GOLF / SENIOR TPC : Nicklaus Leads Trevino by One

The nearly perfect golf course--the Dearborn Country Club--has a flaw. It holds water.

Drainage problems after a heavy rain delayed the start of the second round of the $1-million Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship for four hours Friday.

But it wasn’t the resulting casual water that knocked Lee Trevino out the lead. It was a legitimate water hazard.

Trevino hit into the water on 18, took a double bogey and finished with a 68, a 36-hole total of 134, 10 under par and a shot behind Jack Nicklaus.

After playing nearly flawless golf for 34 holes, Nicklaus bogeyed the last two holes and finished the day at 133.

He had threatened the senior 36-hole record of 14 under par set by Don January in 1984. Instead, he and Trevino allowed a number of golfers to figure they have a shot at winning top prize of $150,000.

Terry Dill, who quit a lucrative law practice to join the 50-and-older circuit a year ago, shot a 67, matching Trevino at 134. Ben Smith, co-leader with Nicklaus after the first round, and Gary Player are another stroke behind at 135.

When Miller Barber, Larry Mowry and Al Geiberger finished the second round, they were at 136, eight under par. But they were five shots behind Nicklaus. His late bogeys moved them within three shots.

There are five more, among them Chi Chi Rodriguez, at 137. Rodriguez, who shot a 67 Friday, said that the problem with the course was there were no bogey holes. Nicklaus ruined that theory.

“Actually, I played well, better than yesterday,” Nicklaus said after shooting a 68 to go with his first-round 65. “The only problem was the last two holes.”

Nicklaus just shrugged when asked about letting so many players back into contention.

“I don’t think it means anything,” he said.

When Nicklaus birdied the 187-yard par-three 15th by hitting a six-iron within a foot of the hole, he moved to 13 under par.

“You should have come out and told me I had a shot at the record,” he told a reporter. “I was just making it interesting on the last two holes. And, if you believe that, I can tell you anything.”

The 18th is generally considered one of the tougher finishing holes on the tour. It is a 414-yard par-four with a slight dogleg left and water on both sides of the green.

Trevino, with the pin near the water on the left, hit his drive into the high rough on the right. He tried to go for the green with a five-iron. The high, wet grass caused the club to twist in his hands and he pulled the ball into the water on the left.

“It was one of the two dumb things I did after playing well again,” Trevino said. “On the par-five 14th, I hit my drive under a tree. I tried to hit a three-wood to the green. The smart move would have been to lay up and use a wedge to the green.

“Those two mistakes cost me four strokes. But I don’t feel bad. I am playing well and I feel sure I will play well in the last two rounds.”

For today’s third round, Trevino, Nicklaus and Dill will play together. Trevino said it would make no difference to him because he was used to playing with Nicklaus.

Dill, who was a pretty good player on the tour until he decided to go to law school about 17 years ago, isn’t likely to be bothered either.

“I gave up law to concentrate on the senior tour because playing golf is more fun than divorces,” he said. “I was doing well on the tour before Lee showed up. Now, he’s a star. His goal is to win 10 tournaments. Mine is to win one.”

Smith and Ralph Terry were with Nicklaus Friday. Although Smith said it didn’t bother him, he did not play nearly as well as he had Thursday, when he was seven under par. And Terry, the former pitching star, shot a 74, two-over. He double-bogeyed nine and bogeyed the next two. At 140, he is now seven shots behind instead of just one.