Injured Back May Prompt Trevino to Pull Out of Senior Event

Lee Trevino, the dominant figure on the Senior PGA Tour, might have to withdraw from the 50-and-older division of the Infiniti Tournament of Champions at La Costa.

Trevino, who was four under par after 12 holes of the rainy first round Thursday, pulled an already tender back muscle and finished with a one-under-par 71.

He is two shots behind leader Frank Beard, who went to the practice tee after his 69 while Trevino went to the Centinela Hospital Fitness Center.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to play tomorrow,” Trevino said as he limped over to the trailer for treatment. “It’s been bothering me for several days, but today it was really painful.

“It has nothing to do with the back trouble I had that knocked me out of the regular tour, but it hurts.”

In a pain-free 1990, Trevino earned more money than any other professional golfer.

Beard, who had not played here since 1971 when he won on the regular PGA Tour, took charge when Trevino’s back began to affect his swing.

Beard seemed an unlikely leader after his performance on No. 3. His six-iron on the 187-yard, par-three hole was buried under the lip of the trap on the left. He left his next two shots in the trap and had a triple-bogey six.

But Beard, who became a winner when he switched to a longer-handled putter and a pendulum style, birdied two of the next three holes.

Bruce Crampton, playing in his fifth consecutive Tournament of Champions, was one stroke behind the leader.

Beard, who finished with six birdies and the triple bogey, shook his head when asked about the third hole. “I just played like a stubborn old man,” he said. “Instead of just getting it out and taking my four, I blasted it. On the next shot, I tried again to get it close and left it under the lip again.”

Rain, which began about the time the first twosome teed off, was steady but not heavy. Many players disdained umbrellas, but Beard, who wears glasses, needed one a couple of times.

“I really don’t pay much attention to it,” Beard said, “but you play many times with water on your glasses. I just pull down my visor and don’t even think about it.

“I’ve played well here before, but it just seemed easier than it did years ago. Maybe it’s because there is no rough. You used to have to worry about the rough. Now you just swing away.”

When Beard finished his round, he and Trevino, who was still on the course, were tied for the lead at three under par.

“Trevino is extraordinary,” Beard said. “Nobody in the universe can play better than he can. If he felt the same enthusiasm for the juniors as he does for our tour, he could still win on it. I have never seen anyone so ready for a tour.

“The question is whether he can come back (this year) with the same enthusiasm. You wouldn’t think it was possible, but nothing Lee does surprises me.”