`BOOM' TOWN COUPLES AMONG THOSE GUNNING FOR SABBATINI.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer PACIFIC PALISADES Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). - Midway leader Rory Sabbatini Rory Mario Trevor Sabbatini (born April 2, 1976) is a South African professional golfer. Rory Sabbatini was born in Durban, South Africa. He started playing golf at age 4, but concentrated on it from age 12. kept the pedal to the metal in Saturday's third round of the Nissan Open The Northern Trust Open, formally known as the Nissan Open and originally known as the Los Angeles Open, is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in February in Pacific Palisades, California. , amidst huge rallies by John Rollins John Rollins (born June 25, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia. He has had PGA Tour victories in 2002 and 2006. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. , Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer, known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing. In September 2006 he reached a career high of second in the Official World Golf Rankings. and Fred Couples Frederick Stephen Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour. He has won numerous events, and is most famous for winning the 1992 Masters Tournament. - the latter stirring echoes of the ``Boom-Boom'' era at Riviera Country Club The Riviera Country Club is a country club with a championship golf course. It is located in Pacific Palisades, California, within the city limits of Los Angeles, California. The country club opened in 1926, with George C. Thomas, Jr. as the course architect. . Another anticipated rally never got off the ground, as No. 1 in the world Tiger Woods  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. , who won his first two starts this season and made the
cut on the number in a Friday rainstorm, withdrew with illness before
his scheduled 9:39 a.m. starting time Noun 1. starting time - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, start, kickoff, beginning, first . ``Everyone saw how Tiger felt this week struggling with the flu, and he just can't shake it,'' Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, said Saturday morning after phoning tournament officials to notify them of the withdrawal. Sabbatini, the hottest player on the West Coast Swing - with two seconds and no finish worse than 20th in five previous 2006 starts - added five more birdies Saturday to maintain his four-shot lead at 67-65-67-199 despite what he called a slow start. ``That's one of the nice things about having a couple-shots lead,'' said Sabbatini, who parred his first six holes before picking up the pace. ``Even though the guys are gaining on you, you still have the benefit of being a few shots ahead. ... You know there is no rush here, just let it happen. Things will come around.'' What came around notably were leaderboard lead·er·board n. A board that displays the leaders in a competition. leaderboard Noun a board displaying the current scores of the leading competitors, esp in a golf tournament charges by Rollins (64), Furyk (65) and Couples (65) as Riviera's greens, softened by rain late Friday afternoon and again early Saturday morning, yielded 280 third-round birdies to the 82 cut survivors still in the field. Seven of them were by Couples, who also entered the tournament with the flu and enters today's closing round within striking distance of his third title in the 80th staging of an event long known as the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Open. ``I hit the ball solid. I hit it a long ways. I don't feel like the game is passing me by,'' said Couples, 46, who won this tournament in 1990 and '92, when he went on to win The Masters. Couples' 66-72-65 start left him tied for second place at 203 with Craig Barlow Craig Alan Barlow (born July 23, 1972) is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Barlow was born in Henderson, Nevada. He turned professional in 1995. In 2006, he was partnered with golfing legend Jeff Sluman for the final round of the U.S. Open. (67-69-67), who had four birdies and an eagle Saturday. ``Weather permitting, it's definitely one of my favorite tournaments,'' said Barlow, who played in the final group in 2001 and placed 13th that year, when Robert Allenby won a six-man playoff in a rainstorm. Tim Clark (70-67-67) and Trevor Immelman (67-70-67) shared fourth Saturday at 204, a shot ahead of Rollins (70-71-64). Furyk (69-72-65) jumped 29 places to tie Mark Brooks (72-67-67) and Dean Wilson (64-73-69) and Bob Estes (66-71-69). ``Seven shots will gain you a lot of ground,'' said Rollins, who eagled his first hole - Riviera's 315-yard, par-4 10th - and added five birdies in a bogey-free round. ``But the key is not having so many players in front of you, and just hope that you can come out and play solid and be patient.'' One of the keys for Couples - in addition to his still-impressive length four years shy of senior tour eligibility - has been the consistent support of a gallery that has been one of the Nissan's loudest for years. His fans sent roars of ``Boom-Boom'' echoing often through ancient eucalyptus trees during his glory years of the early '90s at the course long known as Hogan's Alley. And the latest version of that gallery was whooping whoop n. 1. a. A loud cry of exultation or excitement. b. A shout uttered by a hunter or warrior. 2. A hooting cry, as of a bird. 3. The paroxysmal gasp characteristic of whooping cough. it up again Saturday. ``I just like the place,'' Couples said of his success at Riviera, ``and the crowd has more to do with it than Ben Hogan, or the clubhouse or any other things. The crowds here have always been phenomenal. They root hard. I do well here, so they back me.'' On Saturday, Couples picked up additional support from a similarly sizable Woods gallery, which was left without its rooting interest when illness forced Woods to withdraw from the tournament. ``They couldn't root for him today. The poor guy was sick and couldn't make it. But I did get some of his strays to come follow me,'' said Couples, who teed off 20 minutes before Woods's scheduled starting time. ``They were out there in the rain early, waiting for him. I'm sure the air was lifted out of that balloon ... it was unfortunate.'' Couples feels fortunate to be back at Riviera, playing in a tournament he loves. ``A lot of times, I've come here not playing well and ended up having a great week and going on to Florida or somewhere else and continuing it. So a lot of good things happen here.'' Dave Shelburne, (818) 713-3609 dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1) Rory Sabbatini held on to the Nissan Open lead by shooting a 67 - including five birdies - Saturday at Riviera Country Club. (2) Fred Couples shot a 65 Saturday to remain within striking distance of winning his third Nissan Open. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer (3) no caption (Tiger Woods) Box: (1) NISSAN OPEN (2) From the FRINGE |
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