Hill Climbs to Win Senior Tournament

After five holes of the 54-hole, $500,000 Security Pacific Senior Classic, Mike Hill was four shots over par. It seemed like a wait-till-next-week situation.

But Hill’s putter got hot and, sinking six putts of 10 feet or longer, he shot a 63 Sunday at Rancho Park to beat Gary Player by a stroke for first prize of $75,000.

Hill birdied the last two holes to finish with 201, 12 under par over the 6,307-yard, par-71 city course that is played more than any other in the United States. Then Hill had to wait nearly an hour to see if the lead would hold up.

Player, who led by a stroke after 36 holes, shot a three-under 68 in the final round.

After Saturday’s round, the field was bunched, and Player proved a prophet when he said several players had an opportunity to win.

Hill, who played the last 45 holes in 16 under par, trailed by four shots going into the last round.

Although he made four putts of 15 feet and another of 20, Hill wasn’t thinking of catching Player until Hill sank a five-foot putt to save par on the 185-yard 12th hole.

“When I made that putt,” he said, “I told myself that if I could just keep the ball in play the rest of the way, I would be tough to beat because the putter was so hot.”

He didn’t get discouraged when putts of 20 feet and 15 feet on the next two holes stopped on the lip of the cup. His putts on the last two holes were from 10 feet and 15 feet.

Still, Player had to falter for Hill to do better than tie. Player, who led nearly the entire tournament, shot a 34 on the front side Sunday despite missing a four-foot putt on the ninth hole. He birdied the 10th and 11th holes to go 12 under par. Player missed a birdie putt on the 508-yard par-five 13th, then pushed his drive on No. 14 into the No. 1 fairway. He had no shot to the green, so he had to hit out into the fairway. When he barely missed a 40-foot par putt, he finally lost the lead.

“I still thought he would birdie one of the last four holes,” Hill said. “If you start thinking you’ve won, you’re really in trouble. I went out and loosened up. I was ready for a playoff.”

Player had long birdie putts on each of the last four holes, but none dropped and he had a second-place finish. Chi Chi Rodriguez birdied three holes down the stretch to finish at 203 for third place. He lost a chance to win or tie when his second shot on the par-five 12th hole went into a tree and stayed there.

“Gary played the same shot and it went through,” Rodriguez said. “A fan went up in the tree and shook my ball out, so it cost me one stroke instead of two for a lost ball. I’m not unhappy, though. I played well. But a 63 will beat you every time. Give Mike credit.

“In all the years I have been playing golf I have had only two shots in which the ball didn’t come down out of the tree. I remember the other. It was in San Francisco at Harding Golf Course. It only happens in California.

“But I love it here and I’ll be back.”

After winning three tournaments in 15 years on the regular tour, muscle spasms in Hill’s back forced him to retire prematurely. He joined the 50-and-older set in February 1989, playing in 31 tournaments. He didn’t win, but he threatened often, finished in the top ten 19 times to earn more than $400,000.

“My goal this year,” said Hill, whose older brother Dave is also a top senior, “was to earn $250,000 and win a tournament. Putting it mildly, I’ve exceeded expectations.”

He has four victories and has earned $680,861. But the way he felt before teeing off in the first round Friday, he really didn’t think he would play too well.

Hill, who owns a golf course in Brooklyn, Mich., had just received a bill from work done on the greens. “The guy charged us $15,000 more than he should have,” Hill said. “I was so upset I couldn’t concentrate at the start. It just isn’t good to play when your mind is elsewhere.”

He recovered to shoot a five-under-par 66 and from then on he was a factor.

The big crowds Sunday followed Arnold Palmer, who went into the final round trailing by five shots. He finished at 208, tied for 12th, his best finish this year, after shooting a final-day 69. He was not satisfied. “I just couldn’t get the adrenaline going,” he said. “The zip isn’t there.”

Joe Jimenez, 64, failed for the fourth time in the final round to become the first super senior--age 60 and over--to win a senior PGA tournament. He was only one shot back going into the final round, but a faulty putter led to a one-under 70 and put him at 205, tying him with tournament favorite Lee Trevino and Dale Douglass for fourth place. Trevino never threatened after making a bogey on the third hole Sunday.