DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080660

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

MICHELOB REPORT

WILLIAMSBURG - The field for the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill is a little lighter in the big-name department with the withdrawal of eight players, including John Daly, Paul Azinger and Jim Furyk.

Daly, the 1991 PGA and 1995 British Open champion, gave no reason for his decision. He missed the cut at last week's Buick Challenge in Georgia and has not made a cut since the PGA Championship in August.

Azinger won the 1993 PGA Championship. Furyk, a member of the 1997 Ryder Cup team, recently tore ligaments in his thumb.

Gabriel Hjertstedt, who won the '97 B.C. Open in Endicott, N.Y., also withdrew. He was one of 14 tournament winners this season who were supposed to play here. He dropped a piece of luggage on his foot, breaking a toe.

Others withdrawing were Bob Tway, 39th on the '97 money list; David and Joel Edwards; and Bobby Wadkins, the Richmond native who is 14th on the Nike Tour money list and decided to play in this week's Nike Shreveport (La.) Open to protect his position on the money list. The top 15 on the final money list qualify for the PGA Tour.

Replacing them are Jeff Hart, Bob Wolcott, Lee Porter, Jimmy Green, Spike McRoy, Allen Doyle, Brad Sutterfield and Anthony Rodriguez. Victory in shoot-out could bode well for Jacobsen

Peter Jacobsen won the 360 Communications Shoot-out Tuesday, outlasting home pro Curtis Strange in the annual 10-man tournament played on the back nine of Kingsmill's River Course.

How they finished: 10th, Hal Sutton ($900); 9th, Roger Maltbie ($1,000); 8th, Mark Carnevale ($1,100); 7th, Chip Beck ($1,300); 6th, Fuzzy Zoeller ($1,500); 5th, Stuart Appleby ($1,700); 4th, David Duval ($2,000); 3rd, Justin Leonard ($2,500); 2nd, Curtis Strange ($5,000); 1st, Peter Jacobsen ($8,000).

The $8,000 aside, if history is any indication, Jacobsen is in for a highly profitable week here. No shoot-out winner has finished worse than a tie for 11th in the regular tournament. Carnevale is hoping for better things this week

Mark Carnevale, the Williamsburg native, has never fared well at his hometown tourney. In 13 previous appearances at Kingsmill, Carnevale has a tie for 29th, a tie for 40th and 11 missed cuts.

``But this year is my best chance to play well here,'' Carnevale said. ``I'm very confident, on a roll. Playing here is like gravy.''

Carnevale's confidence comes from his performance on the Nike Tour. He's second on the money list to Chris Smith, a cinch to finish among the top 15 and earn back his PGA Tour card.

``It's been a great year; I've had seven top-3 finishes, eight top-4 finishes, nine top-5 finishes and 10 top-10 finishes,'' Carnevale said. ``I've been in 19 tournament events and for a while, I was either making a check in five figures, or making a check for about $400.

``No one wants to play the Nike Tour, but that was my road back here. I've taken it more seriously than ever before and I'm happy with the way things have turned out.''

Carnevale has one more Nike tournament left, the tour championship in Alabama. ILLUSTRATION: [Photo]

MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN

The Virginian-Pilot

Curtis Strange was down but not out until the final hole of the 360

Communications Shoot-out on Tuesday. Peter Jacobsen won the event.

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