Friday, February 20, 2004
Golf Lines: "GOLF-NISSAN OPEN MATCHUPS Friday, February 20th
(2ND ROUND ONLY)
Time#TeamsSidesTotal
20-Feb
02:35p213JESPER PARNEVIK -RD2 -115
214THOMAS BJORN -RD 2 -115
20-Feb
02:45p215STEPHEN AMES-RD 2 -115
216LEE JANZEN -RD 2 -115
20-Feb
03:05p217KJ CHOI -RD 2 -110
218CHARLES HOWELL -RD 2 -120
20-Feb
03:05p219SHIGEKI MARUYAMA-RD2 -115
220KIRK TRIPLETT - RD 2 -115 "
(2ND ROUND ONLY)
Time#TeamsSidesTotal
20-Feb
02:35p213JESPER PARNEVIK -RD2 -115
214THOMAS BJORN -RD 2 -115
20-Feb
02:45p215STEPHEN AMES-RD 2 -115
216LEE JANZEN -RD 2 -115
20-Feb
03:05p217KJ CHOI -RD 2 -110
218CHARLES HOWELL -RD 2 -120
20-Feb
03:05p219SHIGEKI MARUYAMA-RD2 -115
220KIRK TRIPLETT - RD 2 -115 "
SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports -- Maruyama loves L.A.
Native of Japan shares Nissan lead in adopted hometown
By Tod Leonard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 20, 2004
Associated Press
Shigeki Maruyama, of Japan, watches his drive on the third hole in the first round of the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES â Bill Murray may wander the halls of his lonely Tokyo hotel in "Lost in Translation," but Shigeki Maruyama has no such problem on the streets of the City of Angels.
If those streets are named Rodeo Drive or Sunset Boulevard, all the better.
Maruyama moved to Westwood after his PGA Tour career took off a few years ago, and he's acquired the taste and pastimes of a Valley Girl. He's dyed his black hair blond, he eats at all the fashionable West L.A. Japanese restaurants, and responding yesterday to a question about his off-the-course pastimes, Maruyama didn't have to turn to the translator sitting by his side.
"Shopping," he said with his infectious grin. "I have good food, and play golf and go out shopping on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills.
"I live," said Maruyama, "in the thick of it."
There is one more nice little perk: He can play at Japanese-owned Riviera Country Club just about any time he wants to, and that's frequently, when he's not on the road.
Maruyama insists he's never played the venerable course well because of its Poa annua greens, but he handled them just fine yesterday in the first round of the Nissan Open. He rolled in eight birdies, including a couple of long putts, to shoot 7-under-par 64 and share the lead with PGA champion Shaun Micheel.
"Since last week I've been playing very well," said Maruyama, 33, who tied for fourth in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. "I'm very glad to play well today at Riviera."
On a cool, overcast day in Pacific Palisades, most of the better scores were recorded in the morning before the breeze came up off the coast. Among the unfortunates to tee it up in the afternoon was Tiger Woods, who bogeyed three of his first seven holes and shot 72.
Woods is seeking his first victory in seven professional starts at Riviera, where he was given his first sponsor's exemption at age 16, but he's closer to missing his first cut in 117 straight events. The world's No. 1 player is tied for 80th place, with the top 70 players and ties after today's round advancing to the weekend.
The best afternoon round was turned in by Hank Kuehne, the tour's driving distance leader, who shot 32 on the front nine (his back) en route to a 65 that has him alone in third.
"I'm kind of directionally challenged," Kuehne said, "but the wind was blowing one way for the first five or six holes, and then it turned around and was in our face. It made some of the holes easier but made other holes play quite a bit harder. The golf course is tough."
Riviera is a course that usually rewards those most familiar with it, and that was the case yesterday. Among the top eight scorers from the first round, four were former Nissan champions who shot 66: Kirk Triplett, Fred Couples, Mike Weir and Robert Allenby.
Maruyama probably has played Riviera more in the last couple of years than any of those guys, but he was especially pleased with 64 because he has always struggled with the Poa annua greens.
"I didn't have any confidence getting the ball on the green," Maruyama said. "I usually practice here, and during practice days I putt very well. But during the tournament the greens get harder, and when it rains the greens get bumpy and it's really tough to read."
Those bumps look smaller when you're knocking the ball in from everywhere. Maruyama made a 36-foot putt on No. 8, a 30-footer on 11 and a 45-footer at 18. He said he couldn't remember making that many long putts in one round.
