Maggert Comes Out on Top in the Slop

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —  So, Steve Jones, in what kind of condition are the golf courses?

“Well, I’m done with Sloppy, er, Poppy Hills,” Jones said.

Davis Love III emptied the water from his muddy shoes before answering whether Spyglass or Poppy Hills was the most water-logged.

“It’s a tie,” Love said. “They’re both very, very wet.”

Heading into the weekend at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, this may be one tournament that doesn’t need caddies as much as it needs rafts.

The leader at Friday’s 36-hole juncture is Jeff Maggert, who toured Pebble Beach and put up his second consecutive 68. Maggert is at eight-under-par 136, one shot ahead of Jones, Love and Loren Roberts.

Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson and Nick Faldo head a group of eight tied at six-under 138, along with John Elliott, Jay Haas, Howard Clark, Jim McGovern and Jumbo Ozaki.

Maggert finished with four consecutive birdies, a stretch that featured putts of 18 feet, 10 feet and seven feet. Each time, the ball dropped in the hole like a rock in a lake.

The sun shone for a while Friday, but it once again was a gray day about the same color as Bill Murray’s socks.

Jones, who won here in 1988, began his round at Spyglass Hill with a birdie and an eagle to get into contention for what could be his first victory since 1989.

Jones would have had the lead by himself if he had managed to do something besides bogeying four par-three holes the first two days.

All in all, Jones is relieved to be playing the par threes in anything after missing nearly three full years because of a finger injury. He had ligament and nerve damage in his left ring finger when he fell off his dirt bike.

To compensate, Jones uses a putting grip on all his shots, but at least he can swing a club.

“For almost two years, I didn’t know I was ever going to play again,” he said. “I still don’t know when my last swing is going to be. The finger is a tricky thing. It’s like a pitcher’s elbow. You just don’t know how long it’s going to hold up.”

Love’s game appeared solid in the early going, even though he is breaking in a new three-wood and a new set of irons. His crew cut is also starting to grow out a little, although it still looks sort of like moss.

He shot a 66 and said he enjoyed his Roman numeral pro-am pairing--Davis Love III and Orel Hershiser IV--but declined to discuss the World Series with the Cleveland Indian right-hander.

“I don’t want to pump him for information, especially being a Braves fan,” Love said.

However, Love showed no reluctance to make birdies; he had eight of them. One was a bit unconventional when his drive hit a cart path and a tree on the par-five ninth. But standing under branches, he knocked a four-iron to 50 feet and two-putted for birdie.

“You have to play here a lot to learn some patience,” Love said.

Maggert is patiently waiting for another victory. His only PGA Tour victory was the 1993 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic at Orlando, Fla. He tied for seventh at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic two weeks ago, which was enough to convince him that his putting touch is the reason.

“Everything was clicking pretty good,” he said. “Sometimes the putting is a little treacherous, though.”

Maybe it’s trouble, all right, but it can’t compare to what Mickelson learned from race car driver Bobby Rahal, who played in his foursome the first two days.

“He goes more than 200 miles an hour,” Mickelson said. “I can’t imagine going that fast . . . on the ground, anyway.”

Mickelson said he plans to keep his feet on the ground, probably on the golf course, even if the ones he stands on seem to be sinking.