PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. — PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Jesper Parnevik came into the 100th U.S.Open given a legitimate chance to win his first major championship.
But that was before his hip locked, his drives hooked and Parnevik missed the cut for the first time in four Open appearances.
"I'm very frustrated because I felt so good coming into this week," Parnevik said after finishing his second round with a 9-over 80 for a 36-hole total of 11-over-par 153. "You know I really thought I had a good chance this week. But I just couldn't play."
Parnevik, who had won twice on the PGA Tour this year, said that his hip began hurting on Monday. He thought about pulling out yesterday morning, but was unable to get a flight back to his home in Florida.
The result?
Parnevik had his worst tournament of the year. The only other time Parnevik had missed a cut this year was at The Players Championship, where he shot rounds of 78 and 73.
"I hit some unbelievable shots that I've never seen me hit before," he said.
Two of them came on the par-5 18th hole. His approach was headed for Stillwater Cove when his ball hit the rocks, took a sharp right turn and bounced on and over the green. It settled in some heavy rough behind the green and he completely missed his chip shot.
"Yesterday I chipped and putted like a god to keep it at 2-over," said Parnevik. "So when that disappeared today, I pretty much knew I had no chance."
Fischer makes hole-in-one
It was an interesting morning for Todd Fischer. A 30-year-old mini-tour player from Pleasanton, Calif., who once lost in a playoff at the Pebble Beach Invitational to Bruce Fleisher, Fischer made the 29th hole-in-one in Open history with his first swing after resuming the second round. It came with a sand wedge on the seventh hole.
It didn't help. He later bogeyed the final hole to miss the cut by one shot.
Angel Cabrera of Argentina had a different kind of hole-in-one yesterday. His tee shot on the par-3 12th hole landed on a bounce in a trash can to the right of the hole. He was allowed a free drop and he wound up with a bogey-4.
Or was it?
"Three points!" said Cabrera, who fell out of contention with a 5-over-par 76 in the second round.
Goosen's quick round
Proving that it doesn't need to take five or more hours to finish a round in the Open, Retief Goosen of South Africa played the third round in about three hours. It helped that Goosen, who was the last player to make the cut at 7-over 149, also played by himself yesterday afternoon.
"It was nice," he said. "I think the crowd was very supportive considering I was the first one out there. They were sitting in the stands for hours waiting for something to happen."
Asked if he could have used a marker, Goosen said, "I decided to play by myself. Get it over and done with. Go lie on the beach or something."
Clampett falters
Bobby Clampett, who climbed on the leader board with an opening-round 68, proved to be another one-round wonder at the Open. The 40-year-old CBS golf analyst, playing in his first Open since 1986, finished his second round yesterday morning with a 6-over par 77.'The first day was one of those magical days," said Clampett, who shot a 76 in the third round in the afternoon. 'Today it was just very hard to get into a rhythm. When it took 2 1/2 hours to play the first five holes, mentally it just took a lot out of me. "
Friendly shot
Rick Stimmel, a 32-year-old club pro from outside Pittsburgh, showed an interesting way to connect with his girlfriend on Friday. On the par-3 fifth hole, Stimmel's tee shot with a 6-iron struck her in the thigh. Stimmel said later that she was stunned, but not ready to call off their relationship.
"What's the chances of that happening," said Stimmel, who missed the cut with rounds of 76 and 83 in his first Open.
A far drive
What some people will do to get into the Open. Elizabeth David, a 38-year-old recreational golfer, drove 3,000 miles in five days from Montreal, where she works as a general manager of a restaurant. She came here without any tickets or a place to stay.
"I was very optimistic all the way out here that I would be able to rent a room in somebody's house," said David. "But when I got out here and saw the prices, I thought, 'It's the U.S. Open. What was I thinking?' "
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, David got into the Open by getting a job as spotter on the ninth hole for ESPN. She rented rooms for a couple of nights at different hotels, then got room in a hotel in Carmel when someone canceled a three-night reservation.
Next year should be easier in one way. At least it will be a little closer. The 101st Open will be played at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla.