GOLF: Faldo misses the cut

GOLF

ROBINSON HOLLOWAY

reports from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

The best run of tournament finishes that Nick Faldo has ever had in America came to a halt yesterday. He was nine over par after two rounds of the Tournament Players Championship, four strokes too many to make the cut.

Many other players had trouble with the combination of high winds and fast greens at Sawgrass. But Faldo did not blame just the difficult playing conditions, he made his balls the scapegoat for his scoring woes.

Just before he teed off in the first round, Faldo's caddy pulled out a sleeve of Bridgestone balata balls, 50 compression. Faldo plays 40 compression balatas and sent someone scurrying back to the locker-room to get the right balls, but 50s were the only ones in his locker.

The problem was still not sorted out yesterday and Faldo played the second round with a combination of old balls and new, claiming the change in compression may have cost him six or seven strokes. He said: "I hit just two shots off line in 36 holes."

Faldo said he would remain at Sawgrass over the weekend to practice, noting that the greens are similar to those at Augusta National, and then spend some time with his children.

The closing holes at Sawgrass would not let any of the leaders make a clean finish, as Gene Sauers, who was three shots clear of the field at one point, discovered. He nearly went into the water at the 17th and then did get wet with his drive at the 18th. He finished with a double bogey that left him tied for the lead with Corey Pavin at five under par.

They were a stroke ahead of Bernhard Langer, who shot a 71. The last time Langer played this well at Sawgrass was in 1993, when he finished second to Nick Price. He won the Masters two weeks later.

Langer said: "I'm very happy with the way I am playing. I think it's pretty good to be four under par in these conditions."

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla) Early second-round scores (US unless stated): 139 C Pavin 66 73; G Sauers 67 72. 140 B Langer (Ger) 69 71; D Love III 73 67; S Stricker 69 71. 141 H Irwin 73 68; D Weibring 71 70. 142 L Clements 71 71. 143 I Woosnam (GB) 74 69; S Ballesteros (Sp) 75 68; R Gamez 74 69; B Bryant 72 71; T Lehman 71 72; L Janzen 69 74; B Andrade 74 69; P Jacobsen 74 69; J Maggert 71 72; T Watson 72 71. 144 E Els (SA) 72 72; M Ozaki (Japan) 72 72; N Ozaki (Japan) 74 70; C Byrum 73 71; B Claar 74 70. Selected: 148 J Parnevik (Swe) 74 74. 149 C Montgomerie (Sco) 79 70. 153 N Faldo (Eng) 80 73.