Paired together, duo has polarizing day
Finishing tied for the lead Sunday with eight groups still to finish gave Hunter Mahan some down time to recuperate, ponder a potential playoff and mingle with certain family members waiting for their own loved ones to finish.
Recommended Stories
“I grabbed something to eat, and I was watching with Elin [Woods] and the kids and stuff,” said Mahan. “When he missed on 14, I yelled, ‘Yes,’ in a joking manner. It wasn’t like I was rooting against him, but it was just funny because you usually don’t see him miss putts.”
It was easy for Mahan to be at ease after posting a course record-tying 62 that included six birdies on the back nine. He hadn’t even considered the notion of being in contention when he started the afternoon 80 minutes before and six shots behind co-leaders Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim.
Mahan tried not to peek at the leaderboard. But it eventually found him.
“I think it was after the par-3, I think 13, when some guy said, ‘You’re tied for the lead now,’” said Mahan. “Yeah, I knew after that.”
Molder praises crowd
Bryce Molder lauded the record-setting Congressional crowd of 194,073 since Tuesday (including 43,936 on Sunday) that lifted him to a closing-round 68 and a fourth-place finish that secured an exemption into the British Open in two weeks.
“The crowds are so good here,” said Molder. “It’s really fun. I played on the Nationwide Tour for a number of years, and they don’t get the crowds out there … At some of the smaller events, and there’s just not as many people out, not as much of a buzz. When Tiger’s playing in a tournament, it’s different. It just is, and that’s what’s fun. You hear those roars.”
Molder, 30, has never competed in the British Open but played amateur golf on that side of the Atlantic Ocean on the Walker Cup team that competed in Nairn in Scotland, and on a Palmer Cup team at St. Andrews.
“I didn’t really know what to expect as far as the Open Championship,” said Molder, whose opening-round 64 was crucial. “I knew I was fairly close. I knew it was a lot of factors going on; it wasn’t just me playing well. It was other people, if they played well.”
Marino inconsistent
A year ago Fairfax native Steve Marino shot in the 60s on Thursday and Sunday, sandwiching two solid rounds around lesser efforts on Friday and Saturday.
It was the exact opposite this year, as a 65 on Friday and 68 on Saturday were “bookended by rancidness,” said Marino, who finished Sunday with a 76, leaving him little choice but to joke about staying out of the way of playing partner for the afternoon, none other than Mahan, who “beat me by 14 shots.”
Marino’s cursed day was sealed on hole No. 7.
“I almost flew it in the hole,” said Marino. “It hit the pin, and it rolled back off the green, and I was totally screwed. I made bogey … at that point, I turned to my caddie and said, ‘It is not our day today.’”
Lee earns spot
Eighteen-year-old Danny Lee was supposed to get on a plane Sunday night headed for a tournament Scotland. Instead, by finishing tied for seventh at the AT&T National — his first top-10 PGA result — Lee earned a place in next week’s John Deere Classic in Illinois. This puts him one step closer to earning a place on the PGA Tour, which is more lucrative than its European counterpart.
Lee needs to finish the year 125th or better in earnings to earn a place on next year’s tour. His total of $350,054 after taking home $180,750 from Congressional puts him 132nd.
“I’m very pumped up,” said Lee, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, who was born in South Korea and makes his home in New Zealand. “I’ve been playing great this week, and I think I’m still going to play well next week. I think I have a great chance to play well and make another top 10.”
