Love's aim is true

Golf Digest, June, 1999

What we think: Pinehurst No. 2 is all about hitting greens-or missing 'em in the right place. The Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal is among the favorites, but we like long-iron master Davis Love III. He has local knowledge (he attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, an hour away), and fond memories (he won the North & South Amateur at No. 2 in 1984). The 1997 PGA Championship was Love's first major victory. He's ready for another.

Watch out, too, for good showings from the men who finished first and second at the 1992 Tour Championship at Pinehurst-a resurgent Paul Azinger, and defending U.S. Open champ Lee Janzen, the quintessential Open player.

What others think: We worked the range recently for other opinions.

* Lee Janzen: (winner in 1993 and '98): "You have to have an extremely good touch around the greens. O'Meara will do well and Tom Lehman should also."

* Payne Stewart (winner in 1991): "I don't have a favorite besides myself. The Open favors people who manage themselves and realize par is a good score."

* Steve Jones (winner in 1996): "Guys like Jeff Maggert, Larry Mize and Fred Funk could win, guys who hit it straight and just say, 'I'm going to hit greens.' You can't discount Duval and Woods."

* Ernie Els (winner in 1994 and '97): "I haven't played Pinehurst, but I hear it's different from your typical Open course. Guys who have played there before have an advantage. U.S. Open courses favor shotmakers-maybe a European could do well. You have to hit fades and hooks."

* Craig Stadler (winner of Tour Championship at Pinehurst in 1991): "The greens are hard-you don't want to miss them. Duval should play well there. You have to hit the ball high, and he does."

* John Cook: "I like Nick Price to do well because he has pinpoint accuracy with his irons and controls his ball flight well. Distance control is also a key."

* Jay Haas: "You need to drive well, but it's not a brutally long course. Someone like Justin [Leonard] controls his ball and you need to do that. He's also a great thinker and manager of his game."

Flashback to 1998 at Olympic:

1. Lee Janzen73-66-73-68-280

2. Payne Stewart66-71-70-74-281

3. Bob Tway68-70-73-73-284

4. Nick Price73-68-71-73-285

T5. Tom Lehman68-75-68-75-286

T5. Steve Stricker73-71-69-73-286