"Is it cooler outside the ropes? Because I'm drenched," he said as he walked up the par-5 16th hole. He was too far left to go for the green in two but birdied it anyway. He got to 17 to find the biggest crowd of the day and calmly hit his drive over the tiny bunker, onto the right portion of the green.
"Go, Horseheads, New York!" someone yelled, acknowledging Sindelar's hometown, and he looked over and smiled on his way to the green, where he two-putted for par.
He found dry land with his final drive and made par from just in front of the green in two, putting his third shot six feet past the hole and making the comebacker. Finally, a made six-footer. Notwithstanding the last, true stroke, the day had been a meditation on missed putts, but Sindelar was all smiles.
"Look at all these people," he said in jest as he walked off the green, taking in the vast semicircle of seats above him. "There must be tens of people out here!"
Like the front nine, Sindelar had carded a lone bogey and a lone birdie on the back and was in with an even-par 72, finishing in 3:15 right where he'd started, at five-over. There had been no water balls, no rulings, little drama. He walked through the tunnel behind the green and stopped in a small, tented area with drinks and food, including homemade brownies, for the players.
"I'm having that brownie today," he said to a volunteer. "These are the best."
"We won't be here next year," she said. "They're getting rid of this."
"What? We've got to write a letter," Sindelar replied. He signed his card and spoke to a small group of reporters. Sindelar is known as a money quote, affable, thoughtful and available.
On the easier pin placements and softer course: "You could be on offense today, you really could."
On the early start: "The toughest pairings are the first, when (fans) aren't ready yet."
On his game: "I wasn't sharp. I'm just not in the scoring thing right now."
And on the many missed six-footers for birdie: "With that goes your momentum, because you know you're not going to get those forever."
Just as Fred Funk is conflicted about whether to play on the PGA Tour or among his peers on the oldies circuit, Sindelar isn't sure how much he'll play the Champions Tour. Thanks to Tiger, purses have grown so large it's a good living even at the bottom of the PGA Tour money list, making it hard to leave. Sindelar is part of the first generation that has to make the choice between being the top dog and being less than top dog but still very well-paid.
"It's a very bizarre time for me," he said, "because when I walk off the green here or at Harbour Town or Wachovia, I don't know: Is that the last time?"
Sindelar pontificated some more on the course changes ("very, very well done") and adjourned to the locker room to get out of his wet shirt. One more day remained. He was tied for 65th.
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