Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.
There were two reasons to approach Rory Sabbatini as he hit balls on the range at the TPC at Summerlin on Tuesday.
Foremost, Sabbatini tied for second in last year's Invensys Classic at Las Vegas and as a University of Arizona alum he's obviously an accomplished desert golfer who has to be seen as a contender as this year's tournament begins today.
But just as intriguing were his reactions to the shots he was hitting. It may have only been a practice session, but Sabbatini was expressive and exasperated as he tried to find an elusive groove.
He flipped clubs and banged them, although not so vindicatively as to cause any serious damage.
"I just can't do it today," he said to his caddy at one point, dropping into a crouch as he quietly contemplated his misfortune.
Equipment reps wandered by, asking him a few questions and checking the specs of his clubs in their personal record books. A long hitter but an errant one this year, Sabbatini lightened the mood with an amusing tale of his blackjack losses the night before.
Later, heading for the first tee, he put his range trials in perspective.
"I'm just struggling a little bit right now," said the native of South Africa, a British accent very apparent. "It's minor, overall.
"Things were bugging me today, but stuff like that comes and goes. My tempo is a little off but I don't think it's going to have a major effect on how I'm going to play.
"I'll just keep trying to tweak things until I get it right."
Sabbatini, 26, is ranked No. 91 in the world and is the 79th leading money winner on the 2002 PGA Tour (with $731,776). But the long ball he hits hasn't been as straight as he'd like, as he ranks No. 192 in driving accuracy, No. 136 in total driving and No. 91 in greens in regulation.
Add in a No. 174 ranking for putting average and this hasn't been as successful of a season as he would have hoped for or logically expected.
"That's the game of golf for you," he rationalized. "Things never quite work as well as you want them to."
Sabbatini has one victory on the tour, coming at the 2000 Air Canada Championship. In addition to finishing in a tie for second at Las Vegas last year, he also had a second at the influential Mercedes Championship that opened the 2001 season.
Those achievements allowed him to win just over $1 million last year and finish No. 52 on the money list.
This year he has three top-10 finishes but nothing, yet at least, to rival the close calls he had a year ago.
In the 2001 Invensys Classic, Sabbatini opened with a 64 that had him just a shot off the lead and tacked on rounds of 67, 72, 63 and 64 to finish in a tie for second with Tom Lehman, one shot back of eventual champion Bob Estes.
"I played real good here over the weekend," Sabbatini recalls. "I made a lot of putts coming in and finished well."
With Estes already in the clubhouse, Sabbatini (and, later, Lehman) had a chance to tie for the lead. But a 30-foot birdie try on the final hole slid left and he was limited to a runner-up's status.
"I'm used to these desert courses," he said, adding that he feels he can handle any of the three layouts the tournament employs.
"Each of these courses have their own uniqueness," he said. "But they're similar if you can keep the ball in play."
And, he believed, with the right tweaking he could keep the ball in play and contend here once again.
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