MONTREAL -- The Americans were loose following their dominance in morning foursomes, allowing them to continue their relentless needling of Woody Austin after his impromptu dip in the lake on the 14th hole at Royal Montreal on Friday afternoon.
Austins new nickname is now Aquaman, but Superman says Austin should be given credit for what he accomplished after his swim. It should be that way, but wont be, according to a smiling Tiger Woods.
He birdied the last three holes and it took a lot of guts to do that, but we razzed him pretty hard. That was a scene that I dont think anyones ever going to forget.
SUSPICIOUS MICKELSON
Austin would have saved Phil Mickelson a wade into the water on the 15th hole had he sunk a putt in four-ball play on Saturday and Mickelson was a little suspicious when Aquaman missed the putt.
My ball kicked down and submerged halfway down the water, said Mickelson. He wanted to see me hit out of the water because he pulled (the putt). It looked semi-intentional to me. Thats just my opinion.
A grinning Mickelson was confident he wouldnt suffer the same fate as his partner did on Friday. Did I think about swimming and trying to catch fish? No, I was just trying to hit a golf shot, but Woody would have done it a little differently, I think.
I went down and played it and flubbed it out and hit a good shot the next one.’
CONTINUING THE JOKES
It wasnt just the players making jokes about Austins dive on Friday. One media guy suggested that Austin shouldnt be representing the United States anymore at the Presidents Cup because hes better suited for Finns. Another replied that Austin could be traded to the Internationals because he does so well down under.
One fan suggested to others using cheap periscope devices to see over the crowd that it might be a nice gesture to donate them to Austin before he returned to the 14th hole on Saturday. It was nearly unanimous in the gallery that Royal Montreal members should vote to name the lake in Austins honor. One suggestion was Loch Woody because of the strange beast they witnessed in there on Friday.
CORE GOLFERS
Concession stands were doing the typical brisk business, doling out hot dogs and sodas to patrons, many of which found cheaper, more nutritious snacks along the fairways.
With so many apple trees on the grounds at Royal Montreal, fans were shaking branches and climbing to get a freebie. Underneath, the ground was littered with half-eaten apples, which occasionally flew out behind the crowd gathered along the ropes on the eighth hole.
SUCCESS CONTINUES
Scott Verplank didnt endear himself to the Canadian fans at Royal Montreal, where he joined with Lucas Glover to beat Canadian Mike Weir and Vijay Singh 2 and 1 in morning foursomes. That pushed Verplanks record to 3-0 this week before he sat out afternoon four-ball on a course where he won the 2001 Canadian Open. That title, he believes, took some of the sting off the crowd for playing against a Canadian favorite.
I was looking forward to a chance to play with Mike because I knew the crowd would be so good and really support him, said Verplank. I have great memories of this golf course, so Ive had plenty of Canadian support as well, so its been nice.
THE ANTI-TIGER
Tiger Woods and David Toms may have won their four-ball match Saturday afternoon against Geoff Ogilvy and Nick OHern, but he still has more losses than anyone else in that format in Presidents Cup history. Woods overall four-ball record is 3-7. Frank Nobilo, Nick Price and Vijay Singh have the second-highest number of losses, each with five.
THE FORECAST
Saturday was a standout day for golf, with the sun out and the temperature crisp but comfortable. The rain and cloud that dominated the first two days of the President Cup is over and Sunday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 65 and a light wind between five and 10 miles per hour.
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Editor’s Note: Ian Hutchinson is golf columnist for the Toronto Sun and senior writer for Pro Shop Magazine, a Canadian golf trade publication, and Canadian Golfer Magazine. He is also a frequent contributor to Golf Scene and Golf Canada Magazine, the official magazine of the Royal Canadian Golf Association.
