Sunday, June 06, 1999
MEMORIAL NOTEBOOK
No. 1-ranked Duval climbs leaderboard
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DUBLIN, Ohio — If anybody has a chance to catch Tiger Woods at the Memorial Tournament today, it may be David Duval even though he's five strokes back.
Madison Avenue, CBS and PGA officials are pulling for it. Nothing livens up individual sports like two archrivals.
Duval and Woods are ranked 1-2 in the world, but have never gone head-to-head. Mostly, it's been Woods who has kept that from happening.
“I would certainly embrace that if it happened,” Duval said, “but we need to go at it some before you can even mention it. Right now, I just think it's premature.”
Any added incentive that it's Woods atop the leaderboard today?
“No,” Duval said.
He ended his round Saturday with just the type of shot that might get him going today.
His 7-iron from the 18th fairway came up short of the green and rolled into side-by-side divots that together formed a crater. His ball looked like a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a green cone.
Normally, from this distance of 30 feet off the putting surface, he'd pop up a sand wedge. But he figured he needed to punch it — without running it too far above hole, which is three-putt territory.
He chose an 8-iron.
“I just chopped down on it, tried to scoot it up the hill,” he said. "It worked. I didn't know if it would or not, but I had no other options. I was just trying to avoid a six.”
He made the 15-footer to save par.
WALK IN PARK: Woods said he'll enjoy being paired again today with Vijay Singh, whom he leads by two strokes. “We've always had a good time,” Woods said. “We kid each other all the way around. We ham it up a little bit. I enjoy Davie, his caddy, listening to the stories he tells (with) the thick Scottish accent. He's funny, if you can understand what he's saying.”
BAD FINISH FOR FRANK: Franklin High grad Frank Lickliter (73) was cruising right along, 7-under par (a score that would have tied him for fourth place, within striking distance of Woods) until he came to the 18th hole. His iron-shot approach flew the green, and his flop shot back down the severe slope ran off the front edge.
“I hit the ball pretty solid all day,” he said, “made a couple of putts, hit 12 fairways and 13 greens. I'll just go out (today) and try to make as many birdies as I can and see what happens.”
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