2008 NBA Finals

SPORTS Coming Saturday FRIDAY MAY 30, 2008 C  FAN MISBEHAVIOR Crew, MLS address issues Stanley Cup Finals Red Wings try to avoid letting Penguins back in it ,C2 Online THE DAILY HUNTER Dispatch.com/hunter MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT A beautiful beginning Spectators soaked First round » Conditions couldn’t have been better.the low 60s into theup a sun-splashed day on which the temperatures comfortably rose from mid 70s. And golfers enjoyed ideal, windless conditions at Muirfield Village, provided they kept their drives in the fairways, their approach shots out of the bunkers and their wits on the greens. A fair test, in other words, with good scores available. LEADER BOARD Top 10 Mathew Goggin .........32-33—65 (-7) Kenny Perry ...............35-31—66 (-6) Jerry Kelly .................32-34—66 (-6) Brett Quigley..............31-36—67 (-5) Rod Pampling............34-33—67 (-5) Justin Rose ...............32-36—68 (-4) Luke Donald..............33-35—68 (-4) Matt Kuchar ..............35-33—68 (-4) Nick Watney ..............36-32—68 (-4) Carl Pettersson..........32-36—68 (-4) Others of note Joe Ogilvie ................35-34—69 (-3) Phil Mickelson ..........36-36—72 (E) Sergio Garcia............35-37—72 (E) Ben Curtis................37-39—76 (+4) TOP QUOTE “The greens are so fast you can’t believe it. The whole day you’re playing defensive, even on uphill putts.” — Brett Quigley, who needed 28 putts in a first-round 67 CHRIS RUSSELL DISPATCH Mathew Goggin, playing in one of the last groups to finish, closed with a flourish to take the lead at Muirfield Village. The Australian, 33, had four birdies in his final six holes. “I’ve been playing really consistently,” he said. TODAY’S TV Golf Channel, 3 p.m. Goggin makes it to the top in his first Memorial round By Bob Baptist THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH COMMENTARY TODAY’S WEATHER High 84 ,Low 65 Sunny and pleasant in the morning, with showers developing in the afternoon INSIDE - Quigley shoots 5 under after making the field as an alternate ,C7 - Following the trio of Mickelson, Garcia and Weir ,C7 - Complete scores, tee times ,C8 - Golf swing can do damage to the body over time ,C9 - Short game ,C9 ON THE WEB - For complete coverage of the tournament, go to MemorialXtra.com Kenny Perry has been playing in the Memorial Tournament for more than 20 years — longer than at least one entrant has been alive. He has seen the Muirfield Village Golf Club course in all its incarnations. Fast and slow. Hard and soft. Wide and not as wide. Shallow bunkers with smooth sand and deep craters with Jack Nicklaus-inspired furrows. Water bordering fairways and bisecting them. What he saw yesterday, he said, was like nothing he had before. “I said that before we teed off,” Perry said. “I said it’s the best condition I’ve ever seen the golf course. Best weather I’ve seen here. Best of everything. “Jack should be proud. It’s beautiful out there.” On a windless, sunny, picture-perfect day, some complemented the masterpiece with their play in the first round of the 33rd Memorial. Mathew Goggin, a 33-year-old Australian in his first competitive round in the Memorial, birdied four of his last six holes, saved par from off the green on the last and finished at 7-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead over Perry and Jerry Kelly. See MEMORIAL Page C8 Ogilvie exploits his advantage over the field Joe Ogilvie was 11 the first time he played Muirfield Village. “I played the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and I couldn’t get it over the water on No. 2,” he said. Water on No. 2? If you’re part of the gallery at the Memorial Tournament, you might not even notice it. We’re not talking the Ohio River here; this pothole of a stream probably aspires to be called a BOB ditch. It snakes in front HUNTER of the fairway cut; the only water most would notice is to the right of the fairway, where a trickle swells into a small, uh, creek. “(It’s) about a 180-yard carry,” Ogilvie See HUNTER Page C8 LISA MARIE MILLER DISPATCH Lancaster native Joe Ogilvie has been playing Muirfield Village for more than 20 years. LAKERS 100 SPURS 92 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL L.A. makes finals behind Bryant’s 39 By John Nadel ASSOCIATED PRESS Gahanna reliever halts Darby rally By Mark Znidar THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Western Conference trophy, that doesn’t mean too much when that big prize is still out there,’’ Lakers coach Phil JackLOS ANGELES — Kobe son said. “We look at both those Bryant and the Los Angeles opponents (Boston and Detroit) Lakers dispatched the defending champions and are headed with a great deal of respect and know that we have a great, great to the NBA Finals for the first hill to climb to be able to finish time in four years. in the finals and win.” Bryant scored 17 of his 39 The Lakers get a week off points in the fourth quarter, before opening the NBA Finals and the Lakers rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat the on Thursday night at Boston or Detroit. The Celtics lead the San Antonio Spurs 100-92 last Eastern Conference finals 3-2, night and win the Western Conference finals in five games. with Game 6 tonight in Auburn “As much as I appreciate the league trying to emphasize the See BRYANT Page C2 INSIDE - Baseball, softball: Regional