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Tiger Woods devours golf legends
This was not Jones talking about Nicklaus. Not even close. The speaker was a 43-year-old, full-time liquor salesman, one-time deputy sheriff and part-time golfer named Mark Plummer, and he was talking about a 19-year-old, soon-to-be-college-sophomore named Tiger Woods.
By Jim Litke The Associated Press
"He's playing a caliber of golf." Plummer said, "that I know only from sitting in my lounge chair in front of the television."
Much has been said about Woods since he bounded into America's golfing consciousness as a 5-year-old on TV's "That's incredible!" And no doubt more will be said following Sunday's successful defense of his U.S. Amateur title. But what makes Plummer's quote more interesting than most is what it says about Tiger on several levels.
On one level, Plummer was speaking literally. Because not long before he was drummed out of the match play event in Saturday's semifinal round, he had a close-up look at how Woods reached the 537-yard, par-5 10th hole at Newport Country Club in two — with a driver and sand wedge.
ANALYSIS
Even among the pros Plummer watches most weekends from the
comfort of his lounge chair, reducing an honest par-5 to driver-sand wedge is ridiculous. But to witness it as a playing partner, and in an amateur tournament no less, was something else altogether. Which brings us to level two ...
Despite his rumpled appearance and unorthodox swing — one writer said Plummer resembled Yosemite Sam more than Sam Snead — he is an accomplished player. Plummer is an eight-time Maine Amateur champion and two-time New England Amateur champion who twice tried to join the PGA Tour. He knows something about the game.
So when he said what he said about Woods, Plummer also knew it echoed very closely what Bobby Jones had said the first time he glimpsed a young amateur named Jack Nicklaus.
"He plays a game," said Jones, recognizing the child's power and concentration would change how the game was played, "with which I am not familiar."
Jones did not live long enough to see Woods' ascension, but it isn't hard to imagine what he would have said. Nicklaus, for his part, has heaped enough praise on Woods for both of them, and with good reason.
In one of the best-known building blocks of Woods' legend, the youngster made up a list of Nicklaus' accomplishments at various ages and taped it to his bedroom wall. So far, beginning with breaking 50 for nine holes at age 3 (Nicklaus was 10), Woods has beaten him to every one. Sunday's title was Tiger's fifth U.S. Golf Association championship (he won three U.S. Juniors), which ties him with two others on the career list and leaves him trailing only Jones with nine and Nicklaus with eight.
Which brings us to level three of what Plummer said ...
In Jones' time, it was possible to remain an amateur and still be the dominant player of your era, and one of the greatest of all time. No longer. Guys like Plummer and Buddy Marucii, the Mercedes-Benz dealer Woods beat Sunday for the title, and Jay Sigel, the Senior Tour novice who was the last back-to-back U.S. Amateur winner, give golf a certain charm. But they won't threaten Nicklaus' legacy.
To do that, a golfer has to turn pro at an early age, start winning the major tournaments right away and not stop until he's within a par of age 50. Too many fine amateurs have found the label of "next Nicklaus" too heavy to bear, but among them all, only Woods can say he's
This past season, Woods' first amateur win got him into the Masters and the U.S. and British Opens. He didn't torch the field in any of them, but he proved Sunday that he learned something valuable in each.
All the other "next Nicklaus" have run aground as pros. And if he keeps his word and finishes up his degree at Stanford, Woods will have a few years left to prepare for the journey. But already, he is displaying maturity and a capacity for work and learning unseen since the days of, well, the real Nicklaus himself.
At Augusta, he drove the ball masterfully but couldn't regulate the distance on his short irons. On Sunday, Woods sealed the win at Newport with an 8-iron from 140 yards that flew the flag and spun back to within 16 inches of the cup.
At Shinnecock and St. Andrews, the high trajectory of his shots left him a victim of the wind. At Newport, the closest sight in America to a real links course, Tiger was showing off a new, lower flight pattern with every stick. Plummer wasn't the only one to notice.
been shortchanged by such a comparison so far.
