David Toms

Second round at
The International:
A shot in the dark for Toms

By David R. Holland, Regional Staff Writer

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - Just when it seemed one of the most prestigious fields in The International’s 14-year history was going to be a go-cart race instead of a Kentucky Derby, a few thoroughbreds finished fast in Friday’s second round at Castle Pines.

David Toms, the first-round leader with 16 points, cruised through the morning piling up seven birdies and finished with 29 points to lead the second round and eclipse the 36-hole record of 27 points held by Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.

But the fast finishers made it very interesting with Paul Goydos finishing late in the day with 26 points for second and David Duval and Chris Perry compiling 25 points for a tie for third. Tied in fifth are Ernie Els, Steve Flesch and Andrew Magee at 24.

Teen Sergio Garcia eagled No. 14 and birdied the 17th to climb to 21 points while Tiger Woods finished the day with 16 points. The cut was nine points.

“This just might be the best field we will have in a tournament until the Tournament Players’ Championship,” said David Sutherland, who is tied for 11th with 21 points. The TPC is scheduled for October 28-31 at the Champions Golf Club in Houston.

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What might have propelled Toms was a shot in the dark on Thursday evening. With play ready to be suspended he teed off on his final hole before the horn blew. “It was dark, but one of the officials was there,” said Toms, ranked 54th on the PGA Tour with $642,288 earned this year.

“The official said we could finish if someone teed off. We couldn’t see at all, but I finished the day with a 10-foot par putt,” Toms said. “I couldn’t even see the hole, so it was probably the best putt all week. Maybe I should close my eyes and putt every day. My group added it up and decided that finishing gave us about an hour more of sleep Friday morning.”

But Toms was wide awake when he opened Friday with a birdies at the first and second holes. He bogeyed three for the second straight day, but countered with birdies on six, eight, 10, 13 and 17.

Toms, who carries a 7-wood only for this tournament, likes to use it on the eighth hole. “I use it to get over some trees on that hole and so far it has been a good hole for me,” he said. “I probably look like a 15-handicapper with four woods in my bag.” The club has helped produce two birdies on the eighth hole in two days.

Goydos, who has made 13 birdies in his last 23 holes, shot 9-under-par 63.

“To me this was the best scoring day since I’ve been coming here,” Goydos said. “It wasn’t hot, it wasn’t cold, it wasn’t windy -- and when there is a cloud cover the greens don’t get baked out.” It was his best scoring day since he shot 64 the day Duval recorded his historic final-round 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Duval, with $3,149,071 already in the bank this year, has struggled at The International. His best finish was fifth in 1995.

	David Duval

“I like to think it was the August doldrums -- like the old saying goes,” Duval said. “I don’t play a ton in the summer, but I always like coming here because they don’t have the humidity. Maybe it is just from having not played a whole lot, but I don’t play good all the time.”

Duval began the day with 10 points, but he birdied one, two, three, five, eight, nine, 15 and 17 before ending the day with a bogey on 18 for 15 points on the day.

The International’s modified-Stableford format gives eight points for a double eagle, five for an eagle, two for a birdie, zero for a par, minus one for a bogey and minus three for a double bogey or more.