coverage - Track: Pros and cons of competing in multiple events - Tennis: State tournament preview - Lacrosse: Girls state and boys regional preview See Pages C5, 6 RENEE SAUER DISPATCH Gahanna reliever Ben Bokor spent the better part of a Division I regional semifinal soaking up the first hint of summer and watching teammates concoct an upset. The Lions scored nine runs in the third inning, and a run-rule victory over Hilliard Darby was a distinct possibility. Fast forward to the bottom of the seventh, though, when the lead was down to three and the bases were loaded with nobody out. That’s when coach Mike Shade handed the ball to Bokor, a sophomore. “You say, ‘Go get it done, kid,’ ” Shade said. See GAHANNA Page C5 Jarrod Moss of Gahanna dives back to first base on a pickoff attempt in a Division I regional semifinal. BREAKING NEWS: DISPATCH.COM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Sports FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008  C7 THE MEMORIAL FIRST ROUND Goggin keeps a sober view of early lead By Ken Gordon THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Trio enjoys big following Fans vote with their feet, stalk Mickelson-Garcia-Weir group By Ken Gordon THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Fans were stacked three, four and five deep around the greens. “Ooohs” and “ahs” went up after players hit shots — even from the fairway. Caddies had to ask for quiet. Normally, this is the type of attention Tiger Woods commands. But lacking the PGA Tour’s top predator, the Memorial Tournament yesterday offered spectators a tantalizing consolation prize: the trio of Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Mike Weir playing together. Mickelson is ranked No. 2 in the world and coming off a win last week. Garcia is No. 10 and won three weeks ago. Weir has won the Masters. The group easily had the largest gallery of the day and was one of the few that fans followed, rather than staking out a hole or randomly wandering the course. “Phil’s No. 2,” fan Peter Selten of Cincinnati said with a shrug. If Woods were here, would Selten have followed him instead? “Of course,” Selten said. “Why wouldn’t you?” It didn’t seem to matter to anyone that none of the three had a big day. Weir shot 1-under-par 71 and is tied for 20th. Mickelson and Garcia shot 72s and are tied for 36th. After winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational last weekend, Mickelson had Monday off at his San Diego home then flew to the New York area for a corporate outing Tuesday. His flight to Columbus was delayed several hours, and he didn’t get in until about 10 p.m., then played in the pro-am Wednesday and had an early tee time yesterday. “I knew today was going to be the tough day for me, because I didn’t have a great three days heading in,” Mickelson said. “I was trying to fight and hang in there. Now I’ve got an opportunity this afternoon and (today) to work on my game and be ready for the last three rounds.” To the gallery, though, the golf seemed secondary. It was the place to be seen, apparently, because the crowd melted away immediately after the Mickelson trio moved on, despite the fact that Ernie Els — ranked third in the world — was in the next group. Shane Knick of Dayton was in the minority who stuck around for Els’ group. He described himself as an avid golf fan who was interested in watching a variety of players. But he admitted he had tagged along with Mickelson, Garcia and Weir briefly earlier in the day, for a reason that had nothing to do with the game. “All the hot women follow Sergio,” Knick said. kgordon@dispatch.com NEAL C. LAURON DISPATCH Former Masters champion Mike Weir, hitting an approach shot on the 14th hole, posted the best round in his crowd-pleasing threesome, shooting a 1-under-par 71. Mathew Goggin’s second experience at Muirfield Village was a lot less wobbly than his first. Goggin took the first-round lead in the Memorial Tournament yesterday after shooting 7-under-par 65, one stroke better than Kenny Perry and Jerry Kelly. The only other time he played here was a recreational round in 1999, the day after his 25th birthday. “I was staying with some friends, and we got so drunk,” Goggin said. “We had a big night, and I think it was about eight holes. I had such a bad hangover, we decided to pull the pin and get out of the sun.” Should Goggin end up accepting the trophy from tournament host Jack Nicklaus on Sunday, Nicklaus might have a few questions for him. One of the friends Goggin was carousing with nine years ago was Jack’s son, Gary. “He was a bad influence,” Goggin said. And Jack probably has not heard this story before. “He will now,” Goggin said. “I better play well the next three days once he sees that.” Getting to that point would represent a major hurdle for Goggin, who is winless in 185 PGA Tour starts. The Australian — he’s from the state of Tasmania — spent four years on tour before losing his card after the 2003 season. A stellar 2005 season on the Nationwide Tour got him back to the major leagues. “When you do go back a level, I guess you sort of go out there and you feel like you should beat everyone,” Goggin said. “You have that like, ‘I should kick everyone’s (butt)’ type attitude. Then you realize that’s the sort of thing you have to have to do well out here.” The key to Goggin’s round yesterday was scrambling. He missed six greens but saved par on five of those, including holing a 35-foot bunker shot on No. 4. He said he has had several first-round leads. “I’ve learned that it means absolutely nothing,” Goggin said. “It just gets you in a good position to be around when it really counts.” kgordon@dispatch.com Quigley outshines other alternates in first round alternates who last week were on the outside looking in. One by one, a golfer withdrew or The call came early Tuesday decided not to play. Each alternate then got the call they afternoon. Brett Quigley, the were in the field. 