May’s 68 keeps him in the race

Victoria Sun

Friday, Oct. 15, 1999 | 10:37 a.m.

Before Bob May even stepped off the 7,164-yard par-72 course at the Las Vegas Country Club after his second round at the $2.5 million Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday, a new course record already had been set.

Before the Summerlin resident handed in his scorecard with a 4-under-par 68 scribbled on it, numbers such as 62, 63 and 64 already had been posted.

Those numbers paled in comparison to the 60 Tommy Armour III shot to set the course record.

But May settled for 68.

"I didn't shoot myself in the foot," he said. "It could've been worse.

"I played all right. It's just that I think everyone thinks just because the low scores are there that everything else is unusual."

May, a professional on the European PGA Tour, was granted a sponsor's exemption into the tournament.

When the second round ended, May was in a three-way tie with two-time defending champion Jim Furyk, Frank Lickliter and Jay Don Blake -- just four shots back.

Oddly enough, he shot a 63 the day before at the 7,200-yard, par-72 layout at the Desert Inn Golf Club, considered the toughest of the three courses being used for the LVI. The Tournament Players Club at Summerlin is the host course.

Despite the incredibly low scores, May's 68 really wasn't all that bad.

After bogeying the first hole to start the round, he put together a string of birdies to regain his momentum.

As for the rest of the weekend, May is optimistic.

"It's early still, we've got three rounds to go," he said. "In a five-day tournament, this day was like the first round.

"I'm just going to have fun with it and hopefully continue playing well."

* OOPS: On Monday, U.S. Ryder Cup team member Phil Mickelson inadvertently struck Vijay Singh's regular caddie, Dave Renwick, above the knee on his first drive off the practice range.

Renwick and Singh were a group ahead of Mickelson.

"I saw (John) Daly hit drives 20 yards short so I figured, no problem," said Mickelson, who shot a 63 at the Tournament Players Club on Thursday. "But then the first drive I hit, it hit him above the knee.

"I found out later Daly was hitting a 3-iron. I apologized and sent (Renwick) a couple bottles of wine. Fortunately, Vijay's playing well."

Renwick is unable to caddie for Singh the rest of the tournament. So Singh asked Tony Terry, who used to caddie for Duffy Waldorf, to help him out. "This is pretty special," Terry said.

* HIGH NOTE: Pop music songstress Celine Dion caddied for her husband, Rene Angelil Sara, who was one of the amateurs paired with Mickelson Thursday. Dion says she started taking golf lessons two years ago.

Along with Mickelson, she lists Tiger Woods and her Florida neighbor, Jesper Parnevik, as her favorite golfers.

"It's a new passion," Dion said. "Jesper Parnevik's been giving me some lessons."

Dion could give some lessons of her own in public relations. She graciously signed autographs at every turn and joked with fans.

When asked why she wasn't playing, she quipped with a smile, "I'm playing only two years. I'm still a singer, not a golfer yet."

On New Year's Day, Dion said she will perform at a private show at Caesars Palace, but does not plan on doing a New Year's Eve concert in Las Vegas.

"I love Las Vegas very much," she said of her experience at the LVI. "The weather is fantastic and we're playing with professional people. You can't ask for anything more."