San Diego Open : Putts Drop for Regalado, Who Shoots 64 to Lead by 2 Strokes

It was a good day for Victor Regalado. The sun was shining, he was close to home and, more important, the putts were dropping.

Regalado has seen too many slide by the cup in recent years. He played in eight PGA events last year and won a total of $1,548, worth 274th place on the money list. He made the cut in one tournament, finishing tied for 24th at the Deposit Guaranty Classic. The year before, he had won $5,558.

Times and putts have been hard for Regalado.

But Wednesday, at least, that was behind him. Regalado made eight birdies and no bogeys on his way to a 64 and a two-shot lead after the first round of the 60th San Diego Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Regalado has won two PGA Tour events since he joined in 1973--the 1974 Pleasant Valley Classic and the 1978 Ed McMahon-Quad Cities Open. Regalado’s best money year was in 1979 ($82,964), but his winnings and game have slipped steadily since 1982.

The past two years, Regalado has not even been able to make the cut at the San Diego Open.

“My putting has caused all the problems over the years,” Regalado said. “That’s the name of the game. If you can putt, you can score.

“I putted really well today.”

John Burckle of Costa Mesa shot 66. At 67 were Mike Wydra, the coach at UC San Diego who won the title in 1980; Chris Santangelo of Honolulu; David Games of Bellflower, and Howie Johnson of Newport Beach.

Forty-three of the 140 golfers broke par on the 6,659-yard, par-72 North Course.

The majority of players are young ones who are playing on the Golden State Tour or are fresh off seasons in Asia. Or they are players such as Frank Beard, who at 49 is looking to keep his game sharp before he heads for the seniors tour when he turns 50 next May. Beard shot 72 Wednesday.

Then there is Regalado, who, at 40, is kind of in between. He lives in Bonita and teaches at the Tijuana Golf Course.

He has had thoughts of trying to make it back to the tour. But he doesn’t sound confident.

“When you get down, it’s hard to go back,” he said. “I tried qualifying school last year. I missed.”

Regalado has been hurt by inconsistency. So he has been playing on a casual basis, entering small tournaments or ones close to home. Sometimes he can get into a tournament because he won previously.

“It’s like any business,” Regalado said. “When you’re not doing well, it’s not too much fun.”

Regalado hopes his fun continues today as he tries to maintain his lead in the chase for the $4,500 first prize in the $17,000 tournament. That is not nearly as much, of course, as one can win on the PGA Tour.

“These days, they play for a lot money (on the tour),” Regalado said. “I wish I could be out there. You don’t have to win to make a lot of money. Just play steady.”

After today’s round, the field will be cut to the top 60 golfers plus ties. The top 10 amateurs also will advance to Friday’s final round.

Geoffrey Dean of Palm Springs leads the amateurs with a 69. Dean will be a senior at the University of San Diego and last year missed the cut when the tournament was held at Cottonwood Golf Course. Greg Attiyeh is a shot back at 70.