10th alternate, was in the Some, such as Tim Petrovic, Memorial Tournament field. found out Monday and had He needed to get to Dublin ample time to prepare. He fast. arrived Tuesday from Texas. Two thoughts entered his Justin Bolli, the last altermind. The first was booking a flight from Rhode Island to get nate in, received his call at to Muirfield Village in time for 9:30 p.m. Wednesday — 12 hours before he teed off. He yesterday’s first round. The had flown from Georgia earlier second was why so many in the day hoping for a chance. players skipped one of the “I was planning on coming PGA Tour’s prestigious stops out at 7 (a.m. yesterday) and and opened a spot for him. be ready to go for the first tee Quigley didn’t have much time,” Bolli said. “It was nice time to ponder the latter. He had an opportunity and wasn’t to at least know when my tee time was. It was good to know going to waste it. He shot 5-under-par 67 yesterday and the trip up here was worth it.” Although thankful to get in is tied for fourth. the field, Bolli and other alHe fared the best of the By Jeremy McLaughlin THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 10 are in Alternates in the Memorial, with their first-round score: Brett Quigley..................... -5 Jeff Overton ....................... +1 Tim Petrovic....................... +1 Mark Hensby ..................... +2 Cameron Beckman ............ +4 Jason Gore........................ +4 Y.E. Yang ........................... +5 Justin Bolli ........................ +7 Marco Dawson .................. +9 Charles Warren ................ +12 » NEAL C. LAURON DISPATCH ternates are at a disadvantage because they can’t adequately prepare. Some don’t show up early at a tournament because they assume they won’t get to play. But if they arrive late, alternates miss practice rounds and get little or no chance to familiarize themselves with the course. That was Bolli’s predicament. He played Muirfield Village for the first time yesterday and shot a 79. He was near the bottom of the leader board, as were most alternates. “That’s the hard part,” he said. “I had never seen this place before and this setup is pretty tough.” Quigley played here last year and finished 11th, so he wasn’t worried about showing up late. But when he arrived at 4 p.m. Wednesday, he heard chatter about how the course had gotten tougher. He scurried to play a few holes. “Everyone on the range was talking about how difficult the course was, how the greens are playing firm and the rough was 10 inches,” he said. “It was a doomsday out there they said.” Doomsday is better than not playing at all. At least the alternates have a chance to earn a piece of the Memorial’s $6 million purse. Plus, there are other benefits. “When Vijay (Singh) pulled out, I got his locker, got his car and got his tee time,” Petrovic said. “It’s the funny the way they do that.” jmclaughlin@dispatch.com e 053008 G19987-2 C8  NOTEBOOK THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Memorial FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008 BREAKING NEWS: DISPATCH.COM First-round scorecard HOLE - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 LEADERS PAR - 4 4 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 5 3 3 4 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 4 5 3 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 3 6 3 4 4 4 4 6 4 5 5 4 4 6 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 3 3 3 3 4 6 4 3 3 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 6 4 3 4 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 3 5 4 3 5 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 Mathew Goggin Kenny Perry Jerry Kelly Brett Quigley Rod Pampling Justin Rose Luke Donald Matt Kuchar Nick Watney Carl Pettersson RD 1 36-36 32 35 32 31 34 32 33 35 36 32 33 31 34 36 33 36 35 33 32 36 -7 -6 -6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 TOTAL 72 65 66 66 67 67 68 68 68 68 68 Strong rebound from loss boosts Pampling’s spirits he rebounded to make seven birdies and shot a 69. “I hit some good shots in the middle THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH stretch and coming in,” he said. “Even those two holes where I hit doubles, I Rod Pampling couldn’t break Phil actually didn’t hit bad shots. They got Mickelson’s wedge, but then Lefty’s stuck in those bunkers with those sowedge didn’t break Pampling, either. called rakes. They’re like shovels or “I haven’t seen (Mickelson) today. I tried to step on that wedge but I missed picks. “But it’s the same for everyone. (The it,” said Pampling, making light of last bunkers) should be a hazard. It’s (Jack week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational in Nicklaus’) tournament and it should be which he was a victim of Mickelson’s incredible wedge shot out of the rough unique. With