McDaniel: Masters Champ Makes it to the Weekend
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- To say Trevor Immelman's hopes for a grand slam are alive would be accurate, even if his odds are about as favorable as finding sub-$4-a-gallon gas this summer. The Masters champ birdied the par-5 ninth hole to finish six over after 36 holes and squeak into the weekend by a couple of shots.
"The birdie at the last made the day a little bit sweeter," said Immelman, who continued to struggle with the South Course's fickle putting surfaces.
Immelman, who had missed two cuts in three events since his win at Augusta, has to be a little disappointed with his play at Torrey so far, considering his turnaround last week at the Stanford St. Jude, where he rallied down the stretch to join a three-way playoff eventually won by Justin Leonard. That momentum, plus the kind of ball striking and putting that he displayed at the Masters, could have enabled him to join an elite list of players.
Since the introduction of the Masters in 1934, just five players have captured the first two legs of the traditional grand slam: Ben Hogan (1951, 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972) and Woods (2002).
--Pete McDaniel
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