"Bermuda" Appleby highest Aussie earner on US Tour
IN: News | US PGA | Mercedes Championships (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 10 Jan 2005
If this is what we can look forward to in 2005, then bring it on.
The season opening Mercedes Championship at Kapalua on Maui today, not only yielded an Australian winner for us to boast about, but the numbers one, two and three players in the world all contended over the closing holes. It was fascinating viewing and heralds what promises to be a fascinating battle in the year ahead.
Appleby's win and the accompanying US1.06 million have taken his earnings to just over US$14 million and he moves ahead of Greg Norman as the highest earning Australian ever on the USPGA Tour.
The victory again highlights Appleby's great record on Bermuda greens. This is the Australian's sixth USPGA Tour success and four of those victories have come on Bermuda greens. Add to that the fact that his only two wins in Australia have also been on Bermuda greens and the record for a man brought up on the cool season grasses of Victoria is intriguing.
Part of the answer to that mystery is perhaps that such greens are often associated with regions where wind is a factor and Appleby's game is very much suited to his ball trajectory and control in windy conditions.
Today it was windy as the 33-year-old, who was still attempting to get back into the tournament after his sole start on Thursday, started out on his last day mission to challenge for perhaps a top five finish. The tournament organisers almost outfoxed themselves with a decision to go early on day four but when inclement weather early prevented them from doing just, that they were forced to revert to the original later start.
Appleby started the last day four back of Singh, but his amazing start which included two birdies and an eagle at the par four sixth in his first six holes quickly had him challenging, not just for a top five, but for the title which he already owned from 2004. The eagle at the 6th came after a tee shot of 389 yards had him just 13 feet from the hole. From there he made the putt and he was all of a sudden at nineteen under and in contention for the lead where he would stay all day. Only two birdies would follow over the next twelve holes, but importantly he made no mistakes. Several others challenged and took the lead including Vijay Singh, Jonathan Kaye, Stewart Cink and Ernie Els but to a large extent they came and went.
Most felt this was Singh's event to win or lose and unfortunately for the Fijian it would be the latter. His triple bogey at the relatively short par four 13th came from a wayward tee shot and essentially from there the gap was too great to bridge.
Jonathan Kaye perhaps surprisingly grabbed the lead when he eagled the 9th then birdied the 10th but a bogey at the 12th saw him fall back into a four way tie with Cink, Appleby and Els. He still had a chance to take the tournament into extra time with a birdie at the last but from a good tee shot he came up a few yards short at the par five and then hit a very ordinary pitch which left him some thirty feet from the hole.
Els stood on the last tee knowing that he too likely needed a birdie to tie but a horror tee shot some fifty yards right of the target, accentuated perhaps by an assist from the car path, saw him playing a provisional and his challenge was gone.
Tiger Woods had an early bogey at the third, despite a tee shot which had him almost green high at the par four, but then in his own relentless way he pushed on, recording six further birdies and no bogeys in a run that saw him nearly pressure those behind. His share of third with Els, despite a shocking week with the putter, indicates that his wayward driving in 2004 may well be but a bitter memory.
Adam Scott, as he had last year in this event, produced the best last round of the day (65) to move from 14th to share fifth with Stewart Cink and Vijay Singh. You would have got good odds about that outcome at the start of the day.
There were no real excuses however for those who finished behind the defending champion. Appleby now heads back to Australia to spend time with his wife Ashley, who is expecting the couple's first child. It is likely that after a tough time in the late 1990's, Stuart Appleby is now at one of the great times of his life. Twice second and now a win in his last three tournament starts suggests there is a lot more to come.
Craig Parry did well for 9th, a bogey at the last costing him a few dollars, Mark Hensby and Rod Pampling were 19th and Andre Stolz 22nd.
Four of these Australians will be joined by eleven others in Honolulu this week for the Sony Open.
