By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DUBLIN, Ohio - With his beloved Reds in first place, Steve Flesch would love to duplicate their performance and win the Jack Nicklaus Tournament, er, the Memorial, for his second victory this season. The 29th Memorial begins with Thursday's first round.

Flesch, 37, a left-hander from Northern Kentucky, won the Ben Hogan, er, Colonial two weeks ago in Fort Worth, Texas, then took last week off to relax at home in Union. He drove up here fresh and ready to go Tuesday. He didn't play much golf during the break.

"I played six holes (Monday), the first golf I've played since winning the Colonial," he said. "Most of the week, I was getting the pool ready. I'm the pool man around the house. It took me two-and-a-half days to get that cleared out."

Flesch likes a break now and then. He deserves it, now that he's gotten the monkey off his shoulders, winning his first PGA Tour tournament last year in a playoff (at New Orleans) and then proving two weeks ago that he was no one-time wonder.

"To me, New Orleans was nice to just get the first one off my back," Flesch said, "but more than anything, last week at Colonial I was in the mix the whole week and knowing Sunday I had a chance going in, winning was more of a validation."

Flesch is at the lead of the lefty brigade this week. The more celebrated southpaws - Phil Mickelson, winner of this year's Masters, and Mike Weir, winner of last year's, are not playing here.

"It's nice that I've been considered as part of the strong left-handed contingent that's been out here," Flesch said. "I was asked last week, Why are all the lefties all of a sudden playing well? My answer was, I think we're simply getting better.

"Phil has made big strides in his game; Mike has always been solid, and I'm just learning as I go. If I can figure out how to keep myself under control, then I'll play better. The longer I'm out here, the more comfortable I am."

Dublin is a home away from home for Flesch. As a youngster, he came here with his dad to get his annual taste of tour golf in the late 1970s and early '80s.

"I tried to emulate how (Tom) Watson putted and how Nicklaus hit it," Flesch said. "I had my right heel off the ground at the top of my swing like Nicklaus does, and I try and keep that nice, crisp finish like Watson always had."

Nicklaus won here in 1977 and '84. Watson won in 1979 and '96.

Like Mickelson, Flesch wasn't always a left-handed golfer. Flesch started out as a righty but soon switched to the left side because it felt more natural. He also throws left-handed.

Which begs the question: Could he get out a left-handed hitter in baseball? The Reds need somebody who can do that. Actually, Flesch would make a heck of a situational lefty, but he already has a situation he'd love to solve.

Winning here would be huge for Flesch, not only because it's Nicklaus' tournament and is regarded in that upper tier of championships just behind the four majors, but because it would be another step toward making the Ryder Cup team. Flesch is in ninth place for one of the 10 automatic spots, with an additional two players getting in as Captain's Choices.

"That's something I think everybody out here on Tour dreams of," Flesch said. "From what I've heard (from fellow Tour players who've played in the Ryder Cup), it's just an experience that you can't really put into words. The camaraderie, how neat it is. It's something I'd love to be a part of."

Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton left a note in Flesch's locker on the morning of the final round at Colonial. The note read: "We want you on the winning Ryder Cup team. The word 'winning' was underlined," Flesch noted.

"That was inspiration to me."

The Memorial

When: Thursday-Sunday.

Where: Muirfield Village Golf Cub (7,224 yards, par 72), Dublin, Ohio.

Format: 72 holes (stroke play).

Purse: $5M ($900,000 winner).

Defending champ: Kenny Perry.

Field: 105 players invited (cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes).

TV: Thursday and Friday (4-7 p.m., ESPN); Saturday and Sunday (3-6 p.m., Ch. 12, 7).

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E-mail jerardi@enquirer.com