Golf

Rookie Green starting hot

For two 30-year-old professionals, they could not have been any more different.

By BOB HARIG
Published January 31, 2006

On one side of the tee box was Tiger Woods , he of the newly purchased $38-million estate in Jupiter, winner of 10 major championships and on the verge of his 47th PGA Tour title.

On the other side was Nathan Green , who used to work in his parents' crematorium in Australia, playing in just his third PGA Tour event, only his second since becoming a full member.

He had never met Woods until shaking his hand on the tee before their playoff (with Jose Maria Olazabal ) on Sunday at the Buick Invitational.

So it was no surprise when Green went on to make a mess of the par-5 hole, squandering the advantage he gained after hitting his ball in the fairway by missing the green into the grandstands, coming up short with his chip shot and making bogey while the veterans went on with pars.

Still, it was some experience for Green, who in two starts this year has a fifth and a tie for second and has earned $654,000 already in his rookie year to all but assure a finish among the top 125.

"I had an absolute ball this week," Green told reporters afterward. "To come out of the box and achieve what I have achieved, you couldn't script it any better. I have sort of over-achieved on what ability I have."

Green made his way to the PGA Tour by finishing 18th on the Nationwide Tour money list last year. That meant he was in a priority pecking order based on his finish. That also meant he was not always assured a place in tournament fields. His fifth-place finish at the Sony Open on Jan. 15 meant a spot at the Buick.

Now he should have no worries the rest of the way. At various points in the year, players such as Green are reshuffled based on money earnings. He will now be at the top of the list. And perhaps he will have a bit more confidence.

"I guess I'm the overachiever of the week," Green said. "I wasn't often in the last group on Nationwide, and here I am. Maybe I should give myself a bit of a break. I might be better than I give myself credit for. I must have lost eight balls on the South Course during my practice round the other day. I've had low expectations all along."

RATINGS BOON: With no football to compete against and Woods in contention, the Buick Invitational saw its final-round ratings increase 146 percent over last year's event, also won by Woods but played a week earlier. CBS reported a 5.9 rating for the final round (3.0 is considered outstanding in golf) with a 9.4 during the playoff.

HAWAII SWEEP: Loren Roberts , nicknamed "Boss of the Moss" for his excellent putting stroke, figured to be a huge success on the Champions Tour. So far, that is proving to be true. Roberts became just the third player to sweep the two season-opening events in Hawaii and won for the third time in eight senior events since turning 50 in June when he captured the Turtle Bay Championship Sunday.

HAAS COMMITS: Jay Haas is the latest commitment to the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am Feb. 24-26 at the TPC of Tampa Bay. Haas won twice in 10 events last year. He joins defending champion Hale Irwin , Tom Kite , Lanny Wadkins and Peter Jacobsen , among others, who have committed to the 54-hole Champions Tour event. The event is also expecting Greg Norman to play. For information, call (813) 265-4653 or visit outbackproam.com.

AROUND GOLF: Woods' victory at the Buick Invitational made it the fifth tournament he has won at least four times. The others: the Masters, Bay Hill Invitational, NEC Invitational and American Express Championship. ... The South Course at Torrey Pines, which measured more than 7,600 yards, will host the U.S. Open in 2008. It will likely be changed to a par 70, with yardage in the 7,500-yard range. There was just one bogey-free round during the Buick Invitational on the South Course. ... Woods is 9-1 in PGA Tour playoffs, 12-1 worldwide. His lone defeat? To Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open.

[Last modified January 31, 2006, 00:30:20]