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Another victim Gump title bid drowned by No. 17 Island Green
Posted: Sunday March 28, 1999 09:35 PM
By Matt Hayes
PONTE VEDRA BEACH -- The group ahead was slow and plodding, methodically finishing the unnerving situation that awaited Scott Gump. What does the mind see when this close to winning one of the richest tournaments on the Tour comes down to successfully navigating the Island Green on No. 17? The green that sits 137 yards away, that lies 32 yards wide in the middle of deep blue water at the Stadium Course, may be the most intimidating hole in golf. Scott Gump was worried about club selection standing there on the tee box. "Hit the wrong club," he said. So went Gump's chances of winning the tournament -- dropping and rolling ever so swiftly off the back of the green and into the water. He finished two shots behind winner David Duval, the same two shots he likely lost when his 8-iron nailed the middle of the green and found water. If only he would've hit the 9-iron. "When I got up to the tee, I just didn't feel any wind," Gump said. "At that point, hitting into the water -- I've done that before -- that's not going to be an issue. I wanted to hit a club that I at least had a chance to get to the pin." There was never really any doubt what Gump would hit. The aggressive approach was something he used all week, from a miserable finish on Friday that dropped him off the leaderboard, to the way he played No.17 (2-over) the three previous days before stepping up for the biggest shot of his career. When you're best finish in nine years on the PGA Tour is a second in the 1991 Sprint International, playing it safe doesn't seem like the way to go with $900,000 and a breakthrough victory on the line. Take the 8-iron, choke down on the club and try to cut it on the green. If the ball sticks, Gump could've been playing extra holes with Duval. The green, rock hard and slick all four days this week, wasn't forgiving. "It's definitely nerve-wracking," Gump said. "I wasn't really nervous. When you're playing well, it's a different kind of nervous. You know you can mess up and still do OK." The problem is, this mistake was as costly as any he's had on the Tour. Especially considering the icy play of Duval, who nailed his tee shot at 17 and birdied to go two shots up. If there's any consolation for Gump, he birdied No. 18 to finish runner-up, a stroke ahead of Nick Price and two ahead of Fred Couples and Hal Sutton. Yet even the extra $200,000 may not make him forget about the missed opportunity on No.17. "I knew as soon as I hit it ... I knew it was pretty much in the water," Gump said. "Having the opportunity to be there in the end was great. It just didn't happen."
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