Kenny Perry (Fritsche/Flickr)
I DIDN’T GET the memo. No one told me they changed The Players Championship to The Old Players Championship.
You got your Kenny Perry, age 47. You got your Bernhard Langer, age 50. (Langer now hangs out on the Champions Tour.) And there’s your leader, Paul Goydos, the frisky colt of the trio at age 43. Yeah, Goydos, a journeyman, with extra emphasis on “journey.”
I loved Paul’s post-round interview with NBC’s Bob Costas.
Costas: Why do you wear your top button buttoned when it’s so hot here?
Goydos: Because I have no shoulders. It keeps my shirt on.
Costas: You’ve only won twice, both times from behind. Have you ever been the 54-hole leader?
Goydos: No, but I’ve only been on tour 16 years. (Rim shot.)
Goydos, ranked 169th in the world, got the best of Costas, but can he get the best of the field on Sunday? A win would be huge for the player who is making his way back from golf oblivion.
Sergio Garcia is lurking, just three back. As usual, he’s striping the ball, but the putts aren’t falling like they did in round one. They said on the telecast Sergio wants to putt like he did when he was a boy. Maybe he should try to putt like those old guys.
Langer looks like he’s sweeping the beach for valuables. Kenny Perry is nudging it nicely. Goydos, Mr. 11 One-putts, looks like he’s putting with a gardening tool.
On Sunday, the player who can keep his ball on the fairways and putt those nervy slick greens will walk off with the trophy. It might just be an old player at The Players Championship.
−The Armchair Golfer
After watching Goydos and Garcia the last hour of the tournament, and listening to his interview with Costas, I’m pulling for Goydos to win. Especially after listening to his family story.
Amen to what Tom said and what you said in your Blog about Goydos. He is funny and appears to be a person that could make golf interesting to watch again. I’m pulling for him and hate it that I really knew so little about him (or cared, really) for the 16 years he’s been out there. Go Goydos!
I’ll throw my support behind Goydos, too. How can you not pull for a guy like him? It might take the round of his life to do it. The pressure will be intense.