Last modified: Saturday, August 30, 2008 1:02 AM EDT
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| Stewart Cink almost holes out from the sand on 18. Deutsche Bank Championship Round 1 at The TPC Boston in Norton. (Staff photo by Tom Maguire) |
Axley hacking way up standings, money list
BY DANNY CRANDALL SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
NORTON - For Eric Axley, it might be a case of peaking at the right time.
The 34-year-old, Athens, Tenn. native got off to a slow start in 2008, but since mid-June he's been playing some solid golf. And perhaps his best round on the PGA Tour this season was Friday's round of 6-under-par 70, which has him in the clubhouse in a tie for fifth place and four strokes behind leader Mike Weir's torrid round of 61.
Axley has entered into 26 tournaments this season and made the cut 16 times, earning $776,194. Though he is 72nd in the FedEx Cup standings and on the cusp of the cutoff (70), it appears as though he's on the right track. Axley has made the cut in the last seven tournaments and, of his three, top-10 finishes on the season, two have come in the last six weeks, including a fourth-place finish at the John Deere Classic.
"I can say I've been fairly happy (about my play) since the U.S. Open. Before the U.S. Open I wasn't very happy at all," said Axley, who missed the cut in half of the 16 tournaments he played in prior to the June 12-16 U.S. Open. "I started playing better then, and played well at John Deere, had a chance to win there, and just didn't quite put it together on Sunday. But overall it's been okay, like I say, since the U.S. Open."
Axley started on the back nine Friday and was 4-under at one point, before carding his only bogey on the day at 3. But he finished the round strong, carding three more birdies for a total of seven on the day.
"I really particularly didn't drive it that well, but I made a couple of key putts, a couple par saves early, and I actually missed a couple of really short putts, as well," said Axley. "I think I missed about a three-and-a-half-footer on 16, and I had 4-iron into 18 and just hit it in the greenside bunker and didn't make birdie. Then there was another one somewhere that I really felt like I should have made and didn't. But overall I putted pretty well and hit my irons well and just feel like I need to hit a few more fairways throughout the week."
On what this weekend and the future holds, Axley added, "it seems like in my position being at 72 on the FedExCup points, if I were just to make the cut, I mean, it seems like I would advance."
The DBC's unofficial start
Friday's first round might have been the beginning of the Deutsche Bank Championship - with all the PGA Tour stars hitting the links - but the unofficial start was the Stop & Shop/Giant Family Foundation Pro-Am golf tournament, which saw golfers teeing off at four different golf courses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
At Black Rock Country Club in Hingham, the foursome of Jeff Nadolney, Mike McKnight, Jim Bisson, Jr. and Paul Mustone finished with a net score of 50 to win that event by two strokes. Longest drive honors went to Mike Gifford, while Jeff Slater was closest to the pin.
Over at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I., the first-place team of Mitch Campbell, Jim Godwin, Chris Kapral and Bill Gallo had a net score of 39 to roll to a six-stroke win. Mike Clayton had the longest drive while Mark Doiron was closest to the pin.
Melissa Mintz, Michael McNeice, Jack O'Neil and Jim Sylvia were the winners at Wellesley Country Club, the four finishing with a 54 and a three-stroke margin of victory. Jack Keane had the longest drive and Fred Prefling ended up closest to the pin.
Last but not least, the host TPC of Boston saw the closest of the matches as the team of Cliff Kresge, Dave Schmeer, Andy Aubut, Kevin Guernsey and Tom Nazzaro had a net score of 50 to edge out Tim Wilkinson, Dave Carducci, Pat Boggs, John Reale and Bob Hayes by one stroke. Jay Halloran had the day's longest drive, accomplishing that feet on Hole 12, while Peter Quinn was closest to the pin, getting to within eight feet, five inches at the par-3, 166-yard third hole.
Villegas already a winner
If you were wondering where some of the big names were earlier in the week, they were part of a star-studded field that participated in the inaugural Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge. Camilo Villegas, Stewart Cink, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir all teed off at Atunyote Golf Club at the Turning Stone Restort (Verona, New York) for the charity match, which raises money for the Notah Begay III Foundation.
Villegas won the event, taking home $220,000 in the Skins game format, while Singh, coming off of a win at The Barclays, ended up second at $180,000. The Notah Begay III Foundation raises money for youth sports activities - golf among the many - for tribal communities.
More charity work
Though they might not be as identifiable as Lance Armstrong's yellow bracelets, several golfers on the PGA Tour are now wearing royal blue alligator belts. The made-to-order belts, labeled as "identifiable and stylish," come at $1,000 a pop, with the proceeds going to Ian's Friends Foundation, which is a non-profit organization which raises funds to support pediatric brain tumor research.
If you're interested in adding one to your wardrobe, you can visit www.iansfriendsfoundation.com or call the House of Fleming at 1-888-233-5657 to place an order. Individuals who purchase a belt receive a $650 tax deduction.
Taking the long way
Steve Marino ended up with a solid 5-under, 66, which has him in the hunt and tied for eighth, but he certainly didn't take the straight route. Marino, the 28-year-old who is 62nd in the FedEx Cup standings, started out on fire with a couple of birdies and an eagle on 2 to grab an early lead at 5-under. However, Marino came back to earth in a hurry as he had consecutive bogeys on 7, 8 and 9 to make his scorecard look pedestrian. Marino did come back with three birdies on the back nine to get back to 5-under, his rollercoaster round proof you can't put it in cruise control at the TPC Boston despite all the low numbers being put up.
Sharp dressed men
Arguably the most stylish threesome on the course Friday was the grouping of Aaron Baddeley, Fredrik Jacobson and Eric Axley. Baddeley went with the plaid pants and lavender polo shirt while Jacobson sported navy blue pants and a pink striped shirt. If you cut Axley's pants at the knees they could've passed for a Scottish kilt.
Said Axley, "I don't know if it's necessarily trying to be noticed... I like fashion."
On the flip side, Ben Curtis played it safe and probably won himself over a few more fans in the area by wearing a blue shirt with a small New England Patriots' logo on it, as well as a Patriots' hat.
DANNY CRANDALL may be reached at 508-236-0395 or via e-mail at dcrandall@thesunchronicle.com |
