Owen fights to stay in contention
Greg Owen came off Sawgrass proud of himself today after showing the golfing world that he is a real fighter as well as a quality player.
Five days on from throwing away the Bay Hill Invitational in nightmare fashion the 34-year-old from Mansfield was in danger of crashing out of the £5million Players Championship – along with first round leader Davis Love incredibly - when he resumed with a double bogey six.
But in a tricky wind Owen covered the remaining 17 holes in a brilliant six under par and from a position outside the top 80 was in the top 10 and in contention for the sport’s richest event.
“I don’t think you can report what I said to myself coming off the first green,” said Owen after a 68 enabled him to reach halfway on the five-under mark of 139.
It put him three behind Jim Furyk, who added a 71 to his opening 65 while joint overnight pacesetter Love collapsed to an 83, finishing with a tournament record nine on the 583-yard ninth.
Also out went Colin Montgomerie with a 76 – and for the first time in the Scot’s career that is four successive missed cuts.
Owen three-putted by missing from three feet on the first, bringing back the awful memories of his double bogey, bogey finish to lose by one at Bay Hill.
“I was very angry, but calm. It was definitely not an ideal start, but maybe I needed that just to get going. I woke up and got determined.
“I didn’t want to play badly this week because I didn’t want people thinking that last week had got to me.
“Monday was probably the worst day of my life, but you have just got to get over it. I have got a job to do.” A top-20 finish could give Owen a Masters debut in two weeks’ time.
Tiger Woods had an adventurous time like Love on the ninth, but after driving into the water he chipped in for a par five and with a 69 for three under still has hopes of a second victory at an event it looked as if he might not play when he flew to California to see his seriously ill father on Tuesday.
Woods, not certain yet to defend the Masters in a fortnight’s time, was in a tie for 20th place as the day’s play drew to a close.
Ian Poulter’s chances of qualifying for the Masters – he needs third place - were re-ignited with a 68 for four under and joint 15th place.
Earlier 48-year-old Bernhard Langer, only three months younger than Fred Funk was when he became the oldest-ever winner of the title last year, briefly held the lead at eight under – but then crashed spectacularly with seven bogeys in 10 holes. He finished with a 75 for two under.
Darren Clarke, playing with Woods, had a 70 for one under, but fellow Irishmen Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley headed out at two over and six over along with Luke Donald and Justin Rose.
Donald, runner-up last year and winner of the Honda Classic on his last start two weeks ago, slumped to a 74 for four over, while Rose, who had required top two for the Masters, improved six shots on his opening 78, but knew that was nowhere near enough to survive.
There were holes-in-one at the 13th, meanwhile, from both Justin Leonard and Jesper Parnevik. Leonard still missed the cut at one over, but it saved the Swede as he finished level par.
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