"Tiger is the best athlete this level of golf has ever seen," Marucci said. "He doesn't have to take a back seat to anybody."
NFL teams make their final roster cuts
Not for much longer, anyway
Some players left out despite strong plays in preseason games
The Associated Press
Good performances in exhibition games didn't necessarily guarantee a roster spot for NFL players. Gary Blanchard found that out with the New Orleans Saints. As did Darrick Owens with Denver. And Tyrone Rush and Olanda Truitt with Washington.
Those players were among numerous players cut Sunday, the day NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 in preparation for the opening of the 1995 season this weekend.
Blanchard was cut by New Orleans despite making four of six field goals and all of his tries inside the 50-yard line. Instead, the Saints kept Ciph Lohmiller, who had missed a 27-yarder, a 50-yarder and an extra point.
"I'm upset," Blanchard said. "I wish I could come in and miss four field goals inside the five and still make the team."
been hampered by injuries and was trying to break in as wide receiver, a position in which the Broncos are deep in talent. Owens was most valuable player of the American Bowl exhibition game in Tokyo with five pass receptions for 78 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown.
Owens said he felt his cut by Denver was unkind, even though he had
Rush and Truitt were among the Redskins' leading receivers in exhibition play but didn't fit into Washington's plans.
Rush had 270 multi-purpose yards in the first two exhibitions but was held back by a hamstring pull.
"I'm not healthy, and they have to do what's best for the team," Rush said. "Hopefully next Sunday, if I'm not playing here, I'll be playing somewhere else. Offseason I worked hard getting ready for this, and I'm not going to quit now."
Truitt caught 10 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns in exhibition games, but Washington coach Norv Turner decided to keep just four wideouts while retaining seven running backs.
Quarterback Jim McMahon was one of the biggest names cut on Sunday. McMahon was released by the Cleveland Browns, but coach Bill Belichick said the veteran may
be re-signed within days once he decides what to do with some injured players.
The well-traveled McMahon, 36, signed with the Browns in early August as insurance in case third-round draft pick Eric Zeier did not pan out. Zeier, however, had an excellent exhibition season and became No. 2 on the Browns' depth chart.
Marion Butts, a six-year veteran who rushed for 1,225 yards with San Diego in 1990, was among seven players cut by San Francisco. Butts struggled in exhibition games, gaining only 28 yards on 13 carries.
Also cut by San Francisco was defensive end Burt Grossman, who had hoped to make a mark as a pass rusher but saw limited duty in exhibition games.
"It was a surprise," Grossman said of his pink slip. "But I wasn't put into many nickel situations, so you have to wonder."
The Kansas City Chiefs released fullback James Saxon and placed safety Ronnie Lott on injured reserve. Lott, in a 10-time Pro Bowl selection in his 15th year, was signed as an unrestricted free agent in the off-season but fractured a leg bone in an exhibition game. Since
he is on injured reserve, Lott can't play for the Chiefs this year. When he recovers, he can be waived and could sign with another team, the club said.
"Bucky made three tackles on special teams against Houston Saturday night (in a 10-0 win, but we needed better blocking from him at fullback, so we decided to keep David Lang," coach Barry Switzer said.
The New England Patriots cut veteran defensive ends Mike Pitts and Jon Hand and one-time starting offensive guard Doug Skene.
Final cuts for the Dallas Cowboys included four-year veteran Bucky Richardson, a former Houston Oilers quarterback who had hoped to make the roster as backup fullback and special teams player.
The NFL wrapped up its final weekend of exhibition play on Saturday, when Kansas City beat Minnesota 17-13, Carolina defeated the New York Giants 6-3, Dallas blanked Houston 10-0 and San Francisco turned back Seattle 17-7.
Among other cuts, veteran tight end Ed West, who ranks 10th in Green Bay history in pass receptions and second among tight ends, was let go by Indianapolis. Wide receiver Michael Bates, a bronze medalist in the 200 meters in the 1992 Olympics, was among those released by Seattle.
