Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008

Boeing Classic notebook

Simpson falls apart down the stretch

The second-round leader loses five strokes to eventual winner Tom Kite between holes Nos. 8 through 16 en route to a second-place finish.

By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer

 SNOQUALMIE -- For two rounds and nearly half of a third round, Scott Simpson did just about everything right at the Boeing Classic.

The 52-year-old Simpson played the first 43 holes with 13 birdies and 30 pars -- no bogeys or worse. At that point he was seven holes into Sunday's final round, and he had a three-stroke lead over John Cook and a four-shot lead over Tom Kite, the eventual winner.

And then, well, things got away.

"It was disappointing," said Simpson, managing a smile. "I didn't play as good (as the first two days). The back nine I was a little off. I just didn't hit it as good.

"It's fun to be in the hunt, but it's disappointing not to win," he said. "And that's what we're out here trying to do."

By the 16th hole, Simpson had fallen a stroke behind Kite. On the green Simpson had a tap-in putt for par to stay a stroke behind with two holes to play.

Astonishingly, he missed a 2-footer for a bogey. The ball caught the left edge of the cup and lipped all the way around the hole before staying out, leaving Simpson to stare in disbelief.

"I don't know if it broke or if I pulled it," he said, slowly shaking his head.

Trailing by two strokes on No. 17, Simpson very much needed a birdie or a Kite catastrophe. Neither one happened -- both players took pars -- and the margin was still two strokes on the 18th hole. Simpson fashioned a nifty birdie, but Kite did the same with a terrific shot from a greenside bunker to set up a birdie putt of his own for a two-shot victory.

"I thought it was a lot of fun," said Simpson of his final-round showdown with Kite. "You want to win, obviously, and only one of us can win. But it was really fun. And he hit a lot of great shots on the back nine."

Trojans vs. Longhorns: Simpson may have lost the tournament, but he had the best line of the day. Talking to reporters afterward, he likened Sunday's loss to Kite, who attended the University of Texas, to the University of Southern California's 41-38 loss to the Longhorns in the 2006 Rose Bowl, a national championship game.

"It was kind of the same thing," said Simpson, who attended USC. "All I had to stop was one guy. And I tackled Tom about as well as (the Trojans) tackled (Texas quarterback) Vince Young."

Attendance down: Attendance was around 48,500 for the week, according to executive director Chuck Nelson. There were roughly 15,000 spectators for Friday's and Saturday's rounds, and 16,000 for Sunday's final round. Another 2,500 were on hand for events Monday through Thursday.

Last year's tournament drew closer to 60,000 spectators, Nelson said. The difference, he added, was attributed to Sunday's overcast skies.

The Boeing Classic is scheduled for Snoqualmie Ridge through 2009, he said. Next year's event will be Aug. 24-30.

Lasting memory: The most memorable hole at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge is the 431-yard, par-4 14th. The tee shot carries across a vast canyon, and golfers can either lay up to the right or drive for the green, which requires a carry of about 275 yards.

"That hole scares the living daylights out of you every time you step up on it," Kite said, "but I love it to death. It's just a fantastic golf hole."

Tied with Simpson as they stood on the 14th tee Sunday, Kite made a prudent play. He hit a 3-wood to the right and a wedge to the green for a 9-foot birdie putt.

"That's a true risk-reward hole," he said, "and it gives you a lot of options. You don't have to challenge it. You can bail out to the right and have a nice little wedge into the green. There are just so many ways to play it."

Work to do: On Tuesday Kite went to play a round at Chambers Bay south of Tacoma, site of the 2010 United States Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open.

His impressions?

"I thought the whole complex is impressive," he said. "To be able to take that quarry and turn it into the facility they have is fantastic. But with the grasses they planted, those are very slow-growing, slow-to-get-established grasses. They're going to have to hurry to get it ready.

"I wish them the best of luck, but they're going to have to get it going. They have no seconds to spare."
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA