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Hopes Quickly Fade

Published: May 12, 2008

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The day's extreme wind conditions warning came early for Phil Mickelson when the defending champ's visor blew off his head and into water on the opening hole.

Mickelson went to a replacement lid, opting for a cap that he pulled down hard, but was still left to shake his head after missing a 3-foot putt on the first green and taking double-bogey.

Lurking five shots out of the lead, he was hoping to become the tournament's first back-to-back winner but was never a threat. He shot a final-round 78 and finished 4 over and nine shots back.

"I didn't get off to a great start, so I was fighting," Mickelson said.

"I think that you start feeling pretty good when putts go in. You start getting a bit more energy. But that didn't quite happen. I struggled."

HOLMES' ADVENTURES

J.B. Holmes was at it again Sunday.

After playing his final nine holes Saturday with only one par on the way to shooting 71, J.B. Holmes played 10 holes Sunday - at 1 over - before making his first par.

He finished with six pars, five birdies, six bogeys and one double for a 75.

STILL SUNNY

Through the good and bad on the course, Paul Goydos ambled on, his expression rarely changing from an emotion-less stare. Thus, the somewhat cynical nickname he has been given by fellow players: Sunshine.

Goydos, however, is a much deeper thinker than first glance would suggest.

"Appearance is one thing," he said. "I don't shake outside, very much anyway, but inside, yeah."

TOUGH FINISH

No. 18 played more difficult than three par 5s. Playing into wind, the 462-yard par-4 produced a stroke average of 4.838 for the day.

There were four birdies Sunday, with 35 bogeys, 10 doubles and three triples or higher, including a 9 by Richard Sterne.

GIVE AND TAKE

The wind giveth and the wind taketh away.

The nasty breezes that tormented Sunday's field was harder on some players than others.

It was so bad on Boo Weekley it cost him stroke without even swinging a club.

On the eighth green preparing to putt for birdie, Weekley addressed his ball and was stunned to see it begin rolling about 2 feet as a result of a wind gust.

Because Weekley had grounded his putter, it was a one-shot penalty and resulted in bogey.

On the flipside, Nicholas Thompson was about to mark his ball on the 17th green about 20 feet from the cup, but just before he put a coin to the ground, a gust nudged the ball forward, causing it to catch a slope and roll within 5 feet.

Thompson jumped back and raised his arms in celebration as the ball moved toward the hole. He made birdie.

NO. 17

The final tally at No. 17 was 62 players hitting 65 balls into the water for the week. On Sunday, 16 balls went into lake during regulation and one more in the playoff.

Stroke-wise, the 135-yard hole never played more difficult than Sunday, producing a stroke average of 3.302.