Ryder Cup and now a win for Verplank
IN: News | US PGA | Bell Canadian Open (2001) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 10 Sep 2001
It has been a very special three weeks for Scott Verplank. Named as a wild on Curtis Strange's Ryder Cup side there had been some questions asked as to his right to be there given the Cup record of Tom Lehman and that perhaps there had been a genuine reason for Lehman's lack of recent form. Verplank answered however in the best way possible with an impressive although perhaps at times shaky win.
Verplank's is an interesting story. He was a standout amateur winning the US Amateur at 20 and then at the age of 21 became the first amateur in nearly thirty years to win a tour event when he won the 1985 Western Open.
He was plagued however by serious elbow injuries and many attempts at surgery to right the situation through the early and mid nineties and he struggled to keep his card. When he produced some outstanding scoring in 1997 at the Tour School to lead the qualifiers it seemed that things were turning around with ten top tens in 1998 and an individual win a the World Cup in New Zealand where a first round 63 saw him grab and beat Nick Faldo and Constantino Rocca. He won his first event since 1988 on the USPGA Tour at Tahoe in 2000 and this represents his fourth career win.
It is likely his consistency that most appealed to Strange with Verplank having finished in the top twenty five on fourteen occasions this season in twenty one starts. He has only missed one cut this season as well. Bob Estes and Joey Sindelar were tied for second three behind and John Daly, showing that his effort in Munich last week was no flash in the pan, fourth.
Paul Gow, who is in the middle of just a marvellous first season on tour, was very much in contention with nine to play having birdied three in a row late in the front nine but three bogies early in the back nine put paid to any chance he had of winning. His fifth place and the $US138,000 have his earnings at just over $US600,000 or more than $A1,150,000. For a guy who only eighteen months ago had his first Australian win he has come a long way.
Allenby was eighth ($US99,000), Appleby 23rd, Elkington 34th, Steve Alker 55th, Craig Perks after a good start 64th where he was tied with a great effort by 21 year old New Zealand amateur Gareth Padddison. Alker got a start here as a result of his efforts on the Canadian Tour this season and Paddison because he is the Canadian amateur champion.
