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SAN DIEGO, California: Stuart Appleby topped the leaderboard after
two rounds of the US Open on Friday, but the Australian said he
didn’t expect to get comfortable there.
“Majors are not a comfortable zone,” Appleby
said after carding a one-under 70 for a three-under total of 139.
Of course, it’s hard to get comfy when 13-time
major champion Tiger Woods is part of the trio lying one shot back,
along with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and American Rocco Mediate.
But Appleby, who led the Masters after three
rounds in 2007 but finished tied for seventh, said no matter who was
chasing, he didn’t think it would ever pay to be too at ease in a
major.
“They’re not supposed to be comfortable,”
the 37-year-old said. “That’s sort of why there’s only four of
them a year, and they’re always on testing golf courses.”
Appleby, who won two of US tour victories in
2006 and also owns seven Australian tour titles, said experience had
made him more able to deal with the pressure of contending in a
major.
“I think as you get older you’ve got to find
a way to be more comfortable,” he said. “I guess effectively by
trying to gain control out here you’ve got to let go of control.
That’s sort of not a natural thing to do, that’s why it’s so
difficult.”
Appleby said his experience at the Masters last
year, when he faded as Zach Johnson stared down Tiger Woods for the
win, had been a learning experience.
“Hanging in there is what you’ve got to
do,” he said. “Morally that gives you a victory, maybe even if
it doesn’t turn out to be a victory.”
-- AFP
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