Lindsey's play hurt by Thursday storms
6/29/2002OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Maumee's Pat Lindsey chose not to make any excuses yesterday, but it was obvious that the overnight suspension of first-round play in the U.S. Senior Open had an adverse effect on his game.
Lindsey was playing the 15th hole when Thursday's action was stopped because of thunderstorms. He was 2 over at the time, but 15 over by the time he concluded yesterday's second round.
His 157 total prevented him from making the 36-hole cut to the low 60 scores and ties.
“I took a beating today,” Lindsey said yesterday at Caves Valley Golf Club.
He had just hit his tee shot below a bunker on the par-3 15th hole when Thursday's play was stopped.
“When we resumed this morning I had a tough flop shot over the bunker and I ended up making a 5 there,” Lindsey said. “Then I bogeyed the next hole. It was a crummy start and it sort of snowballed from there.
“I don't like to make excuses. I wasn't the only guy who didn't finish and wasn't the only guy who had to deal with it. But I would like to think that touchy little chip would have been a little easier if I was still in the flow of the game.”
He finished with an opening-round 75, then with almost no break between rounds followed with an 11-over 82.
Starting on the back nine, Lindsey was 1-under for the round when he again scored a double bogey at the 15th hole.
“I was still OK until then,” he said, referring to his prospects of making the cut. “But I doubled that hole and then had that stretch of (Nos.) 16-17-18 that are really tough. And I played 'em like they were hard, going par-bogey-double bogey. From then on it was awful.”
Lindsey finished his first nine holes yesterday having hit just one green in regulation. For the round he hit five of 18 greens.
“I started missing fairways, and you just can't hit greens out of this rough unless you get a lucky lie. You end up just whaling on it out of the rough and hoping to get it close to the greens.
“It was just a bad day. After that first shot [upon resuming first-round play] I was never comfortable with little touch shots, and when you lose confidence in something like that the rest of your game sort of follows.”
Still, the Toledo real estate broker and one-time PGA Tour player said he enjoyed his Senior Open experience.
“I'm not going to have too many more chances to do stuff like this, so I'm awfully glad I was able to make it here.”