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Rollins hopes to get credit with back-to-back Canadian Open titles
Hamilton, Sep 03: If John Rollins goes on to become the first player since Jim Ferrier in 1951 to win back-to-back Canadian Open titles, maybe this time his story will finally be told.
Hamilton, Sep 03: If John Rollins goes on to become the first player since Jim Ferrier in 1951 to win back-to-back Canadian Open titles, maybe this time his story will finally be told.
When the 28-year-old from Richmond, Va., came from behind to win last year's Bell Canadian Open at Angus Glen north of Toronto, the story centered on Neal Lancaster's improbable double bogey on the 18th hole which forced a playoff with Justin Leonard and Rollins -- who birdied the first extra hole to win.
Rollins knows how Paul Lawrie feels. Lawrie may have won the 1999 British Open, but people only remember Jean Van de Velde's shocking collapse on the last hole.
"All the articles after the tournament seemed to focus on Neal Lancaster making double (bogey) to let Justin and myself in a playoff," Rollins said Tuesday at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. "It was a little disappointing considering I had shot 66 and 65 on the weekend to even put myself in that position.
"It was a little frustrating to read that, that everybody's focus and attention was on him doing that."
Rollins is having a solid season, 31st on the money list with $1.45 million, including a second-place finish at the Buick Classic.
"I play golf for a living," Rollins said. "This is what I do, this is my office. I've always been the kind of person that once I get on the golf course, I focus on the task at hand.
"When I get off the golf course I deal with things the way I feel I need to deal with them."
Rollins, 51st in the world rankings, is as big a name as many in this week's field of 156 players at the $4.2 million event. Vijay Singh, Canadian star Mike Weir and Adam Scott, Monday's winner of the inaugural Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, are the only players ranked in the top 20 in the world here this week.
There were fears that Scott might withdraw after winning his first career PGA tournament, but the rising Australian star did not.
"I talked to him last night and he told me he was coming," Canadian Open tournament director Bill Paul said Tuesday.
Still, the Royal Canadian Golf Association could not have been pleased when Leonard and David Toms pulled out last Friday, removing two top-20 PGA stars from the field.
"I'm as positive about the Open today as I was last week," RCGA executive director Stephen Ross said Tuesday. "Our job is to present the best golf tournament on the best golf courses with a competitive purse and you know what? We do the best job we can. And I hope we're judged accordingly."
Luckily for the RCGA, Weir's superstar status in Canada will help sugarcoat the absence of Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia among others. Weir is expected to be followed by Tiger-like galleries this week as he attempts to become the first Canadian citizen since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win this event.
This year's field isn't really any worse than any other year. Even when Woods won at Glen Abbey in 2000, the field wasn't that great. The timing of the event is simply too late in the season for many players, who have already made enough money.
And truth be told, this week's field is better than many run-of-the-mill Tour stops. There are other factors this year, such as the SARS scare in the Toronto area, as well as the Deutsche Bank event ending on a Monday, discouraging some players from making the quick turnaround for this week's event. But Rollins didn't think SARS was much of a factor.
"I never heard anybody say they weren't coming because of that," Rollins said. "Some guys would joke about it but no one came up to me personally and say they weren't coming because of that."
It was hoped the golf course itself would attract more big names. The Hamilton Golf & Country Club, which last hosted the Canadian Open in 1930, is an old-style layout with tight fairways and deep rough. The par-70, 6,982-yard course is short by today's PGA standards, but most of the holes will force players to keep their drivers in their bags because of the narrow landing areas and four-inch rough.
"It's an old, traditional golf course which is what I love," said Rollins. "I know a lot of players out here, we enjoy playing these types of golf courses. We don't get to play many of them anymore.
"Everybody nowadays are building these big 7,500-yard courses with big greens and big bunkers. I'm looking forward to this week."
And as Rollins eventually found out after his victory last year, there's a lot at stake. The winner of the Canadian Open gets an automatic entry into the British Open.
