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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 15, 2005 Allred makes cut at Sony Open Staff, wire reports HONOLULU — Rogue Valley golf enthusiasts were treated to a surprise upon tuning in to the Sony Open Friday. Moments after the telecast began, the first two pages of the leaderboard were displayed. Near the top of Page 2: Jason Allred. After a nondescript start, Allred played his final 11 holes in 5 under par to soar briefly into the top 10 Friday at Waialae Country and, ultimately, make his first cut on the PGA Tour. The Ashland native shot a 2-under 68, his second straight subpar round, to put him at 3 under for the tournament and five shots off the lead. Advertisement He’s in a tie for 11th place with, among others, reigning player of the year Vijay Singh. Leader Shigeki Maruyama fired a 65 and is one stroke ahead of Justin Rose and Brett Quigley. Michelle Wie, the 15-year-old darling of the tournament, failed to make the cut, shooting a 74. She was 9 over the first two rounds. Allred, who played two other PGA events in previous years, was thrilled to make his first cut in his first tournament as a tour regular. But it’s all part of the 24-year-old’s master plan. "The biggest thing at the start of every tournament is, I want to do everything I can to give myself a chance to win on the last day with nine holes to go," he said. "That mind-set really helps. If I do that, then things like making the cut will take care of themselves." It earned him a pairing with Tom Byrum for today’s third round. Some of the players he just missed getting paired with are Vijay Singh, who goes before Allred, and Stewart Cink and Adam Scott, who follow him. On Friday, Allred had his patience tested early when, starting on the 10th tee, he bogeyed his first two holes and three of his first six. That left him at 2 over for the tournament, which turned out to be the cut line. He admitted the slow start was frustrating. "But it was another good lesson," he said. "By God’s grace, I was able to stay patient and do the same things I had been doing. I felt like things would turn around eventually, and thankfully they did." Part of him wanted to be aggressive and make back the lost strokes, he said, noting that he was still 3 over after seven holes. "There comes a point where you have those feelings that you’re running out of holes and you need to get something going," said Allred, "but, thankfully, I didn’t give in to that. I stuck to my game plan and just tried to give myself chances. "In hard conditions like we have here, this is not the place to try to make up shots by doing something different. It’ll probably keep going south if you try to force it." Allred’s putter came to his rescue. On the tough 17th hole, his eighth, he made about a 40-foot putt for a birdie 2. "That got me to 2 over," said Allred. "It was great to see that ball go into the hole. That’s where things started going in the right direction." He dropped a 15-footer for birdie at No. 18, then a 35-footer at No. 4 to get to even for the day. He also birdied Nos. 5 and 9. Allred is tied for the tournament lead with 11 birdies, and five of them have come on the eight par 3s — which typically aren’t the best birdie holes. "Those have been bonus holes," said Allred. "I don’t think I’ve hit it really close on any of them. I’ve just hit it to the right side of the pin and, more than anything, I’ve hit good putts." One change Allred did make was in his club selection. Not satisfied with his accuracy with the driver, he used irons on more tees than in the first round. His driving distance, which is measured on select holes, went from 297 yards the first day to 256. "I had to swallow my pride a little bit and get it in the fairway," said Allred. Wie, a sophomore in high school, never had a chance to make the cut, taking three putts from 8 feet for a triple bogey on her sixth hole and losing more ground from there. She finished 17 shots behind Maruyama. "I think I tried too hard," Wie said. "After missing the cut by one last year, I think I took for granted that I was going to play better. Last year, everything went too easily." Wie was trying to become the first female in 60 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour. As for next year? "I want another chance because I know I can do better than this," Wie said. Maruyama made it look easy, jumping into contention by playing a three-hole stretch around the turn in 4 under — an 8-iron to 3 feet on the eighth, holing a bunker shot for eagle on the par- 5 ninth, and making a 20-foot birdie on the 10th. He held it together the rest of the way and was at 8-under 132. "I was worried about my game, first tournament of the year," he said. "I’m not nervous now." Quigley (67) was tied for the lead until missing the green on No. 16 for a bogey. Rose holed out from a bunker on the brutal first hole for birdie, but gave that shot away by missing the par-5 ninth with a 7-iron and settling for par. The tournament has some familiar faces. Past champions Paul Azinger and Jeff Sluman, each with 68, were in the large group at 5-under 135 that included Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman (68) and Stewart Cink (69). Other familiar faces included Singh, the No. 1 player who salvaged a suspect round with a 30-foot eagle putt on his last hole for a 68, putting him five shots off the lead. Two-time defending champion Els hit the ball close all day and had to settle for a 67, leaving him another shot behind. "That could have been a 60, I promise you," Els said. Other familiar faces had some wrinkles, as all four Champions Tour players made the cut — Peter Jacobsen, Craig Stadler, Tom Kite and Dick Mast, who qualified Monday and shot 64, leaving him six shots behind. Adam Scott shot 65 to move into contention at 4-under 136. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Advertisement s