Pate's biggest problems come from outside the ropes
By Mark Soltau
SportsLine Senior Writer
First, he crashed his car into a slow-moving truck driving 75 mph on the way home from the Phoenix Open. Pate, a former UCLA All-American, fractured his right wrist and broke his hand.
Next, he did a Chevy Chase impersonation, tripping and falling on a dock during a family vacation and broke his left wrist. During the rehab, he was broadsided by a deer while riding his bicycle in his driveway. Of course, the deer was being chased by his dog, but Pate got the worst of it, delaying his recovery.
Then, there was the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, S.C. Pate bruised his hip on the way to a banquet when his limo driver was involved in an accident and played in only one match.
He might be better off walking to Augusta National Sunday, where Pate starts the final round of the Masters two strokes behind leader José Maria Olazábal. Should he arrive in one piece, there's a good possibility he'll be wearing a green jacket by the end of the day.
"I believe in taking chances,'' said Pate.
Nicknamed "volcano'' for his occasional temper tantrums, the 37-year-old Pate lit up the course Saturday for a 7-under-par 65, the low round of the week. He did it by reeling off a tournament-record seven consecutive birdies from the seventh through 13th holes.
Appropriately, he wears "Team Tabasco'' ads on his shirts.
"I have no explanation for what happened out there,'' said Pate, who had managed only four birdies the previous two days. "I'm always in the zone. Sometimes it happens quickly.''
When healthy, Pate has been a force on the PGA Tour, winning six times, most recently at last year's CVS Charity Classic. The accident-prone Pate has calmed down after the close call with the truck and seldom throws clubs any more.
He had his best year in 1998, finishing 39th on the money list with $780,000. Which makes you wonder what he could have done had he remained upright.
Pate is a streaky player and has been on birdie-binges before. He's strong, aggressive and doesn't back off.
"The way I play is usually par the course to death during the week and have one or two stretches where I make seven birdies in 10 holes,'' said Pate.
As his psychology degree suggests, Pate is a little different. He wears Hawaiian shirts on the golf course, chews tobacco, and has a dry sense of humor. That was obvious when asked if his gallery grew during the middle of his round Saturday.
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| Pate has a history of off-course disasters. (Allsport) |
"A lot of people started appearing out of the trees like Big Foot," he said.
Pate gave them a show. He birdied the seventh hole with an eight-foot putt; the eighth with a 20-footer; the ninth from a foot; the 10th from 50 feet; the 11th from 20 feet; the 12th from a foot; and the 13th from seven feet.
The birdie at 13 produced a Jack Nicklaus-like roar from the crowd.
"That's usually for somebody else,'' said Pate. "I figured Nicklaus wasn't here .. somebody had to do it.''
Pate wasn't aware of the birdie record, but had a feeling seven was pretty close. After his putt fell at No. 13, playing partner Lee Westwood of England fanned him with his hands to cool him off.
"I figured he caught fire," said Westwood, who fed off the run with a tournament-best 68.
When Pate walked from the 13th green to the 14th tee, he was accorded a standing ovation by the fans. Pate tipped the brim of his hat and smiled.
"I told him on the 14th tee to enjoy it because it was something special,'' said Allan Mellan, his caddie. "I think he did.''
At the par-4 14th, Pate thought he knocked down the flag with his approach shot, but the ball didn't back up and he was left with a treacherous 20-foot downhill putt from the back fringe and was fortunate to two-putt.
Mellan wasn't surprised by the outburst. He said Pate has been playing well for more than a year and felt no pressure because of the early start.
"He's pretty laid back,'' Mellan said. "He just kind of goes out there and does his job.''
After signing his scorecard, Pate chatted with media behind the 18th green and showed little emotion. He seemed more excited about going home and collapsing on his couch to watch the leaders finish on television, curious to see how they would handle the sun-baked greens.
"I've done a lot of amazing things in 15 years,'' Pate said of his career, "some good, some bad.''
Don't be surprised if Pate wins. Although this is only his sixth appearance at Augusta, his track record is good, especially on Sunday. He tied for third in 1991 -- his best finish in a major championship, closing with a 65, and tied for sixth in 1992, shooting 67.
"I've always thought this was my best chance to win a major," he said.
The key is making it to the course.
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