Rodriguez Gets Unlikely Lesson : Golf: After an 18-handicapper helps him with putting, he shoots a course-record 62 to lead tournament by three.

When a part of their game goes sour, many professional golfers turn to a trusted friend on the tour for help.

But after shooting a six-over-par 76 Thursday in the pro-am, Chi Chi Rodriguez got a putting lesson from an unexpected source.

A startling improvement in his putting helped the defending champion shoot a course-record 62, eight under par, Friday at Ojai Valley Inn & Country Club for a three-stroke lead in the first round of the $450,000 GTE West Classic.

The chairman of the board of the company sponsoring the Senior PGA Tour event, Rocky Johnson, an 18-handicap amateur golfer, discovered Rodriguez’s problem.

“He noticed that I was moving my head on my putts,” Rodriguez said. “With a little practice, I putted sensationally.

“Imagine, though. The guy who helped my game has a strong 18 handicap. And, with his help, I was almost a stroke a hole better.”

After more than an inch of rain Thursday night, the 6,190-yard, hilly course was mostly casual water Friday. Tour director Brian Henning decided to allow the golfers to pick up and clean balls in the fairway and the light rough.

The rule made for lower scores, because the players could remove mud.

Besides Rodriguez, who broke the record of 63 set by Butch Baird in the last round in 1989, 24 other pros were under par 70.

Jim Colbert, trying to win his second consecutive tournament, and Don Massengale, also a winner this season, had five-under-par 65s. Bruce Crampton, Dale Douglass, Baird and Al Geiberger were at 66. Arnold Palmer, although he had four bogeys, was tied with George Archer at 67.

“The ground was so wet I don’t think we could have played without the pick-and-clean rule,” Rodriguez said. “Most of the time the ball was in casual water.”

By breaking the tournament record, Rodriguez earned a $5,000 award from Hilton Hotels, but he was shooting at bigger money.

“After I birdied four of the first five holes, I was thinking 59,” he said. “If you shoot a 59 like (Al) Geiberger did, you collect $1 million. That would sure buy a lot of food stamps for my kids (in his homes for needy children).

“I had a shot at it, too. I had an 18-foot putt that lipped out on No. 6. I would have bet my life on it. I also missed birdie putts on seven and eight.”

Rodriguez achieved his record in dramatic fashion. He came to the 487-yard, par-five 18th needing a birdie. On his second shot he used his driver and wound up short in high grass. He chipped to within three or four feet.

As he addressed the putt, someone in the huge gallery around the 18th sneezed loudly. Rodriguez backed away, smiled and offered the spectator his handkerchief. Then he stepped up and sank the putt.

“I told the guy not to drink the water,” Rodriguez said.

Palmer said he made two big mistakes and missed two short putts for his bogeys, but otherwise didn’t play too badly.

“When you make seven birdies you can’t be too unhappy,” he said. “But I missed two easy putts and hit two really bad iron shots.”

Palmer had his usual large gallery, and he gave them something to cheer about early. On No. 1, a 412-yard dogleg right around a hill to an elevated green, he put his drive up the hill to the right in high rough. He hit a six-iron to within 12 feet of the hole and sank the birdie putt.

Colbert, who won the last tournament in Florida, the weekend of Feb. 16, didn’t really putt well, but he had his 12th consecutive sub-par round.

“I’m sure that being able to clean the mud off the ball made for better scores,” he said. “It would have been a mess without the rule. When a ball picks up a big clod of mud, you don’t know what it will do. It goes crazy.

“The fairways were soft, but the greens were still firm. I’m amazed they were able to get the course into such great shape.”

Colbert is playing in his 27th tournament and completing his first year on the tour. If he finishes 52nd or better here, he will have won $1 million faster than anyone else on the senior tour.