Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 19, 1990 TAG: 9003192562
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PONTE VEDRA, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
"Hello there, Mr. Second Place," Sheryl Calcavecchia said in answering the telephone.
It was not a snide comment, nor was it derogatory in any fashion. It was, in fact, more in the way of congratulation for Mark's third consecutive runner-up finish and fourth of the young season.
"I'm a little disappointed, but I'm proud of myself, too. And she's proud of me, too," said defending British Open champion who went to the top of the year's money list with $551,040.
"Three seconds in a row and 551 [thousand dollars] by March 18 is not too bad," said Calcavecchia.
"I'm taking two weeks off. I'll be sitting on my couch watching on TV while the guys hit it in the water at Bay Hill next week," he said.
That's the situation he was hoping to see over the difficult closing holes on the TPC at Sawgrass. He needed a mistake from the front-runner.
Mudd would not oblige.
He kept reeling off the pars that became more and more valuable as the holes went by.
When Calcavecchia cut the lead to a stroke, Mudd responded with a birdie on the 17th, a nine-iron shot to within six feet of the flag on the island green that created such havoc earlier in the day.
The 29-year-old Mudd - who led over all the 32 holes he played over an 11-hour period - was at his best when he had to be.
The birdie on the 17th restored him to a two-shot lead with one hole to play.
"It kept me going," Mudd said.
He opened the door just a crack when he drove into trouble in the right rough of the 18th. He was partially blocked by a tree, had the ball well above his feet in a hook stance and had water on the left.
He played an excellent 5-iron second shot around the tree and short of the green, chipped on and two-putted from 15 feet for the bogey that became good enough when Calcavecchia failed on a 25-foot putt that would have tied it.
Mudd finished with a 3-under-par 69 and a 278 total, 10-under-par. He earned $270,000 from the purse of $1.5 million for the most important of his three career victories.
Calcavecchia won $162,000 with a last-round 69 and a 279 total.
Steve Jones and Tom Purtzer shared third at 284 and each had a closing 69.
Defending champion Tom Kite tied for fifth at 285 with Hale Irwin, Ken Green and Billy Ray Brown.
Rookie Robert Gamez and Tom Watson were among the leaders at Sunday's start, but each took himself out of the title hunt with incredible misadventures.
Gamez was making a run at the leaders until he hit four shots into the water on the 132-yard 17th hole and took an 11. He went from 4-under-par to 4-over-par on that hole and finished with a third-round 79.
Watson played the 16th and 17th with scores of 8 and 8. He got two shots in the water on each hole and finished with an 81.
by CNB