Vintage Invitational Senior Golf Tournament : Moody Still Leading Early-Bird Field by 3

Al Geiberger always thought the reward for playing well in tournament golf was a late starting time.

It isn’t what happened in Saturday’s third round of the Vintage Chrysler Senior Invitational. Geiberger, playing in the final threesome with leader Orville Moody and Larry Mowry, had a 7:42 a.m. tee-off time.

For seven holes, Geiberger had trouble waking up and trailed Moody by nine shots. Geiberger sank a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 eighth hole; Moody three-putted for a bogey from the same range, and Geiberger was not only awake, he was back in the tournament.

Moody, whose hot putter cooled off slightly, shot a two-under-par 70 and his 54-hole total of 200 gave him a three-stroke lead over Geiberger, with defending champion Bob Charles another three shots back.

Because ABC-TV went on the air at 10 a.m. here, the first groups teed off at 6:30. There was no gallery. Arnold Palmer had the smallest gathering since he joined the PGA Tour in 1955. His starting time was 7:15, and only a dozen spectators left the first tee with him--not even a platoon, let alone an army.

The leaders started 27 minutes later. Moody, the 1969 U.S. Open champion who is known as “Sarge” because of his Army career before joining the tour, didn’t blame the early start for not scoring as well as he did in the first two rounds, when he had a 64 and a 66 for a record-tying 130. But neither Geiberger nor Mowry, who entered the round four shots back and soared to a 74, were happy about the early start.

“I don’t know why leaders have to tee off so early,” Mowry said. “I know all about TV, but this is the Senior Tour, not the Juniors.

“I’m a little slow waking up. When I finished, it was about the time I’m ready to play golf. Maybe, starting now, I would shoot better.”

Geiberger rammed in a 13-foot putt for an eagle on the 502-yard 18th to finish the third round with a 67, after going one over par through the first seven holes. He doesn’t figure Moody will be easy to catch in the final 18 today.

“Orville is playing extremely well,” said Geiberger, a former USC star who is a rookie on the 50-and-over tour. “I don’t look for him to go the other way. Realistically, I will have to shoot a 66 or 67 to have a chance.”

Moody thought he played just about as well Saturday as he did in the two previous rounds, when he was 14 under par.

“I did miss a couple of short putts, including a 2 1/2-footer for the bogey on eight that helped get Geiberger back in the hunt. But I hit all but three greens and was just off the edge on those. It’s just that I wasn’t placing the ball as close to the hole and the putts didn’t drop.

“At one time, though, I was leading by nine shots. I’d rather be three shots in front than three shots back. I’m willing to take my chances with this lead.”

Charles, who won last year with a 285, said he is tired because he’s playing in his fifth tournament in a row. He believes he will need at least a 64 or 65 to have a chance to repeat as champion.

“It has been a strange tournament for me,” he said. “In the first round, I made only four good shots and had a 71. Yesterday, I hit everything just right and had a 68. Today, I hit mostly bad shots and had a 67. It’s hard to figure.”

Mowry, 1986 champion Dale Douglass and Miller Barber are at 208, eight shots back. The two best rounds of the day were 65s by Rafe Botts, who lives in nearby Cathedral City, and Harold Henning. Henning is at 210; Botts at 213. Palmer, despite an eagle on No. 18, is also at 213.

Today, for the final round, the leaders will tee off at 8:42 a.m. That’s still much too early for a tournament that wants to be known as the Masters of the PGA Seniors Tour.

The crowds don’t figure to be very large because of the early start and parking problems. Not only is parking more than a mile away, but after the day’s play is completed, shuttle buses are difficult to find.