Rich Beem shoots 63 before rain suspends third-round play. Tiger Woods misses the cut.
By BOB HARIG, Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2005
LAKE BUENA VISTA - Rich Beem quickly dismissed a question about the poor weather forecast for today's final round of Funai Classic at Walt Disney World.
Then the clubhouse leader thought better of it.
His brief bouts with success during what has been a long 2005 season both came at weather-plagued events.
"I'm hoping that Mother Nature is ... ornery ... tonight and tomorrow," Beem said.
The 2002 PGA Champion who has made just eight cuts in 25 tournaments this year with a single top-10 finish has put himself in position for his fourth PGA Tour victory.
Beem, 35, shot 9-under-par 63 during the third round Saturday before rain halted play on the Magnolia course. Beem was at 197, 19 under par, and one stroke ahead of Mark Calcavecchia (65) and Mark Wilson (63). Tim Clark, Carl Petterrson, Tom Pernice and Geoff Ogilvy were also a stroke back, but were unable to complete the round.
They were among 25 scheduled to complete the third round this morning, before the fourth round begins, weather permitting.
Beem, the former stereo and cell phone salesman who chugged Pepto-Bismolbefore rounds to calm his nerves, got on a roll in 2002, winning the International and then edging Tiger Woods by a shot at the PGA. But He has not won since.
In fact, were it not for the five-year exemption that came with the PGA title, Beem, who was 183rd on the money list last year, might be off the tour. This year was not looking much better. He is 136th on the money list coming into this tournament.
To say Beem is a streaky player is a bit of an understatement.
"My track record speaks for itself on that," he said. "In the past it's been because my putting has kind of either carried me through the week or it's let me down, depending on which week it has been. This year was absolutely horrific. I finally looked at my putting stats after the British Open, and I was 201st out of 203 guys in putting. I'm not going to beat anybody like that. So I went to a completely different putting style and found some newfound hope."
When the day began, Tiger Woods had a faint hope of making the 36-hole cut, but it quickly vanished when he bogeyed the 17th hole. He needed to birdie his final two holes to make it, but played them in 1 over, missing by three strokes. It was the first time in nine appearances at his hometown event that he failed to make the cut, and it's just the fourth time in 184 starts on the PGA Tour as a pro that he won't cash a check.
Woods struggled using a new driver. "I did not play well at all," he said. "My driving wasn't very good. Even if those fairways are 300 yards wide, if you get to hitting it both ways, it's tough to play."
Beem knows all about it. His highlights have been rare. He tied for 13th Feb. 20 at the Nissan Open, which was shortened to 36 holes because of bad weather. And he lost in a playoff to Phil Mickelson at the April 3 BellSouth Classic, which was shortened to 54 holes, also due to bad weather.
