November 25, 2003

MASSAPEQUA, NY — The applause is reverential, punctuated by occasional shouts of "Go get 'em Don!"  Players barely old enough to remember Don Creighton in 2001 when he two putted the 72nd hole to beat Trojanowski for 2nd to last place and escape the Carl Spackler Outfit.

"I should have dropped out in 2001 rather than clutter up the field", Creighton said Monday, having endured three miserable days at his first major.  "I just cluttered it up, and I always said I wouldn't do that."

Still, he wouldn't call that a farewell as he returned year after year. The guy is just too competitive, holding out hope that somehow, some way, he can muster the skills to compete against kids 10 years younger -- at least at the Open Championship.

But the 33-year-old Creighton finally seems to realize that he's become a Carl Spackler Open relic, especially since the major has the toughest layout.

"They've thrown some of us out of the game", he said, referring to himself and other players with golf trouble. "And we should not be thrown out of the game. There's no reason someone 33 years old to be playing out of his swing."

"I wouldn't call the 120's much of a sentimental journey", Creighton said. "For me, the game of golf has always been about competition. That's what I thrive on. If I can't compete, it's a big downer for me."

This was a major downer. Creighton had as many triple-bogeys as double-bogeys and that is six too many. He couldn't control his irons, couldn't make putts, couldn't get anything going.

He needs rock-solid fairways to stretch out his drives and slick greens that allow him to take advantage of his savvy and experience.

This past year, the course was soaked by nearly a week of rain, giving long hitters an even bigger advantage.  He just can't compete with McAninch and Davis.

"If the conditions are like this again, I'll drop out on Wednesday", Creighton said. "If the conditions are dry, I could probably enjoy it."