skill we have, we should be able to get out of it.” at No. 18 that led to a birdie and improbable win. Nice putter, Pettersson The wedge to 9 feet and a putt defeated Pampling but did not crush him. Two years ago, Carl Pettersson won He bounced back from the disappoint- the Memorial on a course softened by ment to shoot 5-under-par 67 yesterday rain. Yesterday, he put himself in conat the Memorial Tournament, giving tention in opposite conditions. him confidence that he can take a shot Handling a firm, fast course with and rebound to play well the next week. slick greens, Pettersson rolled in several “You have a great week and the last long putts to finish with a 68. The highthing you want to do is shoot 76 or 77, lights were a 36-foot putt for eagle on then people are saying it’s a one-hit the par-5 No. 5, and a 28-footer to save wonder deal. So it was nice to back it par on No. 17. up,” he said. “It’s always nice to play somewhere Pampling might have taken the loss where you’ve had success,” Pettersson harder if he had blown the lead instead said. “You’ve got good memories.” of having Mickelson take it away. Good times all around “You can only control yourself,” he said. “Phil obviously played a fantastic Matt Kuchar is one of the few golfers shot at 18 to beat me. Someone just who can go round to round without played a better shot and beat me on breaking a frown. that day.” He was all smiles after he shot a 68 to finish in a tie for sixth. He had no comMr. Sandman plaints — not about the weather, his A native Australian, Robert Allenby is late tee time or his two double-bogeys. “It’s one of those days where you are used to seeing plenty of sand on the glad to be alive and walking around golf course. He didn’t anticipate he would be around it so often at Muirfield and enjoying a day around here,” Kuchar said. Village. Nine birdies certainly helped shape Allenby ended up in the furrowed Kuchar’s outlook. They were the most bunkers on two of his first four holes in the first round. and made double-bogeys on both. But By Rob Oller, Ken Gordon and Jeremy McLaughlin you’re off a little, you can make bogey or double on any hole out there.” He had to look no farther than playFROM PAGE C1 ing partner Justin Bolli for proof. Bolli’s long birdie putt on No. 18 ran past the Brett Quigley, at one time the 10th hole and down the swale in front of the alternate in the field, and Rod Pamgreen. He needed two more whacks to pling, runner-up at the Crowne Plaza hold the green and two putts to get in Invitational on Sunday, were another for a 7. stroke behind at 67. “It’s an extreme golf course right Robert Allenby, who shot 69, said the now,” said Lancaster native Joe Ogilvie, greens were “the best I’ve putted on who shot 69. “If you get a lot of wind anywhere in the world, ever.” out here, it’s going to be almost comKelly said he and Goggin, one of his playing partners, agreed it was “the first ical.” The forecast for today? Temperatures day we can remember, period, this year in the 80s with 10 to 20 mph winds. without wind. I can’t think of a tourna“That’s going to be real entertaining,” ment I’ve played without at least 10 mph wind. To have this, there’s nothing Ogilvie said. Perry made six straight birdies on the else in your mind except for hitting your back nine, and Quigley five in a row on shot.” the front. They owned the top two spots Thirteen players finished in the 60s. on the leader board for much of the day But eight shot 80 or higher, and the — until Goggin and Kelly finished near field’s scoring average of 73.73 was the the end of the field about 6:30 p.m. highest in a round in five years. Goggin, who ranks 78th on the tour “My goal has always been to have the money list and has one top-10 finish golf course fast,” Nicklaus said before this year, said he got away with not the tournament. playing well the last six holes by holing Eight miles of drainage installed in shots from off the green on two of them recent years and a recent dry spell has and one-putting three. helped grease the fairways. He had 22 putts for the round, as did The greens, rebuilt six years ago, Perry. enhanced with an underground vacu“I’ve been playing really consistently,” um system and tweaked into peak form Goggin said. “I’ve hit the ball well all by superintendent Paul Latshaw, ran year, really, and I’ve had a lot of good true and as fast as 15 on the Stimprounds. I’m starting to putt more conmeter, some players estimated. sistently. So there’s no reason I couldn’t “The thing I like about this golf course is if you play well, you can shoot do it for another three days.” bbaptist@dispatch.com some good scores,” Quigley said, “but if MEMORIAL Robert Allenby Joe Ogilvie Geoff Ogilvy Pat Perez Brian Davis Todd Hamilton Rocco Mediate Nick O’Hern Steve Lowery John Mallinger Jeff Quinney John Rollins Mike Weir Greg Kraft Zach Johnson Shaun Micheel Vaughn Taylor Anton Haig Bo Van Pelt Jim Furyk John Senden Stewart Cink Woody Austin Tom Pernice Jr. Ken Duke Bubba Watson Billy Andrade Phil Mickelson Sergio Garcia Stuart Appleby Mark Calcavecchia Trevor Immelman Richard Green Jason Bohn Tim Wilkinson Fred Couples Dudley Hart Jeff Overton Cliff Kresge Ernie Els Mark Wilson Ryan Moore Tim Petrovic George McNeill D.J. Trahan Parker McLachlin Jason Day Chez Reavie Jon Mills Bill Haas J.B. Holmes Charley Hoffman Lee Janzen Mark Hensby Lucas Glover Aaron Baddeley Davis Love III Charles Howell III Nathan Green Nicholas Thompson Chris DiMarco Ryuji Imada Sean O’Hair Ian Poulter Kevin Na Jin Park Dustin Johnson Paul Casey Boo Weekley Chad Campbell Hunter Mahan Brett Wetterich Daniel Chopra Steve Marino Travis Perkins Jason Gore J.J. Henry 37-32—69 35-34—69 35-34—69 35-35—70 36-34—70 37-33—70 32-38—70 34-36—70 34-36—70 37-34—71 34-37—71 34-37—71 33-38—71 38-33—71 35-36—71 34-37—71 34-37—71 33-38—71 38-33—71 34-37—71 34-37—71 35-36—71 38-33—71 36-35—71 34-37—71 33-39—72 35-37—72 36-36—72 35-37—72 35-37—72 36-36—72 36-36—72 36-36—72 34-38—72 37-35—72 37-35—72 39-34—73 35-38—73 37-36—73 35-38—73 40-33—73 38-35—73 37-36—73 36-37—73 37-36—73 37-36—73 35-38—73 36-37—73 35-38—73 35-39—74 34-40—74 36-38—74 35-39—74 36-38—74 38-36—74 37-37—74 35-39—74 36-38—74 40-35—75 36-39—75 36-39—75 36-39—75 39-36—75 40-35—75 37-38—75 38-37—75 41-34—75 36-40—76 36-40—76 36-40—76 36-40—76 37-39—76 38-38—76 37-39—76 39-37—76 40-36—76 38-38—76 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 E E E E E E E E E E E +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 NEAL C. LAURON DISPATCH Kenny Perry, tied for second place with Jerry Kelly after a first-round 66, acknowledges the crowd after dropping a birdie putt on No. 15. Pointed response Troy Matteson Jonathan Byrd Bart Bryant K.J. Choi Steve Flesch Cameron Beckman Brandt Snedeker Tom Lehman Ben Curtis James Kingston Y.E. Yang Larry Mize Billy Mayfair Matt Jones Briny Baird Frank Lickliter II Arron Oberholser 36-40—76 38-38—76 38-38—76 38-38—76 38-38—76 39-37—76 39-37—76 38-38—76 37-39—76 39-37—76 36-41—77 37-40—77 37-40—77 40-37—77 39-38—77 36-41—77 37-40—77 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 +5 Johnson Wagner Bob Sowards Dean Wilson Justin Bolli Fredrik Jacobson Drew Weaver Graeme Storm Mark Brooks David Duval James Driscoll Paul Azinger Robert Garrigus John Merrick Marco Dawson Charles Warren 40-38—78 +6 39-39—78 +6 39-39—78 +6 37-42—79 +7 39-40—79 +7 40-39—79 +7 43-36—79 +7 37-43—80 +8 41-39—80 +8 40-40—80 +8 41-39—80 +8 35-45—80 +8 40-40—80 +8 39-42—81 +9 43-41—84 +12 Withdrew: Brian Bateman FIRST-ROUND HOLE BY HOLE STATS HOLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In PAR 4 4 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 36 AVG. EAGLES BIRDS PARS BOGEYS 2xBOGEY+ RANK 4.150 0 13 78 27 2 6 4.167 0 14 78 23 5 5 4.042 1 25 67 22 5 10 3.242 0 13 71 30 6 4 4.925 2 37 55 21 5 16 3.933 0 37 58 21 4 15 4.950 1 34 58 24 3 14 3.017 0 19 80 21 0 12 4.108 0 22 69 23 6 9 36.533 4 214 614 212 36 — 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 4 8 10 34 24 19 39 49 6 11 10 202 66 55 74 68 63 48 92 55 61 582 39 26 22 30 13 16 20 44 31 241 453 5 5 0 3 4 4 2 10 18 51 87 3 11 13 8 17 18 6 2 1 — — MEMORIAL ONLINE The following is an excerpt from Ethan Ramsey’s blog yesterday on MemorialXtra.com. Check the site all weekend for breaking news and Web-only features. Olentangy High School graduate Travis Perkins shot a 4-overpar 76 in the opening round. He made one birdie against five bogeys in his first appearance in his hometown tournament. “I did not hit the ball very well today at all,” Perkins said. He did, however, feel support from the crowd throughout a difficult day. “It was nice, it was great, from the first hole all the way to the end,” Perkins said. “It was fantastic.” Championship in Milwaukee last year — to have two bad shots in a row on the final hole after such a great round … FROM PAGE C1 “With how firm and fast the greens are said. “So it was the perfect driver for me … I purposely tried to hit it in the first cut of the rough with my third shot and to hit the cart path short and one hop then I got up and down from there,” over it and onto the fairway.” Ogilvie said. “If I tried to chip it on the Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of experience a 34-year-old PGA Tour gol- green, I don’t think I could hold it. Even though I had 40 feet of green to work fer can draw on to help him in the Mewith, I don’t it was possible to keep it on morial. His drive will fly so high over the green and out of the water.” that ditch that you might mistake that He made a beautiful chip to within a tiny dot in the sky for a distant 747. few feet of the cup, dropped his putt and What might help Ogilvie is that that was the first of many rounds that he has walked off the green with a 69. Smart guy. played here. Ogilvie, who is from Lan“Shaun Micheel had a 40-footer on 18 caster, moved to Austin, Texas, after and he putted it 40 yards off the green, graduating from Duke, but this place and that’s not an exaggeration,” Ogilvie feels like home. said. “It will happen again. They are the “I played here a lot growing up,” he quickest greens. … They’re perfect and said. “I know this golf course very, very they have a lot of grass on them. If you well. I only played nine holes on my hit a good putt, it’s going to go in. practice round. I kind of can do that “It’s scary. It’s fun. It’s really fun as a because I know the course so well. I player.” think this is my fourth time here (at the Playing well in front of family is also a Memorial). I probably know this course lot of fun. Ogilvie hasn’t had a lot of as well if not better than any other success this year — a ninth-place tie in course I play.” Every little bit counts, right? On a day the Pebble Beach National Pro Am is his when the greens were slicker