Appleby continues Red Letter Day for Australian golf

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2006 Shell Houston Open | Wrap | 24 Apr 2006

In what turned out to be a Sunday afternoon stroll, Stuart Appleby continued his love affair with golf in Houston and Bermuda greens when he extended his two shot overnight lead at the Shell Houston Open to eventually win by a record six shots.

Following on from the earlier victories of Brendan Jones in Japan and Paul Gow on the Nationwide Tour, it was a ’Red Letter’ day for Australian golf.

For Appleby it would be his second win in the event following his vicotry at the TPC at Woodlands in 1999 in addition to his runner up placing at the adjacent course at Redstone in 2003.

The tournament was all but over after an outward nine of 32 saw him extend his lead to five and with the already hot putter getting hotter he picked up two further birdies at the 10th and 11th to move even further ahead. The final margin was six, accurately reflecting his domination of an event he had led from his opening round of 66.

For Appleby this would be his 8th USPGA Tour win and the US$990,000 for his win today will now take his PGA Tour career earnings, since joining in 1996, to US$17.8 million. He is the highest Australian money winner in the history of the PGA Tour by some US$4 million.

Of Appleby’s eight victories on the USPGA Tour, six have been won on Bermuda greens and his two in Australia were also won on courses where warm season grasses prevail. He has of course won on bent at the Kemper Open, in Las Vegas and on the Nationwide Tour but he seems to have a knack of reading the subtleties of Bermuda grass greens.

In the race for second, Bob Estes, a four time winner on the USPGA Tour but without a win since 2002, played by far his best golf in some time when he held off two others who were in desperate need of a good week, Steve Stricker (3rd) and Mathias Gronberg (4th).

Stricker was one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour ten years ago but changes in equipment to capitalise on the huge monetary offers made to him at that time saw his career spiral downwards. Although there has been the occasional good finish (2001 Accenture) and after narrowly missing his Tour Card at Tour School last year he is now relying on invitation, as was the case here, to play the USPGA Tour. The US$374,000 is clearly going to make quite a difference in that regard.

Mathias Gronberg, who was the medallist at the Tour School in 2003, regained his card at the Tour School late last year and now appears on track for his best season with two good finishes earlier in the year to go with his fourth place today.

Of the other Australasians, Mathew Goggin was 16th, John Senden 21st, Stephen Leaney and Aaron Baddeley 36th, Greg Chalmers and Gavin Coles 44th and Phil Tataurangi continuing to make progress in his comeback was 74th,

The PGA Tour now heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

Photo – Anthony Powter