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University of North Carolina Athletics
Davis Love Leads At Hilton Head
April 15, 2000 | Men's Golf
April 15, 2000
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Ernie Els put his runner-up finish in the Masters behind him with another loss the next day.
A day after finishing three strokes behind Vijay Singh at Augusta on Sunday, Els headed to Cherokee Plantation to film a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match with David Duval - which the South African lost.
"I think both myself and David Duval were really flat on Monday," said Els, a stroke behind Davis Love III after the second round of the MCI Classic on Friday.
"I guess it was nice, now, that I did play on Monday because it kind of got my mind off the Masters," he said. "I think if Monday was just a normal travel day, it would have been a really long day thinking about what I could have done on Sunday."
Instead, Els got to focus on Harbour Town, where he hadn't finished better than 10th before. He opened with a 3-under 68 on Thursday and shot a 67 on Friday.
Only Love, after a 66 Friday, did any better at the halfway point.
Maybe it also helped Els that he was grouped with Love the first two rounds.
"Davis knows this place pretty well," Els said. "So I just kind of followed him around today."
Love, a four-time champion in this event, looked every bit at home as he does in nearby Sea Island, Ga., cutting through cold, damp conditions to move a stroke ahead.
Steve Lowery had a 64 and was three strokes off the lead with Notah Begay and first-round leader Dan Forsman. Begay (66) and Forsman (71) both played in the afternoon as a steady, sometimes heavy, rain cleared the course of everyone but the golfers.
Singh briefly moved within a shot of Love midway through the round. But Singh had three bogeys on the back nine to fall to his second straight 70 and was six shots behind.
Defending champion Glen Day followed his opening 74 with a 69.
Love has broken 70 in eight of his last 10 tournament rounds at Harbour Town.
"It is kind of strange that for some reason after the Masters I always come here and play well," Love said. "Players have asked me a lot, 'How do you play this hole?' or 'How do you play that hole?'"
In Els' up-close view, Love's only poor swing in 36 holes was a sideways 3-wood that flew into the marsh off the 18th green on Thursday and led to a double-bogey 6.
"I don't think 'mad at myself' is strong enough" to say how he felt closing Thursday's round, Love said.
ut Love relied on his history and passion for Harbour Town and was rewarded with the lead. His round included a remarkable eagle at the par-4 16th and a birdie on 18 that he said "felt like an eagle."
Love's move began on 16 when his 9-iron from 130 yards took two bounces and disappeared "like a rabbit in a hole," he said.
After missing a 17-foot birdie putt on 17, Love stood over a similar approach shot on 18 that he had sent off line a day earlier. This time, he drilled a 4-iron straight and true within 8 feet and rolled in the putt.
A 15-foot birdie putt on his final hole, the ninth, left Love in a very familiar position.
"He looks very comfortable out there," Els said. "He plays the safe shot off the tee and he knows where the greens are running to."
Els kept himself close with consecutive birdies to start his back nine. He made a tricky 8-footer for par on the last hole after Love knocked in his birdie.
With the way Love's playing, Els knows he could wind up second again this week. "He's going to be a tough guy to beat this weekend," Els said. "But I'm playing well, too."
© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
