BETHESDA, Md. – Stuart Appleby, the 54-hole leader of Tiger Woods’ AT&T National at Congressional, had been eating up the front nine all week entering yesterday’s final round.
In the final round, it swallowed him whole and by the time it spit him out, he was out of the tournament.
Appleby was 9-under-par on the front nine and even par on the back through three rounds. He entered yesterday having won four of the six tournaments in which he entered the final round with the lead.
So few would have predicted his front-nine meltdown yesterday as he went out in an alarming 6-over-par through the first seven holes and made the turn in 40. He finished the tournament tied for third at 3-under-par after shooting 76.
“It was unfortunate to see him struggle in the beginning,” winner K.J Choi, who played with Appleby, said.
For Appleby, it was his second failure to close out a victory with the 54-hole lead this year, having done it at the Masters.
Appleby entered yesterday ranked 151st on the PGA Tour in final-round scoring average.
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Several players, including runner-up Steve Stricker, left bitter about not winning.
Stricker, who hasn’t won since 2001, is coming off a couple of near-misses. As he made the turn, he had a great chance to win the U.S. Open last month at Oakmont before double bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 doomed his chances and left him with a final-round 76 and in a tie for 13th.
At the Wachovia in May, he played the back nine at Quail Hollow with a real chance to win and finished with a disappointing 69 and runner-up to Woods.
“It was a great experience, but not the result I wanted,” said Stricker, who hasn’t won since 2001. “I’ll gain confidence from this, but I hope one of these times I finish it off.”
Mike Weir, asked if the top-5 finish was positive, said, “I’m not happy with the way it turned out at all. I had a great chance to win.”
Weir, who finished at 1-under, had bogeys on 13, 14 and 15 and doubled 18.