Revived Leonard puts field in rear-view mirror

By: TOM SHERIDAN - The Californian | Saturday, January 19, 2008 11:29 PM PST ∞

PALM DESERT - As Justin Leonard slept on the overnight lead in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, it wasn't his Ryder Cup experience, his major championship title or his 11 tour victories that eased his mind.

No, the PGA Tour veteran's portfolio was nowhere near the forefront of his thoughts. The source of any edge Leonard feels he will carry take into today's final round at the Hope was of a more practical nature.

"I take it as an advantage (that) I've got a four-shot lead," said Leonard, who shot a 6-under-par 66 at the Classic Club on Saturday and sits at 23-under 265.

Heading into final round at the tour's only five-day, 90-hole event, Leonard's immediate challengers formed a four-man chase pack at 19-under 269. That group includes Robert Gamez, D.J. Trahan, Anthony Kim and Kenny Perry.

Only Perry, with nine tour victories and $21.5 million in career earnings, approaches the career accomplishments of Leonard, who came on tour 12 years after Perry and has made $23.1 million.

"Whether it was one shot, two shots, 10 shots, I've got to go out there with the same attitude I've had," Leonard said. "Just go play and try and play well, and see if that's enough."

Leonard joined the tour in 1994 with U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championship titles on his resume. By the end of the decade, he had polished that document with a major championship (1997 British Open) and two Ryder Cup appearances (1997, 1999).

But all of those career accomplishments didn't do Leonard any good as he suffered through his worst year on tour in 2006, then saw his poor play drag through the beginning of last season when he missed his first six cuts.

"I'm glad I went through that," Leonard said. "I don't want to go through it again, I don't wish that on anybody. Because there were some hard Friday nights there for a couple of months.

"But I'm sitting here today trying to win a golf tournament. And I don't know if I would be in this particular position had I not gone through that."

A change of coaches and a lot of time on the practice range started to pay off last summer, when Leonard tied for second at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich. Then Leonard caught fire during the tour's newly designed Fall Finish, winning the Valero Texas Open in October and recording four top-10s in five tournaments.

"Although I didn't do anything result-wise from March until the Buick, there was a lot of work going on," Leonard said. "The last thing to come along was my confidence in my golf game."

Kim, the tour newcomer from La Quinta, is short on experience but long on confidence, and briefly held the lead on Saturday. He started his round with four birdies in a row at La Quinta Country Club and turned the back nine at 6-under 30.

A three-putt from 60 feet on his 11th hole (No. 2 at La Quinta), led to the only bogey on his card in a round of 6-under 66.

Looking ahead to today, Kim demonstrated an affinity for closing strong in his first year on tour in 2007, when he registered eight rounds of 67 or lower on Sunday.

"Four shots is a lot of shots," Kim said. "You never know what can happen though. Hopefully, my game will be sharp and the birdies will come. I need to play well on the front nine and make some birdies on those holes. If I get off to that kind of start, I'll be ready to go."

Leonard and Kim have gotten to know each other, in part because they share an agent and both live in Dallas. When it was suggested to Leonard that Kim might be a protege, he objected, and objected strenuously.

"No, no," Leonard said. "He's too good to be a protege of anybody.

"He's a good kid and he's a heck of a player. But he's nobody's protege."

Contact staff writer Tom Sheridan at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2649, or tsheridan@californian.com.