Janzen Playing Tinker Ball

By THOMAS BONK

Aug. 16, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Lee Janzen tinkered with his game last week, following the technical trail, as golfers love to do.

He flipped on the computer and learned that he needed a tune-up, which would correct his club-head position, his knee alignment and body motion, and would help him keep his grip on the same plane as his club head. Of course. Nothing could be more vital.

Janzen’s mechanics this time around were much more complicated than the single coaching tip he needed on his way to winning the 1993 U.S. Open.

“Breathe,” Janzen told himself then.

Whatever he did Friday, it worked, and he claimed the second-round lead in the PGA Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club. The 32-year-old from Orlando, Fla., turned in a three-under-par 67 for a total of 136, good for a one-shot lead over Davis Love III.

Janzen birdied five holes in an eight-hole stretch to move in front at suddenly stubborn Winged Foot, then survived bogeys on the last two holes to stay a step ahead of the pack.

And he didn’t feel all that bad about dropping two shots at the end.

“I’m still on top of the leaderboard,” he said.

Yes, but not by much.

Love’s 71 left him alone in second at 137, three under, but there was no shortage of contenders at 138. That’s where Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Fred Couples, Jeff Maggert, Costantino Rocca, Phil Blackmar and Shigeki Maruyama begin play today.

John Daly, who shared the first-round lead with Love, slid to a 73 and is tied at 139 with Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Paul Stankowski, Vijay Singh and Chris Perry.

Tiger Woods, who had a 70, is four shots behind in a group of five at par 140.

All in all, it was sort of a tricky day at Winged Foot, which stepped all over a few players.

Take Loren Roberts, for instance. He made five consecutive birdies, from No. 9 through No. 13, but finished with five bogeys.

Mickelson, after posting his second 69, offered a theory.

“I think it’s kind of evident that you can make some birdies out there,” he said. “But if you also hit a couple of poor shots, the course will eat you up.”

So where’s the condiment table?

Couples recorded a 67, but he thinks Winged Foot may have the last word.

“If you’re in the grass around the greens, you have to be a magician to get the ball close,” he said.

Some did not come close, which means they missed the cut at six-over 146. The list includes defending champion Mark Brooks, Fuzzy Zoeller, Steve Stricker, Ian Woosnam, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tom Watson. Brooks, in fact, became the first player to win a major, then miss the cut in all four majors the next year.

Mickelson begins the third round two shots behind Janzen. It’s not as though he needs binoculars to see the lead--or what has gone on in the first three majors, either.

Woods, Ernie Els and Leonard, none older than 27, have won the majors this year, and Mickelson, who turned 27 in June, hopes his turn is coming soon. Many think he already should have had it.

“Well, I guess you could say it’s added incentive,” Mickelson said. “But these are tournaments I’ve wanted to win for a long time, regardless of who’s won the previous few.

“I mean, obviously, this is the last major championship for seven more months, until the Masters comes around. And that’s a long time to wait. That’s why it’s so important to play well here.”

Couples had the kind of round that would fill a therapist’s notebook. He had an eagle, five birdies, four bogeys and nine pars and really would have been breathing down Janzen’s neck if he hadn’t bogeyed two of the last three holes.

“A little bit of a sour finish,” Couples said.

Maybe, but there was nothing wrong with that hole near the middle, the 11th, where he holed a nine-iron from 140 yards for an eagle.

“It was going straight,” Couples said. “One of the few.”

Couples, who played with Jesper Parnevik, also had holed out from the fairway at the British Open playing in the same group with Parnevik.

“He said, ‘You do that every time we play,’ ” Couples said of Parnevik. “I don’t hole many shots, so any time I can walk off the green picking a ball out of the hole without putting is a plus.”

Winged Foot was much friendlier to the players Thursday, when it was more like Athletes’ Foot. Couples said it was much more difficult Friday because it had become firmer.

Love lost the lead when he double-bogeyed the 16th hole. His three-wood off the tee landed under some trees to the right. Then, instead of chipping the ball back onto the fairway, he tried to reach the green with a one-iron. It didn’t work.

“It just wasn’t very smart,” Love said.

“You’re not going to hit that green with a one-iron from the middle of the fairway. I got a little aggressive, trying to make an easy par. I made an easy double.”

At least it was a textbook double. His one-iron landed between two greenside bunkers. He pitched out with a five-iron and ran the ball into a bunker, then knocked the ball out to 10 feet and two-putted.

As for the leader, Janzen said all his tinkering hadn’t produced any big changes. In fact, Janzen said they amounted to “a smidge.”

Funny, but that’s about the size of his advantage. After 36 holes, he has a one-smidge lead.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

79th PGA Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club

The Leader

Lee Janzen: 69-67--136 -4

* Five birdies in eight holes bolt him to the top of the pack.

Others

Davis Love III: 66-71--137 -3

Justin Leonard: 68-70--138 -2

Phil Blackmar: 70-68--138 -2

Fred Couples: 71-67--138 -2