Ladin is Nearly Par For the Seniors’ Course : Golf: Defending champion from Westlake fires opening-round 73.

After making his first and only birdie putt of the day, an eight-footer on the 18th hole at Poppy Hills Golf Course, Paul Ladin raised a hand over his head and barked loud enough to rattle the dishes in the clubhouse kitchen.

“Finally,” he said.

His play wasn’t that bad. Not by a long shot.

Ladin fired a one-over-par 73 Wednesday, good for fourth place after the first round of the 3rd State Senior Amateur Championship, for players 55 and older.

Ladin, the defending champion and a Westlake Village resident, led a group of five area players seeking to make the 36-hole cut after today’s round. The top 24 players plus ties advance to the final round Friday in the 54-hole, stroke-play event.

Ladin wasn’t dissatisfied with the round--which left him two shots off the lead--he was just miffed that he didn’t capitalized on several opportunities.

“I played fair,” said Ladin, 61, who owns an auto dealership in Thousand Oaks. “It was OK. That about covers it.”

Monotonous is another way to describe his round. Ladin didn’t make many birdies, but he didn’t make many mistakes, either. He had 15 pars and two bogeys before he rammed home the putt at No. 18. During one stretch, he parred nine consecutive holes.

Ladin trails co-leaders James Riedstra of Novato and James McMurtrey, who shot 71s. McMurtrey, one of the nation’s top senior amateurs, is the reigning Northern California Golf Assn. Senior champion.

Bill Paulson, director of the NCGA, which makes its headquarters at Poppy Hills, is third at 72.

Camarillo’s Jim Patterson, 68, shot 76 to remain in the hunt. William Mott, an orthodontist from Calabasas, shot 79 and was the only other player from the region to break 80.

Patterson was among seven players at 76, good for a share of 12th place.

Mott also would have ranked among the leaders without a dreadful two-hole stretch on the back nine. Mott, 56, triple-bogeyed the 13th and double-bogeyed the 14th, both par fours. He shot 42 on the back nine.

“I hit it in the woods and I couldn’t get it out,” Mott said.

Ladin experienced no such disaster, though he said missing five birdie putts from within 20 feet almost qualified.

Finally, on the 18th, a 474-yard par five, Ladin reached the green with a driver and four-iron, and two-putted from the fringe for birdie.

Chuck Wagner of Camarillo shot 80 and Jerome Chirpich of Granada Hills shot 81. Joe Bolstad of Westlake Village withdrew after nine holes because of a bad back.

Ladin definitely looked the role of the pre-tournament heavy. He dressed completely in black, from his shoes and spikes to his hat.

His somber attire had nothing to do with intimidation or a backhanded compliment to Gary Player. The choice was for both form and function.

“I have on black shorts, too,” he cracked. “But I wore black to keep warm. I wanted to absorb all the heat I could. I can’t stand the cold up here.”

Given the chance, most of the field probably would have burned their score cards. The weather definitely had a chilling effect.

Only 11 of 81 players shot 75 or better, despite playing from the white tees.