| |
 |
| |
Mark Wiebe |
The International:
The Colorado Connection
By David R. Holland, Regional Staff Writer
CASTLE ROCK, CO - Mark Wiebe of Denver alternated between a grimace
and smile Sunday after he finished his final round at The International.
His 25 points and $22,880 meant a tie for 24th place and was his best
showing since the 1995 event.
He smiled when he saw his kids running to greet him, but he grimaced a little while talking about his back that gave him some pain during the final round. “This pain is unlike any I’ve had,” Wiebe said. “It’s in my middle back. I've never had this one before, so I don't know. I may have to be back sleeping on magnets. I'll try anything. “Today was by far the most inconsistent I’ve played all week,” Wiebe said. “My good shots were good, my bad shots were bad. I drove the ball either great or terrible. I didn’t have many opportunities putting, but I tried to hang in there. I got a little frustrated because my back was sore and I didn’t want to deal with that.” Wiebe, however, said he played hard and was happy with the week and the finish on Sunday. “I was really hoping for a good day -- my week could have been better, but it could have been worse. After the first round (he was the lead with 13 points) I really thought this might be my week. I’ve never gotten off to that good of a start here.” Wiebe, the 41-year-old veteran, entered the day with 20 points. "I made a great par on 18 and a good birdie on 17.'' The pain was especially tough with the driver and long irons. The back injury has Wiebe worried about his scheduled appearance at the Reno-Tahoe Open this weekend. After the first round Wiebe was especially happy with his swing, which his instructor Don Hurter, had patched up with a video session prior to Thursday’s start. “But today I noticed I fell back into my bad swing patterns a little bit. But the back limited me too. I tried to beat it mentally, but I just feel like I'm out of alignment,” Wiebe said.
Former CU Star Shines
Another with a Colorado connection, Jonathan Kaye, finished 29th and took home $18,460. The former University of Colorado golfer moved up on the money list. He was 98th starting the tournament. The finish was his best ever in the event at Castle Pines and his best in two months. Kaye, who lives in Phoenix, said: “If you don’t earn at least $10,000 a week you are going to get passed up on the money list. Today’s play was OK. I didn’t make very many putts, but I hit it pretty good. I love this tournament. The high altitude is hard to adjust to again, but I think I got it figured out now that I’m finished,” Kaye said. Kaye totaled four points on Sunday and finished with 23. He just made the 54-hole cut with 19 points and struggled on the front nine Sunday before finishing with three birdies. A double bogey on the tough ninth, hitting it in to the water, hurt his chances for even more money. Most likely the strong showing assures him of keeping his PGA Tour card for the year 2000. The top 125 retain their card and his career-best total of $324,801 should be good enough for that. Brandt Jobe of Englewood finished tied for 33rd and won $15,015. “I got off to a bad start on Sunday,” Jobe said. “I doubled the second hole and bogeyed the next hole, so it was an uphill struggle.” Jobe, who regularly plays on the Japanese tour, was hoping to earn enough to get his PGA tour card, but he said: “I was just in a situation where I had some tournaments to play in the States and if I made a little bit of money and the opportunity arose where I made enough, I’d like to explore the possibility of playing in the States full-time. “Right now I have maybe only one or two more chances to play here this year.” He will play in Reno this weekend and has a sponsor’s exemption to play in the Canadian Open. “Next year I’d just like to have the opportunity to pick between Japan and the States,” he said. The other golfers with a Colorado connection didn’t have such a good week -- which included Craig Stadler and Gary Hallberg missing the cut.
|
