Palmer-Jacobsen Age Well : Golf: They combine for a nine-under-par 63, one stroke off the lead, in the Shark Shootout.

The teams of Raymond Floyd-Fred Couples and Hale Irwin-Bruce Lietzke were tied for the lead after the first round of the $1-million Franklin Funds Shark Shootout Friday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

But if the tournament were handicapped on combined age, the third-place team of Arnold Palmer-Peter Jacobsen would be leading.

Palmer, 63, and Jacobsen, 38, have combined ages of 101. Irwin, 47, and Lietzke, 41, check in at 88. And Floyd, 50, and Couples, 33, are a combined 83.

“I think we should have an age handicap,”’ Lietzke said.

Apprised of that, Couples suggested that Floyd should have retained Jerry Barber as his partner. Barber, who plays on the senior tour, is 76.

In any event, the older golfers, with the exception of Couples, the Masters champion, were at the top of the leader board.

The format for the first day of the 54-hole event was best ball and the leaders obviously complemented each other.

Couples-Floyd and Irwin-Lietzke shot 10-under-par 62s, and Palmer-Jacobsen were a stroke behind.

Four teams were at 65: Chip Beck-Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite-Davis Love III, Nick Price-Billy Ray Brown and Lanny Wadkins-Tom Purtzer, the defending champions.

Floyd and Couples, who won the tournament in 1990, would seem to have an advantage, since they have been partners here on three previous occasions and were also partners in the last Ryder Cup competition.

Irwin and Lietzke have never teamed before and were not playing particularly well before this tournament.

Asked if his team has an advantage because of the shared experience, Couples said, “I think so.”

Floyd said: “It’s a comfort level. We’re both trying and we both know that. We’re in the same zone and play at pretty much the same pace.”

Even though Irwin and Lietzke had no partnership experience, they played well together.

“You look at the pairing and you say the Irwin-Lietzke team is an unlikely team,” Irwin said. “I’ve never played with Bruce as a teammate.

“However, we have similar games in that we have control and we’re left-to-right players. His length is far greater than mine. That’s why it’s conducive to me (hitting first) to put it in the fairway in this type of format. Then, let him go ahead and make a free swing at it.”

Added Lietzke: “We’re both happy with the way we played. We didn’t have high expectations. Maybe that’s why we played so well.”

All of the players said wind was a factor Friday, although Couples said that, at least, it blew in one direction.

Commenting on his team, Couples said: “It was a good mesh. Raymond made birdies (three) on the front and I made birdies (four) and an eagle on the back.”

Added Floyd, “I just stood back and watched him on the back side and made sure I put the score down properly.”

Palmer and Jacobsen, who were runners-up to Floyd and Couples here in 1990, were also a good mesh.

“I think we can play better than we did,” Palmer said. “On a couple of occasions, I wasn’t where I should have been and once or twice he wasn’t.”

Palmer said he has lost about 25 yards on his shots since his prime.

Jacobsen wouldn’t agree, saying, “Arnie still swings the club as well as anybody on any tour--male, female, seniors, junior.

Said Palmer, jokingly: “Mostly females.”

The format for today’s second round is alternate shot, with a scramble on Sunday.

“It’s a fun format,” Floyd said. “It’s not like playing an individual event.”