Article on Parry that may be of interest, also has some good course info...
By Peter Stone
Not to put too fine a point on it, Craig Parry has gathered a few more centimetres around his midriff since last summer.
But if those who work not just on their golf swing, but their fitness, reckon it has weighed down his competitive juices, they do so at their peril in the $1.75million Australian Open.
He is quietly confident leading into today's opening round at The Grand on the Gold Coast, having played two practice rounds and put in lengthy sessions on the range and the practice putting green with his coach, Richard Flood, the club professional at The Lakes.
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After his tied third in the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland last week, Parry requested that Flood join him for a couple of days of finetuning in a bid to win the Open, the missing link in his CV, which includes victory in the PGA and the Australian Masters.
Peter McWhinney was chiding Parry on the practice putting green yesterday about his weight, but "Big Macca" is not exactly slender himself. Talk about people in glass houses.
Parry, who admits to only a 5kg weight gain in 12 months, was dismissive, although pleasantly so, when the subject was raised. "It's just part of life. I'm not worried about it. As long as the golf ball is going straight and I'm able to find it and hit it again, everything is fine," Parry said.
Does the extra pudding affect his swing? "Not at all. It's good for windy days," he responded.
Through the years, Parry has periodically worked out in a gymnasium in his home. Not for 12 months or so, though.
"I go through spells, but I just get bored. If I was out kicking a footy or chasing a soccer ball, it might be a bit more fun," he explained. "Just riding a bike and watching TV [at the same time] doesn't really do a lot for me."
The Grand's layout is short by championship standards, which will hamper the chances of big-hitters such as Ernie Els, Robert Allenby and Adam Scott. Instead, the premium will be on accuracy, something the likes of Parry, Peter O'Malley, Richard Green and Nick O'Hern pride themselves in.
"It's going to be a hell of a championship," Parry said. "There are going to be a lot of birdies, and a lot of double and triple bogeys and more if the players do the wrong thing and hit it into the wrong spots.
"In parts, the course is really, really tough. I'm not going to tell you everything I've found because it could help someone else."
Not in dispute is that the 10th green, perched on a hill just 306m from the tee, has the potential for sleepless nights or nightmares. Good sport, though, for the sadists.
Any pin placement on the left will do it. Such is the gradient that it is almost impossible to land on the green below the hole and, if you're above it, your putt could end 30m-40m off the green.
A couple of players who asked for anonymity suggested yesterday there could be a walk-off if the pin was placed on the left in unfavourable wind conditions.
Australian Golf Union executive director Colin Phillips said no pins would be deliberately placed on slopes, but on some of the smaller greens it was unavoidable.
"We haven't put pins on a slope since 1987 [at Royal Melbourne when there was a walk-off on the final day because of the pin on the third, which forced a cancellation of play and a Monday finish] when we took control of the pin placements," Phillips said.
"The 10th is contentious. There are three spots [for a pin] on the right, but on the left it becomes pretty ferocious.
"We'll have to look at the weather forecasts for the predicted wind direction.
"The alleged walk-off in '87 still sticks in the back of my mind. I can't see us getting in that position."
