King of Honda Classic back in contention one more time

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Mark Calcavecchia soon will be inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Even before he shot up the leaderboard with Saturday's 5-under 65, Mark Calcavecchia owned The Honda Classic in ways too numerous to mention.

Nobody else in the field has more wins in this tournament (two), top-10 finishes (six) or appearances (23) than the 48-year-old Calcavecchia. Nor does anyone have such a colorful history in the event whose one constant in nomadically moving around the South Florida landscape the last 20 years was Calc showing up every year.

Where does one start to tell the story of the King of The Honda Classic?

Chronologically, it started at the 1974 Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic, the first PGA TOUR event he ever saw in person. The then-13-year-old spent his time outside the yellow ropes watching Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, plotting his future.

"By the second day of watching those guys, I said, 'Yeah, this is what I'm gonna do,' " he said.

There was his first Honda Classic win, in 1987 at TPC at Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, where he finished three shots ahead of Payne Stewart and Bernhard Langer. That victory was best remembered for two things: When Calcavecchia quickly stopped an iron shot out of the ankle-high rough at the 16th hole, it was a feat that many golf insiders pointed to as the tipping point of the square grooves controversy; 2) The fact he had spent the previous year's Honda Classic inside the ropes -- but as a caddie, working for close pal Ken Green.

"Even to this day, people I meet tell me how great it is to see me doing so good out here after being a former caddie and everything," he said last year. "I usually just say thanks and don't bother telling them that I was just bored stiff that week with nothing to do."

His second Honda Classic victory came at TPC at Heron Bay in 1998, when he went Tiger Woods on the final nine and made every putt he looked at to beat Vijay Singh by three shots. But even that day had a twist: Calcavecchia had to play the final round with super glue in his hand, to keep a cut from opening up.

Of course, Calc has had his share of open wounds at The Honda Classic. Last year, for instance, he had the lead by himself in the final round before three balls in the water left him tied for fourth, three shots behind Ernie Els.

So when Calc was asked after Saturday's third round about what it would mean to win this event in three decades, he didn't become too nostalgic about contemplating what would be his 14th career TOUR win.

"I had a good chance last year and hit those three balls in the water," he said. "So we'll try to erase that memory. If I can keep my ball dry tomorrow, like I said last year, I may have a good chance."

Calc has more roots in Palm Beach County than some of the golf courses. He went to high school here, won the Palm Beach County Amateur and later this month will be inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.

Calc appeared to be an afterthought this week with an opening 74 that left him tied for 100th place. He finished with four bogeys in his last six holes, thanks to three three-putts. Then he did something different -- he didn't change putters.

"That's unusual for me," he said.

A second-round 67 improved his standing to 36th place before the 65 moved him into the passing lane on the leaderboard. He was three shots out of the lead, tied for 12th place, when he hurriedly left PGA National to pick up his son, Eric, at the Fort Lauderdale airport. By the end of the day, he was tied for seventh place, just three shots behind leader Y.E. Yang.

Calcavecchia spent the rest of the day creeping up the leaderboard as the Bear Trap -- the vaunted three-hole stretch that includes two of the PGA TOUR's nastiest par-3s (Nos. 15 and 17) -- took a bite out of the leaders.

"Those last four holes are scary," Calcavecchia said. "It's like 17 at Jacksonville. You kind of spend all day waiting to get to 15, except now you've got to do it twice here instead of just once there."

Calcavecchia is supposed to take his family on a vacation to the Bahamas next week, but a win or runner-up finish in this event would change those plans. That would move him into the top 10 of the FedExCup standings and earn him a spot in next week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral Resort & Spa -- another one of his favorite South Florida stops.

"My wife can take my son and his buddies to the Bahamas," Calcavecchia said. "I'd rather be teeing it up in a World Golf Championship event for 8 mil."

Uh, that's not going to happen. At least the first part.

"We'll just have our spring break at Doral," his wife, Brenda, said. "There's plenty of things to do in Miami."

It would be a nice problem to have, to be sure. Who knows what will happen in the final round. Calcavecchia may win, he might cut his hand or he might hit three balls into the water.

One thing is certain: It won't be boring.