For Glasson, second a painful place

Bill Glasson’s caddie sat in a chair on the far wall of the media room, watching intently as Glasson patiently answered questions about his demise at the 18th.

Glasson led by as many as five shots in the final round of the inaugural Pacific Links Hawaii Championship played at well-tailored Kapolei Golf Course, but his prediction Saturday that no lead is big enough rang all too true Sunday afternoon.

"It’s a shame you should feel so sad about finishing second," Shelley Gray said, still listening to her boss dissecting the shots that did him in as wee Willie Wood snuck in at the pin to win by one.

Wood was scribbling autographs to a variety of fans, looking up every now and again as Glasson made a mess of the final hole. Closing birdies at 17 and 18 allowed Wood to draw even with Glasson. He had to hope the second-round leader wouldn’t match his two-hole finish that included draining a birdie putt from 20 feet at the 54th.

He needn’t have worried.

Glasson, who struggled with his driver all weekend, blasted one off the 18th after matching Wood’s birdie at the 17th with one of his own that crawled in the side door from 5 feet.

"I hit it almost too good," said Glasson of his drive at 18. Gray nodded her head at the recollection.

When you’re hitting from only 80 yards in, instead of 100, it requires you to rely more on touch, a three-quarter swing, something most golfers aren’t comfortable with, especially in a pressure-packed situation.

With all that flying around in Glasson’s head, he forgot to take the wind into account, resulting in a poor second shot that left a difficult chip and subsequent 10-footer for par. Glasson rammed it through the break, going wide right and settling for second. Better to finish last. You get to throw your clubs in the trunk and go home without so much as a sound bite.

"That kind of thing happens when you’re struggling," Glasson told a fan as he exited the scorer’s tent, Ms. Gray in tow. "Give Willie credit. He won it."

And that’s how it is out here on the Champions Tour. These guys are as competitive as anyone. You don’t play a game for a living without wanting to win. But off the pasture, these guys are friends. They’ve known each other’s first and second wives, kids and grandkids. They’ve spent more time together than any group of athletes in any other sport.

Despite winning for the second time in three weeks, Wood took it hard. From across the walkway that runs by the 18th, he saw Glasson miss the putt. He accepted the congratulatory handshakes from his own caddie and fans nearby, smiled briefly but didn’t run circles around the scorer’s tent, high-fiving everyone in sight.

Why?

"Because I know exactly how Bill feels," Wood said simply.

It’s too bad placing second hurts more than finishing last, but it’s all about the opportunities in golf, putting yourself in a position to win.

Hoisting the trophy doesn’t last forever. Eventually, you have to go home.

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Reach Paul Arnett at parnett@staradvertiser.com or 529-4786.