than an ice best finish — but this could be his week. He figures he had about 40 family memsheet, Ogilvie shot 3-under-par 69, which left him four strokes behind first- bers following him and his name was on the leader board most of the day, not the round leader Mathew Goggin. first time that has happened here. Whether it was his Muirfield experi“I shot 67 in the first round once, ence or his golf experience — he is playmaybe the first time I was here,” Ogilvie ing his 256th PGA Tour event this week — he made a smart play on his final hole said. “So I’ve been there. I threw a couple of 76s and 79s at ’em and they didn’t to salvage what he called a “good boeven flinch.” gey.” He isn’t flinching now. No matter what On his second shot on No. 9, he “pullhappens in the next few days, he knows hooked an 8-iron” into the deep rough he can carry the water on No. 2. to the left of the green, and the crowd gasped when his chip shot traveled only a few feet to the first cut of the rough. Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for Poor guy. For a player who has won The Dispatch. only one PGA event — the U.S. Bank bhunter@dispatch.com HUNTER 4 4.325 5 5.025 3 2.983 4 4.142 4 3.833 5 4.750 3 3.150 4 4.442 4 4.550 36 37.200 Total 72 73.733 416 1,196 Today’s second-round pairings No. 1 tee 8 a.m.: Jason Bohn, Tim Petrovic, Paul Azinger 8:11: Mark Hensby, Rocco Mediate, Nick O’Hern 8:22: Frank Lickliter II, Bo Van Pelt, Kevin Na 8:33: George McNeill, Nick Watney, Fred Couples 8:44: Steve Lowery, John Senden, Arron Oberholser 8:55: Jonathan Byrd, Charles Howell III, Bart Bryant 9:06: Cameron Beckman, Brandt Snedeker, Tom Lehman 9:17: Jerry Kelly, Fredrik Jacobson, Mathew Goggin 9:28: Parker McLachlin, Jason Day, James Kingston 9:39: Dustin Johnson, Jon Mills, Graeme Storm 12:30 p.m.: Camilo Villegas, Nathan Green, Jeff Overton 12:41: Mark Brooks, Pat Perez, Brian Davis 12:52: Billy Andrade, Justin Rose, Bill Haas 1:03: Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir 1:14: Ernie Els, Mark Wilson, Chris DiMarco 1:25: Trevor Immelman, Joe Ogilvie, Shaun Micheel 1:36: Ryuji Imada, Hunter Mahan, Todd Hamilton 1:47: Daniel Chopra, Luke Donald, David Duval 1:58: Vaughn Taylor, Charles Warren, Steve Marino 2:09: Matt Jones, Bob Sowards, Anton Haig No. 10 tee 8 a.m.: Lee Janzen, Briny Baird, Ryan Moore 8:11: Ian Poulter, Robert Garrigus, Tim Wilkinson 8:22: Lucas Glover, Jason Gore, Matt Kuchar 8:33: Jim Furyk, Aaron Baddeley, J.J. Henry 8:44: D.J. Trahan, Davis Love III, Carl Pettersson 8:55: Geoff Ogilvy, Troy Matteson, Stewart Cink 9:06: K.J. Choi, Steve Flesch, Rod Pampling 9:17: Woody Austin, Ben Curtis, Dean Wilson 9:28: Tom Pernice Jr., Ken Duke, John Merrick 9:39: Chez Reavie, Jin Park, a-Drew Weaver 12:30 p.m.: Dudley Hart, Bubba Watson, John Mallinger 12:41: Larry Mize, Paul Casey, Nicholas Thompson 12:52: Billy Mayfair, Jeff Quinney, Cliff Kresge 1:03: J.B. Holmes, John Rollins, Robert Allenby 1:14: Greg Kraft, Zach Johnson, Stuart Appleby 1:25: Boo Weekley, Johnson Wagner, Mark Calcavecchia 1:36: Chad Campbell, Charley Hoffman, Kenny Perry 1:47: Sean O’Hair, Brett Wetterich 1:58: Marco Dawson, Justin Bolli, Brett Quigley 2:09: James Driscoll, Travis Perkins, Richard Green BREAKING NEWS: DISPATCH.COM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Memorial FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008  C9 SHORT GAME BITS AND PIECES FROM THE MEMORIAL The round in 72 words or fewer On a course where danger lurks / You’ve got to use your noggin / Many pulled it off at Muirfield / None better than Mathew Goggin. Who’s that, you ask? Aussie, 33 years old, eight-year tour veteran, first-round leader at the Memorial. Which raises another question: Anyone seen Tiger Woods? This joint could use some star power. Calm described the day-one conditions perfectly — and the weather was nice, too. British golfers feel good about first-round 68s By Jeremy McLaughlin THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH KYLE ROBERTSON DISPATCH Hole of the day NO. 8, PAR 3, 185 YARDS The par-3 No. 8 is the second shortest (by a yard) and historically easiest of the four par-3s. It wasn’t the easiest yesterday (No. 12 was), but Goggin didn’t have much issue with it. Playing in the late afternoon and having started his round on the back side, Goggin arrived at 6 under par, tied with Kenny Perry for the lead. He left with sole possession after his 15-foot birdie putt dropped in. Goggin was tough with the blade all day, needing only 22 putts. Jim Furyk hits from the fifth fairway in the first round of the Memorial Tournament on his way to a 1-under-par 71. dreaded 80 figure, the most in a first round since the bloody opening day in 1990, when there were 40 rounds in the 80s. Charles Warren led yesterday’s caucus of ignominy with an 84 that included a four-hole stretch of triple, double, bogey, bogey. Bingo! Among the other faithful followers of I Love the 80s were David Duval, Paul Azinger and Mark Brooks, whose 80 could have been much worse. He was 9 over after 11 holes and then played his final seven holes in 1 under. And for the 80 that coulda shoulda been better, consider Robert Garrigus, who came to No. 16 even par and walked off No. 18 at 8 over, thanks in large part to a quintuple-bogey 9 on the 18th. wire-to-wire winner, and considering only one first-round leader (Ernie Els in 2004) has ever gone on to