MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / March 3, 1999

March Madness came early to the PGA Tour this weekend.

You have to wonder what the executives at ABC Sports were thinking after they found out that Andrew Magee and Jeff Maggert would be competing in the finals of the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship. They hadto be hoping for a Tiger Woods or a David Duval instead.

What they got instead was the equivalent of Duke, Michigan State, Stanford and Auburn being knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round. The equivalent of a Finals game featuring the College ofCharleston and Winthrop.

And you know something, it was good for golf.

Maggert and Magee gave fans one of the best finishes they will see on the Tour all year. If the Match Play Championships ever reach the level of thefour majors, Maggert’s chip from 20 feet away will rank up there with the shots by Bob Tway and Sandy Lyle, shots that won major championships.

Think about it. With that one shot, Maggert, a player better known forplacing second in tournaments than winning them, passed both Woods and Duval atop the money list. When that shot rimmed around the cup and fellin, giving Maggert the victory on the 38th hole of the finals, it made him richer by a million dollars. Just a few short years ago, it took CurtisStrange an entire season to become the first player to reach that mark in a year.

Magee didn’t fare too bad by placing second, either. His card for next yearis assured after he won a cool $500,000. Most winners on the Tour thisyear will not receive that amount. Also assuring themselves that they willbe on the Tour next year was John Huston and Steve Pate, the third and fourth place finishers, respectively. Huston received $400,000 and Pate$300,000, both amounts larger than either player had ever received in an event.

Maggert had to come back from being three down through 20 holes. Bothplayers had a chance to win late in the match, with Magee just missing a putt on the 35th hole and Maggert following suit on the final hole of regulation. Maggert knows all about being close, having finished second 13times in his career.

The finals were set up by a sensational run of upsets. Five of the top 10seeds went down in the first round Wednesday, including Mark O’Meara, Davis Love III and Ernie Els. Four more top seeds, including Duval, JustinLeonard and Greg Norman were gone after Thursday. Number one-rankedTiger Woods, the remaining top 10 player, was eliminated by Maggert in the quarterfinals Saturday eliminated.

That left Maggert, Magee, Pate and Huston for the semifinals and had to be leaving the ABC officials sweating. But Sunday’s action showed that golfdoes not need the big names in order to keep a true fan’s attention.

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