Tournament of Champions : Jones Shoots 72 but Ups Lead to 2 at La Costa

Weather has become a factor in the 37th MONY Tournament of Champions at La Costa.

It was windy, cold and damp on Friday and it was just plain nasty Saturday, when a mid-afternoon rain made playing conditions difficult for the leaders.

Still, there were no real surprises on the leader board, although Steve Jones said he was surprised that he was still leading.

Jones started the day 6 under par, with a 1-stroke lead over Chip Beck. He was still 6 under par at the finish.

For a while, though, Jones fell 3 strokes behind Beck, his playing partner. However, Jones birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes, bogeyed the 17th and came in at 72.

Beck faltered with a 40 on the back 9 for a 74 and a 54-hole total of 213, the same as Sandy Lyle. Jones, at 210, has a 2-stroke lead over Ben Crenshaw and Lanny Wadkins.

Also in contention going into the final round today are Bob Lohr, David Frost, Jay Haas and Jeff Sluman at 214; Bill Glasson and Greg Norman at 215, and Curtis Strange, Tom Sieckmann and Mark Calcavecchia at 216.

So there are 13 pros within 6 shots of the lead.

“I’m surprised that no one has made a move up to now,” Jones said. “Tomorrow, someone will probably make a move, and I hope it’s me.”

Jones, a first-time qualifier for this tournament, has held up under the pressure, even though he has only one career victory on the tour, the AT&T; Pebble Beach Pro-Am last year.

He made a comeback on the back side after his driver betrayed him.

“The driver is no longer in my bag,” said Jones, who changed drivers Saturday and used the club only 5 times.

He has 3 drivers with him and has already used 2 without any appreciable results.

“I’ve hit it straight, I’ve hit it to the left and I’ve hit it to the right,” Jones said of his errant drives. “I just didn’t know where it’s going.”

Jones said that driving is usually the strongest part of his game, so he’s compensating with solid iron play and chipping.

For example, he chipped into the hole from about 40 feet for his birdie on No. 16.

“Overall, I’m happy. I’m getting a lot out of my game,” he said.

Crenshaw and Wadkins, both veterans, are in a favorable position. Crenshaw shot a 2-under-par 70 Saturday after taking a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 17th hole Friday and winding up with a 72. Wadkins has been steady with rounds of 71, 70 and 71.

Glasson had the best round of the day, coming in at 67, and finishing just before it began to rain.

He was 5 under par for the last 5 holes. He birdied No. 14 and 15 and then got an eagle on the par-4, 423-yard 16th with a driver and a 4-iron that took one bounce on the green and went into the cup.

Glasson had a par on No. 17, missing a 6-foot putt for a birdie, and then sank a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

However, he said it was an unusual par on No. 13, after 2 successive bogeys, that got him going. His drive landed against a tree. So, on his second shot, he turned his 8-iron over and hit it left-handed 100 yards down the fairway. Then he hit a wedge to the green and made the par-saving putt.

It’s not inconceivable that Strange could be challenging for the lead. He has made startling charges in previous years.

Strange, the PGA player of the year and the leading money-winner in 1988, had a 77 Thursday when he 4-putted on the first hole. Then he shot a 70 and a 69 and is just 6 strokes behind Jones.

Crenshaw said that mud was a problem Saturday on second and approach shots, making a swing an unexpected adventure.

Mud was his undoing Friday when he put successive shots in a lake bordering the 17th fairway.

“As the joke goes, it was a good 8,” Crenshaw said of his triple bogey.

Wadkins said he thought he was dressed too warmly at the outset of his round, when the sun was shining. But he appreciated that comfort on the last 3 holes when rain drenched the leaders.

“It was just cold, windy and damp, and the ball picks up a lot of mud,” he said. “Patience is the big thing this week.”

Wadkins, who won the Tournament of Champions in 1982 and 1983, was fairly satisfied with his round of 71, which included 3 birdies and 2 bogeys.

“I didn’t think I played that great, but I hung in there,” Wadkins said.

That seems to be the key word for this tournament, with the weather being so capricious.

Andrew Magee, the first-day leader at 68, hasn’t been able to hang in there. He has had successive rounds of 75 and 79.