Tuesday, May 29, 2001
Franklin's Lickliter gets first win on PGA Tour
The Associated Press
Frank Lickliter won the trophy and $630,000.
(AP photos)
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POTOMAC, Md. — Franklin's Frank Lickliter shook his head as he stood at the edge of the 18th green. He had blown a chance to win his first PGA Tour event three months ago on the last hole, and it seemed to be happening again.
Then he steadied himself to make the hardest shot in golf. After going bogey-bogey to shrink his three-shot lead to one — and after missing the green with his approach at 18 — he sank an 8-foot putt for par to win the rain-delayed Kemper Insurance Open.
His prize: $630,000.
“I'm delighted. It's not how I wanted to finish. It wasn't pretty. It didn't feel pretty,” Lickliter said. “The putt felt extremely good, though, on the last hole.”
He shot a final-round 68 for a 16-under-par 268, one shot ahead of J.J. Henry.
Lickliter's fiance, Diane Owen (upper right) leads the cheers after the winning putt.
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Lickliter hugs his caddie, Anthony Lingard, ...
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... and kisses Ms. Owen.
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The victory helped ease the memories of Lickliter's tearful loss to Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in February. On the third playoff hole, he followed Mickelson by putting his drive into a canyon, then three-putted from 12 feet for a triple bogey.
On Monday, Lickliter, 31, was emotional again.
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LICKLITER FILE
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• Born: Middletown (July 28, 1969)
• Residence: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
• Height/weight: 6-1, 200 pounds
• High School: Franklin
• College: Wright State
• Family: Fiancee, Diane Owen
• Turned pro: 1991
• Pro victories: PGA Tour (1): 2001 Kemper Insurance Open; Buy.com Tour (1): 1995 Boise Open.
• Career turning point: After he missed qualifying for PGA Tour in 1993, took four months off and reconstructed his swing with former PGA Tour player Mike McGee and the late Mike Morris, both of Middletown.
• Special interests: Fishing, hunting, off-road discovering in his Hummer.
• Fun fact: One of his biggest thrills in golf was making a double eagle while playing with former Reds third baseman Chris Sabo in a pro-am at Beckett Ridge.
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“It took me longer than I thought to get a win,” said Lickliter, victorious in his 168th start as a professional on the tour. “It's awesome. It looks like I'll be playing here the next 20 years. Torrey Pines was a good experience for me. They're all learning experiences. Some of them aren't fun, but this one was.”
Lickliter and Henry were the overnight co-leaders at 16-under after storms suspended play Sunday evening, but Lickliter pulled away Monday morning with birdies at the 12th and 14th holes, while Henry lost a shot at 16. Then Lickliter, who claims seldom to look at the scoreboard, decided to ask his caddie how things were going. The caddie informed Lickliter he had a three-stroke lead with three to play.
Right on cue, the collapse started. Lickliter missed the green out of the rough at 16 and bogeyed, missed a 4-foot putt for par at 17 to drop another shot, then put his 7-iron approach in the rough to the left of the 18th green and chipped to set up the final pressure putt.
“Just get totally back into the moment,” Lickliter said of how he finally controlled his nerves. “And, for some reason, I did it extremely well right there. Even after everything that had happened the last half-hour, I had no thoughts except reading the putt and making it.”
Lickliter becomes the third consecutive first-time tour winner at the Kemper.
Lickliter was already enjoying his best year on the tour. The victory moves him from 27th to eighth on the money list and gives him five top-10 finishes for the year.
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