Mike Weir continues love affair with Riviera
BY iseekgolf.com | US PGA Tour | 2004 Nissan Open | Wrap | 23 Feb 2004
Mike Weir loves the West Coast swing it would seem. In 2003 he was out of the blocks early on the PGA Tour winning twice and recording two other top tens by the time the Nissan Open was completed.
Leading into this week’s Nissan Open where he was the defending champion, he had come off a fifth placing at the FBR Open and a 4th place at the AT&T Pebble Beach and therefore showing once again his liking for the early season events. It was this sort of start that would lead to the three wins by early April last year, one of those wins of course his US Masters playoff win over Len Mattiace at Augusta.
He made a comfortable win very difficult today when he struggled after a start that had him five ahead of Maruyama with nine to go. The Japanese star would birdie three times on the way in and watch as Weir would bogey the 10th and the 13th to see the margin dwindle. When Maruyama had birdied the 15th and 16th the scores were level with the lengthened par four 18th to determine the winner.
A year ago it had been very much a case of the shoe on the other foot when Weir came from behind to catch Charles Howell III but today it was almost as if it was he who was feeling the strain. He missed the green at the last but Maruyama was bringing himself undone when striving for too much distance from the tee and when the Canadian nearly holed his pitch at the last it was all over.
Five times previously Weir had led into Sunday only to falter, so to get across the line when it looked at one stage as if he might not, will have been a relief to him.
Maruyama will rue his last hole bogey but his recent form has been such (he was 4th last week at the Buick) that he will look ahead to the coming events with eager anticipation.
Stuart Appleby was around in 66 for outright third, just ahead of rejuvenated John Daly. Appleby already has US$1.4 million this season and trails only Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson on the money list.
Daly’s fourth place finish further confirms that his magnificent week last week was not just a bolt from the blue and suggests that he is well and truly back on track. His strong finish of five birdies on the back nine saw him make up significant ground late in the day. While he will not be in the Accenture Match Play next week, his performance at the Chrysler Classic of Tuscon being played opposite, will be watched with interest.
Next best Australian after Appleby was a previous winner here, Robert Allenby who was 15th, with Aaron Baddeley and Steve Elkington 32nd.
