Sub-60 round eludes Leonard in final fairway
The Colonial began on a historic note Thursday morning, and it very nearly ended on one Sunday afternoon.
Unless you've been living in a cave the last two weeks, you know the Annika Sorenstam story, so we'll spare you another stroll down "Annika's Alley." She became the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event, but Justin Leonard had a chance Sunday at something almost as rare: a 59.
More infrequent than a perfect game in baseball, just three PGA Tour players have laid their hands on golf's Holy Grail (David Duval was the last in 1999; Sorenstam is the only female to have done it), and Justin Leonard was a solid 9-iron away from becoming No. 4.
Standing in the middle of the fairway 142 yards away from the 18th green, Leonard needed to get down in two for an 11-under 59. He found himself between clubs, however, and chose to hit a hard 9-iron rather than to try and finesse an 8-iron from his uphill lie.
| Around the tours ... | |
 This week: The Colonial Site: Fort Worth, Texas Course: Colonial Country Club (7,080 yards, par 70) Top finishers: 1 Kenny Perry 2 Justin Leonard 3 Jeff Sluman 4 Brandt Jobe T5 Pat Bates T5 Hal Sutton T5 Rory Sabbatini T5 Jim Furyk
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He chose wrong.
His 9-iron got caught up in the wind and rolled off the front of the green, a good 66 feet from the hole. His chip from there for the 59 ended up 10 feet past the hole (there was no way he was leaving that one short). He had that 10-footer for par and a course-record 60, but missed that one as well and settled for a 61. Nothing historic, but not too shabby on a course that had yielded less than a handful of 61s over the last 56 Colonials before this week.
Colonial champ Kenny Perry also had a 61 this week. His came in Saturday's third round, and vaulted him from a tie for the first to eight strokes clear of the field -- the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour this season.
A closer look at the two memorable rounds:
Perry: 9 birdies, 9 pars
Leonard: 1 eagle, 8 birdies, 8 pars, 1 bogey
Three observations
1. Kenny Perry is one of the good guys on tour, and it's nice to see him holding a trophy (and wearing a hideous checkered jacket) again. It's the fifth win of his 17-year career, and makes him the fifth player age 39 or older to win this season in what is quickly becoming the Year of the Veteran.
Another 40-something who's been coming on of late has been Hal Sutton. The 45-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain didn't have a single top-10 finish in 36 events spanning 2002 and the first portion of 2003, but after placing fifth at the Colonial now has three top-10s in his last five tournaments.
In total, five players over the age of 40 were in the top 10 at the Colonial this week: Perry (first place; age 42), Jeff Sluman (3; 45), Hal Sutton (T5; 45), Fred Funk (T9; 46) and Dan Forsman (T9; 44).
2. While Sorenstam was making history on the PGA Tour this week, Juli Inkster was doing the same on the ladies' circuit.
Inkster won the Corning Classic by four strokes Sunday after carding a 10-under 62, the lowest final-round score by a winner ever on the LPGA Tour, and the lowest of Inkster's career. She also set a tournament record with her 24-under 264 total. The victory was her first since edging Sorenstam at last year's U.S. Women's Open.
3. Surprise, surprise, Jim Furyk was in the top-10 again this week.
The steady Furyk tied for fifth at the Colonial, his eighth top-10 finish in his last nine events. Remarkably, Furyk has nine top-10s in 13 events in 2003, far and away the highest percentage on the PGA Tour. Still, he hasn't won yet this season, but he'll be one of the favorites this week at the Memorial, where he's the defending champ.
Up next ...
PGA Tour: The Memorial
They head to Dublin, Ohio, this week for the tourney that Jack built. Tiger Woods will make his first stateside appearance since The Masters, a 6-week span that represents the longest PGA Tour layoff of his career -- even longer than his 5-week break after knee surgery earlier this year.
LPGA Tour: Kellogg-Keebler Classic
Annika Sorenstam is back on the LPGA Tour to defend her title and get ready for the year's second major next week.
European tour: The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open
Paul Lawrie defends against a field that includes Colin Montgomerie, Michael Campbell and Anders Hansen.
Champions Tour: Music City Championship at Gaylord Opryland
Gil Morgan defends as the senior circuit stops by Nashville, Tenn.
Nationwide Tour: Greater Richmond Open
David Lefort is ESPN.com's golf editor, and can be reached at david.m.lefort@espn3.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
