Ten years after last victory, Janzen tries to get on track
By The Associated Press
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) -- Lee Janzen is coming up on the 10-year anniversary of one of his biggest victories, a steady performance in the final round at The Olympic Club in San Francisco that brought him his second U.S. Open title.
That also was his last victory, and there are times it seems longer than a decade ago.
Janzen has been mired in a slump so bad that he lost his PGA TOUR card two years ago, hasn't finished in the top 125 on the money list the last three years and now is having to rely on sponsor exemptions.
His start at the PODS Championship brought some hope.
Playing on a sponsor's exemption, in a stretch of competing three out of four weeks, Janzen holed a 65-foot putt from the fringe on the third hole, played a brilliant shot off the pine straw to 7 feet for birdie on the tough 16th, and wrapped up a 6-under 65 on Friday morning to share the first-round lead with Bart Bryant.
"I've worked on my game for quite a while,'' Janzen said. "Eventually, you have to shoot better scores.''
Half the 144-man field had to return Friday morning to finish the first round because of rain and storms that stopped play for 2 1/2 hours Thursday, the first time all year a PGA TOUR event was stopped by rain. Janzen was in the bad half of the draw, for the wind gusted to 20 mph in the morning, and more rain was due in the afternoon.
Stuart Appleby, among 72 players fighting for space on the practice range, finished off a bogey-free round of 66 and was joined by Kenny Perry, Jeff Maggert and Stewart Cink, who completed the first round Thursday morning.
John Senden, a runner-up last year to Mark Calcavecchia, Jerry Kelly and Paul Casey were among those who played well in the wind and moved up the board to finish at 67.
John Daly shot 77 and was struggling no matter whom he used as a caddie. Daly was 2 over through three holes when play was stopped by rain for the first time on the PGA TOUR this year. He headed for the Hooters hospitality tent, ran into Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, and Gruden wound up on the bag until dark.
That was just another sideshow in the unpredictable world of Daly.
Janzen has been living a nightmare, but he hopes there are signs of turning things around.
"I shoot good scores on Mondays and Tuesdays and weeks off,'' he said. "It's just a matter of feeling the same way when you get into a tournament.''
He felt extremely confident heading to the Mayacoba Classic in Mexico two weeks ago, making eight birdies in 13 holes during a friendly match early in the week. Then he missed the cut.
"The good news was I didn't leave there totally dejected,'' Janzen said.
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