The latest bulletin on Nick Price: His hip is better and he couldn’t be happier.
“I’m elated,” said Price after his Pro-Am team finished with a total of 57. “The hip seems to be good. Thank goodness. I can still feel it but it’s not hurting when I walk and not hurting when I swing.”
Price re-injured his hip last Friday at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, where he missed the cut by one stroke.
Price first felt pain in his hip walking off the 13th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
The pain returned again last Wednesday before the Pro-Am in Memphis.
The defending champion, who is attempting to become the first player since Ralph Gudahl to win three straight Western Opens, has been taking anti-inflammatory medicine since Friday.
His status had been uncertain after he limped through the last four holes. Cog Hill is one of Price’s favorite courses.
Price is the second leading money-winner in Western Open history ($537,121) behind Greg Norman.
“When it was getting sore in Memphis, it affected my right side. I don’t know, it might have been more psychological than anything,” said Price.
“The last three days, I have not done a whole lot. I played nine holes Tuesday and I think if I was going to feel anything, it would have been Tuesday.”
Young whippersnapper: A bevy of touring pros begged to differ with U.S. Amateur champ Tiger Woods, who said Tuesday he thought the greens at Cog Hill’s Dubsdread were too large for it to ever be seriously considered as the site of a U.S. Open should the USGA decide to take the national championship to a public venue for the first time.
“This course should be brought up as a U.S. Open potential,” said Open champ Corey Pavin. “When I first saw the course I thought it was a U.S. Open course the way it looked and felt out there.
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“I mean, you could set this course up, nobody would break par, easily. There’s no doubt in my mind you could set it up so hard you’d have a Winged Foot type score–plus 5–out here with no problem.”
“I could see it here,” said Davis Love III. “Because you stand up on a lot of these tees and you see more area behind you. It’s enough of a golf course, that’s for sure. You have the total package here and I would love to see it here.”
Chick Evans Pro-Am: Vijay Singh’s team won the Chick Evans Memorial Pro-Am Tournament. Singh, along with amateurs Jim Bernhart, Gar Emerson, Bill Esrey and Larry Fuller, shot an aggregate score of 52 in the best-ball tournament.
Other low scores included John Cook’s team, which shot a 54. Bob Tway and Steve Stricker played on teams that shot 55s.
Mark Calcavecchia, Ben Crenshaw and Price all led teams that had scores of 57.
Withdrawal: Rob Boldt’s withdrawal got first alternate Bart Bryant into the 156-man field.