Golf

Hayes taken to hospital because of chest pains

Hayes, 41, was given oxygen near the course before leaving in an ambulance.

By RODNEY PAGE
Published March 12, 2007

PALM HARBOR - J.P. Hayes was taken from the course by ambulance after complaining of chest pains. He teed off Sunday but did not complete the first hole and was taken to Helen Ellis Hospital in Tarpon Springs, where he was being treated. The hospital would not disclose his status.

"I had breakfast with him, and he said he wasn't feeling good," playing partner Brad Faxon said. "He said he's had some heart palpitations before. He didn't look good. He did the right thing."

Hayes, 41, sprayed his tee shot 30 yards to the left. He hit his second wildly before asking an official for medical attention. He was taken to Edinburgh Hall, about 300 yards from the first hole, and given oxygen. He was then put in an ambulance.

Hayes turned pro in 1989 and has won twice on the PGA Tour, his last the 2002 John Deere Classic. He has played in eight tournaments this season with his best finish a tie for 10th on March 4 at the Honda Classic. He was not in contention after a three-round total of 217, 13 off the lead.

CHOPRA ON ATWAL: Daniel Chopra is a longtime friend of Arjun Atwal, the PGA player under investigation after what police said appeared to be a high-speed street race ended in a fatal crash near Orlando. Atwal, 33, was not injured in the accident at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The other driver, John Noah Park, 48, died at a hospital, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said Sunday. No charges have been filed against Atwal, the first player from India on the tour.

Chopra said his wife talked to Atwal's wife Sunday. "It's shocking," he said. "But from what I heard, it was 5:35 on a crowded road. They obviously weren't racing. It was more of one car going fast and the other car trying to get out of the way. I think what you've read is an extreme exaggeration. I think you have to be careful in jumping to conclusions."

Chopra and Atwal lived in India at the same time and played on the Asian Tour. Atwal was the first Indian-born player to win on the European tour, the 2002 Singapore Masters. He went to PGA qualifying school a year later and earned his card. He finished 140th on the money list in 2006, failing to keep full-exempt status. He has played only three times this year, tying for 36th at Pebble Beach and missing the cut in Mexico and the Honda Classic. Atwal, of Windermere, was not eligible to play again until the Houston Open at the end of the month.

HOWELL MAKES A MOVE: Charles Howell vaulted from a tie for 34th to a tie for sixth after shooting 6-under 65. It was the low round of the day. Howell, who won the Nissan Open and has finished second twice, remains the FedEx Cup points leader 11,108.

Howell was 2 over after two rounds, the cut line. But on the weekend, he was 9 under.

"I was fortunate to be here this weekend," he said. "I obviously had a much better weekend. No bogeys on the weekend. Sometimes it doesn't look glamorous, but it's definitely a neat goal to have."

Howell, 27, has five top-10 finishes in seven events. He has made more than $2.3-million. He has no doubt this is shaping up to be his best PGA season.

"And I was finally able to break through and win a golf tournament," said Howell, who turned pro in 2000. "The monkey off my back for that was huge. That monkey was getting awfully heavy. He was getting bigger. He was putting on the weight that I can't."

EAGLES HAVE LANDED: Peter Lonard holed out from 122 yards for eagle on the fifth hole. Not to be outdone, John Rollins eagled the par-4 10th, holing out from 96 yards. Bubba Watson eagled the par-5 14th, hitting a 263-yard fairway wood to within 5 feet of the hole.

ATTENDANCE UP: Officials did not have exact numbers, but based on cars parked, tournament director Gerald Goodman said attendance was "significantly more" than the October date. "We parked double the amount of cars from what we did in October, and we figure we were in the 80,000 to 90,000 range for spectators for the week," he said. "We were in the 50,000 range in the fall."

Rodney Page can be reached at page@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8123.

[Last modified March 11, 2007, 23:52:08]