberholser.
FREE LESSONS: For the eighth straight year, the PGA of America is promoting PGA Free Lesson Month for May, which involves thousands of PGA golf professionals across the country. As part of the program, the pros offer free 10-minute golf lessons to players of all skill levels. More than 6,700 pros are participating. Every golfer who participates can send in a free lesson card that will be entered for a chance to win a three-day golf getaway package, an appearance on the Golf Channel, a custom-fit set of Nike golf clubs and apparel. More than 50 facilities in the Tampa Bay area are taking part. For information, or to find a golf facility near you, visit www.playgolfamerica.com
QUOTABLE"If I was in the crowd I'd probably say the same. Everybody loves John. If I was in there, I would have wanted to see a playoff anyway. They were fine. It didn't bother me at all." - Vijay Singh, when asked about the crowd cheering his missed 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Sunday, which led to a playoff he won over John Daly.
STAT OF THE WEEKThis week's BMW Asian Open is the fifth tournament on the PGA European Tour scheduled to be played in China. The tour has just four tournaments, including the British Open, that will be played in Scotland.