Pavin his own path to success  Editorial Coordinator PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- There's nothing quite like Saturday at Pebble Beach during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Gigantic herds of people gather around the ropes in Tiger-sized quantities, only in this case they are most likely hoping to catch a glimpse of Kevin Costner, Bill Murray or George Lopez and not a PGA TOUR star. But, amidst all the hoopla and three-ring circus fun?literally, since the professionals and amateurs play on three courses so you never quite know where to look for the best action--that surrounds Pebble Beach during this week, there's one guy who has quietly made his way to the top of the leaderboard. Corey Pavin, a TOUR veteran who has played here 21 times, sits near the lead heading into the final round. He'll have to dethrone Phil Mickelson and Kevin Sutherland, who lead the pack at 14-under, but Pavin's steady game propelled him to 9-under and a tie for fourth with Davis Love III. 
"I have played these courses a lot, I know them well and played them in a lot of different conditions," said Pavin. "It was all over the place today. Now it's ugly but it helps when you have seen the course in different conditions and you understand what you can and can't do and where you need to put the ball to make pars." The leaderboard may be stacked with Pavin's fellow major winners, like Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk and Tom Watson, but there's one common foe that the top pros, the famous amateurs and rookies alike had to face: the elements. Around these parts, the conditions are referred to as "Crosby" weather, so called since the rain poured and the wind howled when Bing Crosby would host his Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. This year, during the first part of the third round, the weather gods missed that memo, casting unexpected sunshine on the course. But by the time Pavin hit the 17th tee, the winds had picked up drastically. When he finished at the 18th green, the rain was blowing sideways, the waves were crashing loudly onto the rocks and just watching the MetLife blimp swaying and twisting in the wind was enough to make you vicariously seasick. "I think everybody should be pleased when you shoot a score like this under conditions like this," said Pavin, who posted a 67 after making five birdies and no bogeys. He's also glad he had an early tee time, allowing him to escape the course before the weather grew even worse. "I think that's probably about as strong a wind as I've played in out here," he said. "I played in some wind but not as heavy as today. Thank goodness I only played two holes in it." Pavin's not a big hitter, as he finished 195th on the TOUR list for driving distance in 2006. In that respect, he thinks the elements may have helped his chances of winning the tournament. "I don't mind them. I think, I hope, it helps. You've got to think your way around the golf course a lot more and pick your places where you can be aggressive and, where if you can just survive and make par on a hole, that's sometimes a great score. Sometimes even a bogey is a good score." The 15-time TOUR winner earned his first victory in 10 years at the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. And, to hear him talk, maybe he's still got a few more in him. "That's what it's all about. I don't come out here just to have a good time. I want to have fun, obviously, but I want to play well and have a chance to compete in the tournaments." |
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