win the tournament, it probably wouldn’t be wise to call Ladbrokes about Goggin. It is said the wind will pick up during the next couple of days, which could bring a whole new group into it — or out of it. Rod Pampling — real good here a year ago and close last week — might be a good pick. By the numbers 9 Putts needed by leader Goggin on his final nine holes, the front nine 311 Running hot Composure, thy name is D.J. Trahan. He had overcome a double bogey on the front side and came to No. 18 at 2 under. But a flubbed green-side chip led to a flubbed shot from the fairway fronting the green, which led to a blast out of the bunker and two putts for a triplebogey 7 and some seriously gritted teeth as he exited the course. Steady as she goes, mate. Mother Nature report Turns out the Memorial is more of a tune-up for the upcoming U.S. Open at Torrey Pines than anyone could have imagined. The Dublin weather — temperatures in the low 70s — was as perfect as anything seen in San Diego, site of the Open in two weeks. Career starts by Brett Quigley without a PGA Tour victory, the ninth-longest streak among active players. Quigley, who shot 67, is playing the first two rounds with Marco Dawson, who has the fifth-longest streak (356). 17 0 Alternates needed to fill the field of 120. Justin Bolli was the last of 11 alternates to get in, when Jesper Parnevik withdrew late Wednesday. Bogeys for Pampling, the only bogeyfree round of the day The Aussies stormed into Muirfield Village last year and took four of the top 10 spots at the Memorial. The same could happen again this year. Australian golfers are in contention after yesterday’s first round along with a slew of Americans, but three golfers are trying to give the Memorial Tournament an English flair. Justin Rose and Luke Donald, both from England, each shot 4-under-par 68 and are tied for sixth. Brian Davis shot a 70 and is tied for 14th. The scores are surprising, especially for Rose and Donald. Rose has made only five cuts in nine starts. He is 121st in the FedEx Cup standings and ranks 94th in PGA Tour scoring average. “It’s the first under-par round I’ve shot in a little while,” Rose said. “I’ve missed the last couple cuts and have gotten off to bad starts, so it’s nice to nip that in the bud and get off to a great start.” Rose’s 68 was his best score since he led the Masters with an opening-round 68. The next day he shot 78. He has struggled since. He withdrew from the Heritage after the first round and missed cuts at the Wa- chovia Championship and The Players Championship. The extra time has allowed him to overhaul parts of his game, such as using a new driver. “It was nice to feel like I got a little bit of reward (yesterday) from some hard work I put in over the last couple of weeks,” Rose said. “It’s kind of nice to get off to a good start again.” Donald had a similar feeling. He birdied four of the last five holes, including No. 9 when he holed a chip shot from 57 yards. “It’s always nice to stare a five in the face and make a three,” he said. “That turned a nice round into a great round.” Donald needed a positive after his recent struggles. He started the season with a second and third in two of his first three events. Since the first of March, he has missed three cuts and his best finish is 19th at the Byron Nelson. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with his 68, but it was a step in the right direction. “I hit too many shots left with my irons,” Donald said. “I missed all the par-3s left and a couple of drives left, so I obviously scrambled well and made some good putts. … Overall, I was pretty pleased.” jmclaughlin@dispatch.com Isn’t that special? Eight eagles were recorded, including one by Mike Weir, from 45 feet off the green, on No. 5 that helped propel him past playing partners Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the spotlight grouping of the day. Two golfers holed out for eagle on par-4s, Justin Rose from 108 yards on No. 3 and Nathan Green from 98 yards on No. 14. Fashion statement Ian Poulter was seeing red after his doublebogey 6 at No. 18 but made sure everyone else saw pink. The Englishman was easy to spot in his bright pink shirt with pink plaid pants and pink shoes. Not everyone can pull off such a look, but Poulter is an exception, if for no other reason than, well, he’s worn wild-looking clothing for so long that he would look weird if he didn’t. Quote of the day “If I knew I was in that tournament, I would pull out (of the Memorial) right now, no offense to Jack. I’d take that over a win.” — Pat Perez, who grew up playing Torrey Pines Golf Club, site of the U.S. Open in two weeks, and desperately wants to play there. He needs to play well in Monday’s Open qualifier to earn a spot in the major tournament. — Ray Stein and Rob Oller rstein@dispatch.com roller@dispatch.com Wife’s support helps Kelly revive his game (traveling without her and Cooper) and she just keeps plugging in my head, ‘We’re doing fine. You’re a great Sometimes a guy just dad.’ I wouldn’t have made needs to hear it straight it without her.” from his wife. Or her brother, Jim SchuWithout tuning her out man, who serves as Kelly’s with a “Yes, dear.” swing coach. The two have Jerry Kelly was at that place a few weeks ago, beat- worked together for a while, ing himself up for not play- but it wasn’t until late February that a swing change ing golf as well as he wantbegan to become natural. ed, when his wife, Carol, “I was starting to turn stepped in with a wake-up into a range pro, was using call. “She said, ‘Listen, it’s not mechanical thoughts, but I had to because I was makyour golf. It’s your mental. You are ridiculously hard on ing a big change,” he said. yourself,’ ” Kelly said yester- “But now the change is day after his 6-under-par 66 over.” Kelly, 41, excels at finding was a stroke off the lead at the Memorial Tournament. fairways and lasering his irons, so he wouldn’t mind if “She said, ‘Lighten up, the wind picks up. you’re playing great golf.’ “That will make getting in “That’s why I love her so the fairway a little bit toughmuch. She knows me and er, and that plays as an knows my game well advantage with my game enough to say, ‘Just go because I hit it straight,” he play.’ ” said, adding that he’s never Then, last week, Carol told him to stop missing so going to overpower Muirfield Village off the tee. “It’s many short putts. an awful long course for an “So it was like twofold. aging veteran like me.” She got me twice, which is Kelly hit 12 of 14 fairways good,” Kelly said, smiling. and 14 greens in regulation. It has been a tough cou“If I’m doing what I do ple of years for Kelly as well, I should have a lot of Carol and their 9-year-old son, Cooper, have stayed at birdie attempts,” he said. “It’s about knowing your home while he’s on tour. “She’s my best friend, my game and your strengths.” Which includes listening best coach, my best mental to his wife. guru. She’s everything,” he roller@dispatch.com said. “I just didn’t do well By Rob Oller THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Joe Hack Take your pick. Eight golfers reached the Crystal ball Considering the Memorial never has had a Lifetime of golf swings takes toll Players’ backs, hips often get tender because of overuse By Rob Oller THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH CS 053108 G17190-1 Jack Nicklaus isn’t the man he used to be, only a shorter version of himself. “I used to be 5-113⁄4, and now I’m lucky if I’m 5-8 something,” he said. Yep, golf can cut a person down to size. With the constant twisting of the back and the nonstop torque applied to hips, shoulders and knees, it’s a wonder golfers’ careers last as long as they do. “We just beat up our bodies,” Nicklaus said, adding that X-rays of his lower back show disks mere millimeters apart. “It’s why I gave up golf.” He’s not alone in his back aches and pains Dudley Hart turns the big four-oh in August. Let the senior citizen discount jokes begin. Just don’t expect Hart’s back to play along, because it joined the AARP nearly a decade ago. “When I first talked to my doctor eight years ago, because of my bulging disk and degenerative disease, he said I had the back of a 50-year-old,” Hart said. The golf swing, repeated millions of times during a career, is no friend of the body. Just ask Tiger Woods, who is absent from the Memorial Tournament while rehabilitating a balky left knee that required surgery six weeks ago. “The compression forces on the lower back are about eight times the body weight compared to jogging, running marathons and 10ks, which is about three times the body weight,” said Larry Yack, a physical therapist for the PGA and Champions tours. A common mistake many golfers make, which leads to back trouble, is stretching in the wrong places before a round, Yack said, explaining that flexible hips help alleviate stress on the back. LISA MARIE MILLER DISPATCH Jeff Hendra, a PGA Tour physical therapist, works with golfer Luke Donald in a portable fitness trailer before the start of the first round of the Memorial Tournament. “There is more force through the spine as you follow through and go down the lower chain. Most of that force should be in the hip,” he said. “We’ll do a lot more work on the hips than most people pay attention to, because the hip is where it all starts.” Nearly 65 percent of the players who visit the PGA Tour’s on-site physical therapy trailer each week complain of back pain, Yack said, adding that the number is almost 75 percent among recreational golfers who seek therapy. The pitched angle of the body during a golf swing contributes to the cause. “The best treatment is good, old-fashioned exercise,” Yack said. “People need to move. You can’t sit all day and then play a round of golf on Saturday and expect to be painfree.” Then again, you can’t play seven days a week, 52 weeks a year and expect to be painfree, either. “The more you can rotate your upper body while keeping the lower body still, which in a sense is a twist, the farther you’re going to hit (the ball),” Paul Goydos said. “That extra power is nice for golf, but I don’t know how good it is for your body.” Some tour players worry that the power game, or at least the way the power golf is being taught, will lead to even more issues with joints and vertebrae. “With some of the swings that are being taught out here, with the clubhead speed some of these guys are achieving, eventually something is going to break, no matter how strong you are,” said Rocco Mediate, whose back is as brittle as kindling. roller@dispatch.com COLUMBUS GOLD MEMORIAL WEEK Just 5 min from Tournament Event XXX VIXEN PORN STAR NIKKI BENZ MAY 28-31 Two XXX Sensations Appearing at the SAME TIME! 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