Chip-ins
Buick Invitational winner John Daly's 31 led the field on the back nine, and Daly scored 68 to move into a tie for 13th. World No. 2 Vijay Singh shot 71 and is tied for 56th.
Play was suspended because of darkness with 13 players on the course.
Triplett, who withdrew from next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship to attend a friend's wedding in Hawaii, said he considered starting on Wednesday at La Costa to see how far he could advance. But if he reached the weekend, he would have pulled out, and he didn't think that would be fair to his fellow pros. "I am more of a karma guy," Triplett said, "and I didn't think that was the right thing to do."
Native of Japan shares Nissan lead in adopted hometown
By Tod Leonard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 20, 2004
Associated Press
Shigeki Maruyama, of Japan, watches his drive on the third hole in the first round of the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES â Bill Murray may wander the halls of his lonely Tokyo hotel in "Lost in Translation," but Shigeki Maruyama has no such problem on the streets of the City of Angels.
If those streets are named Rodeo Drive or Sunset Boulevard, all the better.
Maruyama moved to Westwood after his PGA Tour career took off a few years ago, and he's acquired the taste and pastimes of a Valley Girl. He's dyed his black hair blond, he eats at all the fashionable West L.A. Japanese restaurants, and responding yesterday to a question about his off-the-course pastimes, Maruyama didn't have to turn to the translator sitting by his side.
"Shopping," he said with his infectious grin. "I have good food, and play golf and go out shopping on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills.
"I live," said Maruyama, "in the thick of it."
There is one more nice little perk: He can play at Japanese-owned Riviera Country Club just about any time he wants to, and that's frequently, when he's not on the road.
Maruyama insists he's never played the venerable course well because of its Poa annua greens, but he handled them just fine yesterday in the first round of the Nissan Open. He rolled in eight birdies, including a couple of long putts, to shoot 7-under-par 64 and share the lead with PGA champion Shaun Micheel.
"Since last week I've been playing very well," said Maruyama, 33, who tied for fourth in the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. "I'm very glad to play well today at Riviera."
On a cool, overcast day in Pacific Palisades, most of the better scores were recorded in the morning before the breeze came up off the coast. Among the unfortunates to tee it up in the afternoon was Tiger Woods, who bogeyed three of his first seven holes and shot 72.
Woods is seeking his first victory in seven professional starts at Riviera, where he was given his first sponsor's exemption at age 16, but he's closer to missing his first cut in 117 straight events. The world's No. 1 player is tied for 80th place, with the top 70 players and ties after today's round advancing to the weekend.
The best afternoon round was turned in by Hank Kuehne, the tour's driving distance leader, who shot 32 on the front nine (his back) en route to a 65 that has him alone in third.
"I'm kind of directionally challenged," Kuehne said, "but the wind was blowing one way for the first five or six holes, and then it turned around and was in our face. It made some of the holes easier but made other holes play quite a bit harder. The golf course is tough."
Riviera is a course that usually rewards those most familiar with it, and that was the case yesterday. Among the top eight scorers from the first round, four were former Nissan champions who shot 66: Kirk Triplett, Fred Couples, Mike Weir and Robert Allenby.
Maruyama probably has played Riviera more in the last couple of years than any of those guys, but he was especially pleased with 64 because he has always struggled with the Poa annua greens.
"I didn't have any confidence getting the ball on the green," Maruyama said. "I usually practice here, and during practice days I putt very well. But during the tournament the greens get harder, and when it rains the greens get bumpy and it's really tough to read."
Those bumps look smaller when you're knocking the ball in from everywhere. Maruyama made a 36-foot putt on No. 8, a 30-footer on 11 and a 45-footer at 18. He said he couldn't remember making that many long putts in one round.
Chip-ins
Buick Invitational winner John Daly's 31 led the field on the back nine, and Daly scored 68 to move into a tie for 13th. World No. 2 Vijay Singh shot 71 and is tied for 56th.
Play was suspended because of darkness with 13 players on the course.
Triplett, who withdrew from next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship to attend a friend's wedding in Hawaii, said he considered starting on Wednesday at La Costa to see how far he could advance. But if he reached the weekend, he would have pulled out, and he didn't think that would be fair to his fellow pros. "I am more of a karma guy," Triplett said, "and I didn't think that was the right thing to do."
