Stephen

Ames

“As the day went on, it got worse and worse and worse,’' said Ames. ''At this stage right now, I decided to withdraw because it’s just getting harder and harder for me to swing the club. I guess it’s all the poor swinging for the last couple months. It’s aggravated it even more.”

Ames ran into six birdies and a lone bogey and moves to 2-under-par 211 for the tournament. While he only hit eight (of 14) fairways, he landed a steady 12 GIR and putted to a 1.50 putting average. He now has the rest of the day to relax in Hilton Head and wait to see how late of a tee time he will draw on Sunday.

Out for a month due to a back injury, Ames hit just 10 greens at El Camaleon but sustained only two bogeys thanks to a tidy 26 putts. He circled four birdies and signed his card one back of the clubhouse co-leaders.

Ames is in the midst of a below average season, having made only three cuts. He finished T6 in 2005 and T7 in the 2004 Heritage, giving him reason to be optimistic this week. He ranks 78th in all-around ranking.

Ames was a late withdrawal two weeks ago in Scottsdale due to a back injury. That’s not the first time his back has prevented him from competing, and it likely won’t be the last. He’s 2-for-3 this year with a T22 at the Humana Challenge. He’ll be making his debut at El Camaleon next week.

The tournament’s Twitter page announced the news. Ames was scheduled to go off the first tee at 1:34 p.m. local time. He’s started 2012 with two paydays in three starts.

The Canadian by way of Trinidad hasn’t cracked a top 60 since the RBC Heritage and has missed the weekend in six of his last seven tries. Ames ranks 93rd in Strokes Gained-Putting, and that is as good as it gets on his stat sheet in the major categories.

The Canadian by way of Trinidad last made a cut at the Valero Texas Open in April, and has missed his last four. The five (of 13) times where he has managed to see the weekend, he’s held on for top 30 finishes in three of them. His struggles in 2012 have been in most phases of his game, as evident by his 130th all-around ranking.

The 2006 PLAYERS Champion is struggling this season, cashing checks in just six starts, with a T16 at the Maykoba Golf Classic the best. He enters the week having missed his last four cuts after having seen the weekend in the U.S. Open. He ranks 184th in the all-around category, demonstrating his struggles this year have been across the board.

Ames won this tournament in 2007 and 2009, so course history buffs will be disappointed that he’s no longer available this week, not that he’d have been a viable option anyway. He’s cashed in just seven of 20 starts with two top 25s, both occurring in his four starts. He’s currently 186th on the money list, but he’s fully exempt through 2013. Ames will turn 50 years of age in April of 2014.