POTOMAC - Wherever Bob May has been since leaving Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., after the 2000 PGA Championship, he has heard the same words of encouragement.
That happens when you nearly beat Tiger Woods in a major championship, then wind up losing in a three-hole playoff by one stroke. There were more kind words during yesterday's third round of the Kemper Insurance Open at Avenel.
"I think they root for me because of what happened at Valhalla," May said after a 2-under-par 69 put him at 9-under 204 and one shot behind co-leaders Bob Estes and Bob Burns. "I heard a few say today, 'It's your turn.' "
May, 33, is hoping they are right. He even came close to winning his first PGA Tour event shortly thereafter, but missed out on a playoff by a stroke and settled for third.
Since then, May's career has been interrupted by back problems that forced him to miss months at a time. As recently as last month's Houston Open, May had to withdraw after two holes on Sunday when his back acted up.
"It's frustrating because you don't know when it's going to happen," he said.
Today, May is hoping that he can revive some of the dramatics from his riveting match with Woods, when he lost to the world's best player after 21 holes.
"It's nice to know that when you get in pressure situations, you could rely on everything you've practiced," May said. "I've done it before in a situation when there was more pressure on me."
May has spent this season traveling in a 40-foot motor home with his wife, Brenda, and their two young children. A victory today - worth $648,000 - could make for a number of home improvements.
"Maybe I'll buy a 45-footer," he joked.
High-five?
Justin Leonard's name popped up on the leader board yesterday, just as it did here five years ago. Back then, Leonard came from five strokes behind in the final round to beat a stumbling Mark Wiebe by a shot.
It was the same way he had won his first PGA Tour event, the 1996 Buick Open, and the same would win the British Open at Royal Troon a couple of months after the Kemper. Ditto for The Players' Championship Leonard, who'll turn 30 in a couple of weeks, won't have to make up that large a deficit in the final round of this year's Kemper at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel. A 4-under 67 yesterday put Leonard at 7 under.
"A lot depends on how many guys are in front of me and how many strokes I have to make up," Leonard said before those above him on the leader board had finished the round. "If the leader is at 14 under, that wouldn't be so good."
As it turned out, Leonard is only three shots behind. A slightly bigger obstacle is the fact that he'll have to leapfrog over eight players to win for the second time this year and the eighth time in his career.
Leonard's victory last month at the WorldCom Classic Heritage of Golf on Hilton Head, S.C., was the earliest he has ever won in a season. He came into Avenel ranked 14th on the PGA Tour money list and 26th in the world rankings.
It was also his first victory as a married man.
"It was fun to share that with my wife," said Leonard, who was married in February. "There was the usual boost of confidence. April is very early in the year for me to win, so that was good. It just kind of reinforced the things I've been doing."