Chiefs make Gannon their No.2 quarterback
Blundin faces option of accepting a cut in salary or being released from club
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have picked Rich Gannon to be backup quarterback behind Steve Bono, leaving Matt Blundin relegated to third string — again.
Furthermore, Blundin now faces a pay cut or possibly being cut from the roster.
Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Sunday that Gannon, an 8-year veteran, was picked over Blundin, the team's second-round draft choice in 1992. because of Gan-
non's experi-
ence on the field.
This is the second con-
secu tive
"The competition was very evenly matched this year," Schottenheimer said. "We made a concerted effort to try to afford each guy as close to an equal opportunity as we could.
Last year, Bono won the backup position behind starter Joe Montana, largely on his experience in the league.
season Blundin has lost the No. 2 battle to a more experienced quarterback while in training camp.
"Both players performed very well for us," Schottenheimer said. "The balance swung to Gannon on the basis of his experience as a starting and winning NFL quarterback."
Gannon, 20, is the most experienced of the three Kansas City
"We made a concerted effort to try to afford each guy as close to an equal opportunity as we could."
Marty Schottenheimer Kansas City Chiefs coach
quarterbacks, with 39 NFL starts, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings in 1990-92.
Blundin, 26, was the most accurate of the Chiefs' passers in preseason, completing 24 of 37, including one touchdown pass. He also was not intercepted.
In preseason games, Gannon completed 23 of 39 passes for 301 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass or an interception.
The decision was disappointing for Blundin, who spent the spring playing for the Scottish Claymores of the World League. He hoped that experience would be enough to help him get the No. 2 start for Kansas City.
Blundin said Sunday he had been asked to take a pay cut, but said he hadn't decided whether he would. If he doesn't, the Chiefs will have to decide whether to keep Blindin on the roster with a salary greater than Gannon's.
Blundin is scheduled to make $500,000 this season under terms of a contract negotiated last September. Gannon, who was out of football last season because of a shoulder injury, is under contract for the NFL minimum of $178,000.
The Associated Press
Rockies player visits boy injured by foul ball
Six-year-old hit by Eric Young expected to make a full recovery
DENVER — A 6-year-old boy whose skull was fractured by a foul ball at a Colorado Rockies game met privately with the player who hit the ball.
Rockies outfielder Eric Young met with Cameron Wilson Sunday at Denver General Hospital.
The Aurora boy was hit Friday night by a foul off Young's bat in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. His father, James Wilson, said the boy might go home today.
In addition to Young, Rockies, mascot, Dinger, the
les mas
Dinosaur
dropped by
to see
Cameron.
The costumed mascot brought him gifts t h a t t included a ball signed by Dinger, a signed Cardinals jersey, baseball mitt and hat.
"I've got two hats and all kinds of stuff," Cameron said.
The gifts
"I've got two hats and all kinds of stuff. I got hit in the head by a ball."
Cameron Wilson Six-year-old fan struck foul ball
He said that in addition to Young, two other Rockies players had been to see him.
Stewart Levy; a neurosurgeon at Denver General, said Cameron had suffered a skull fracture and a bruise to the left temporal lobe of his brain.
Cameron said he liked the bat best.
The gifts were on top of presents the Rockies heaped on the young baseball fan Saturday. One of those gifts was a Louisville Slugger bat signed by team members.
The prognosis was for a full recovery, but Friday many people were worried about the little Rockies devotee.
"I got hit in the head by a ball," Cameron said. "He hit the ball, and it hit my head right here," he said, pointing to the side of his head.
He was sitting along the
first-base sideline, watching his second major-league game with his dad, when he was hit. The elder Wilson recalled that he saw the ball hit, followed its flight to the right of his head, and
then looked back to see where it landed. In the next instant, he realized that Cameron, who had been sitting beside him, was on the ground.