"When the application for the British Open came to me in the mail I was looking through it and I saw one category all to itself: 'Canadian Open winner for 2002.' I said: 'All right, I better send this application in,"' Rollins said. "Really until that point, people kept telling me that I got in but I didn't believe them."
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When the 28-year-old from Richmond, Va., came from behind to win last year's Bell Canadian Open at Angus Glen north of Toronto, the story centered on Neal Lancaster's improbable double bogey on the 18th hole which forced a playoff with Justin Leonard and Rollins -- who birdied the first extra hole to win.
Rollins knows how Paul Lawrie feels. Lawrie may have won the 1999 British Open, but people only remember Jean Van de Velde's shocking collapse on the last hole.
"All the articles after the tournament seemed to focus on Neal Lancaster making double (bogey) to let Justin and myself in a playoff," Rollins said Tuesday at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. "It was a little disappointing considering I had shot 66 and 65 on the weekend to even put myself in that position.
"It was a little frustrating to read that, that everybody's focus and attention was on him doing that."
Rollins is having a solid season, 31st on the money list with $1.45 million, including a second-place finish at the Buick Classic.
"I play golf for a living," Rollins said. "This is what I do, this is my office. I've always been the kind of person that once I get on the golf course, I focus on the task at hand.
"When I get off the golf course I deal with things the way I feel I need to deal with them."
Rollins, 51st in the world rankings, is as big a name as many in this week's field of 156 players at the $4.2 million event. Vijay Singh, Canadian star Mike Weir and Adam Scott, Monday's winner of the inaugural Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, are the only players ranked in the top 20 in the world here this week.
There were fears that Scott might withdraw after winning his first career PGA tournament, but the rising Australian star did not.
"I talked to him last night and he told me he was coming," Canadian Open tournament director Bill Paul said Tuesday.
Still, the Royal Canadian Golf Association could not have been pleased when Leonard and David Toms pulled out last Friday, removing two top-20 PGA stars from the field.
"I'm as positive about the Open today as I was last week," RCGA executive director Stephen Ross said Tuesday. "Our job is to present the best golf tournament on the best golf courses with a competitive purse and you know what? We do the best job we can. And I hope we're judged accordingly."
Luckily for the RCGA, Weir's superstar status in Canada will help sugarcoat the absence of Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia among others. Weir is expected to be followed by Tiger-like galleries this week as he attempts to become the first Canadian citizen since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win this event.
This year's field isn't really any worse than any other year. Even when Woods won at Glen Abbey in 2000, the field wasn't that great. The timing of the event is simply too late in the season for many players, who have already made enough money.
And truth be told, this week's field is better than many run-of-the-mill Tour stops. There are other factors this year, such as the SARS scare in the Toronto area, as well as the Deutsche Bank event ending on a Monday, discouraging some players from making the quick turnaround for this week's event. But Rollins didn't think SARS was much of a factor.
"I never heard anybody say they weren't coming because of that," Rollins said. "Some guys would joke about it but no one came up to me personally and say they weren't coming because of that."
It was hoped the golf course itself would attract more big names. The Hamilton Golf & Country Club, which last hosted the Canadian Open in 1930, is an old-style layout with tight fairways and deep rough. The par-70, 6,982-yard course is short by today's PGA standards, but most of the holes will force players to keep their drivers in their bags because of the narrow landing areas and four-inch rough.
"It's an old, traditional golf course which is what I love," said Rollins. "I know a lot of players out here, we enjoy playing these types of golf courses. We don't get to play many of them anymore.
"Everybody nowadays are building these big 7,500-yard courses with big greens and big bunkers. I'm looking forward to this week."
And as Rollins eventually found out after his victory last year, there's a lot at stake. The winner of the Canadian Open gets an automatic entry into the British Open.
"When the application for the British Open came to me in the mail I was looking through it and I saw one category all to itself: 'Canadian Open winner for 2002.' I said: 'All right, I better send this application in,"' Rollins said. "Really until that point, people kept telling me that I got in but I didn't believe them."
Bureau Report