Albus Takes Straight Approach to Land Shootout Victory : Golf: Quiet crowd watches UCLA graduate win $5,000 after Douglass hits into trees on final hole.

Bruce Henning faced a difficult task Tuesday afternoon at Mesa Verde Country Club.

Henning, an official with the Senior Tour, was master of ceremonies for the Southern California Bank Shootout.

The idea is simple: Ten players gather on the first tee and the player with the worst score on each hole is eliminated.

In case of ties, which are what makes it fun, the crowd yells suggestions for where the players should place the ball for the shootout. The player who hits the shot farthest from the hole is eliminated.

But Tuesday, there were only three ties in the competition won by Jim Albus, a former teaching professional who lives in Sarasota, Fla. Albus, who also won the Senior PGA Tour stop last week in San Antonio, made $5,000 Tuesday.

About 300 spectators, many of whom appeared unfamiliar with the format or the value of their involvement, were quiet and polite, and just thankful the sun was shining.

Henning, talking over loudspeakers strapped to a golf cart, didn’t get a chance to build drama on the final hole, which seemed over after the tee shots. Albus pounded his drive into the center of the fairway of the 390-yard par four, but Dale Douglass hit a tree and his ball came down about 130 yards off the tee.

Douglass laid up with an iron and Albus’ shot landed just short of the green. Douglass then hooked his approach shot over the green.

“You’re going to need a miracle and it doesn’t look good,” Henning told Douglass and the crowd.

Albus lipped out his putt, Douglass’ chip went well past the hole, and Albus was handed the check.

“It seems that I have something good left over from last week,” Albus said. “And that’s good. I’m playing well right now and much more steadier.”

Albus had never seen Mesa Verde until he played it Tuesday morning before the shootout. He is better versed in another local course. Albus was an assistant pro for a year at Mission Viejo Country Club after graduating from UCLA in 1965.

“I’m going to go down there and try to play,” Albus said. “There were no houses around it when I worked there. I guess (the area has) changed, from what I’ve seen on television. I couldn’t believe how different it was around here when we were driving in.”

Douglass won $3,000 for second and Larry Gilbert, who was eliminated by three-putting the eighth hole, got $1,500.

Two of the shootouts came on the sixth and seventh holes. All five players made par three on the 165-yard sixth and Simon Hobday was eliminated in a chipping contest from above the hole. He won $1,000.

“I was hoping they would choose to go in the sand,” Hobday said. “I’m pretty good from there.”

The four players again made par three on the 203-yard eighth and Larry Laoretti was selected to pick the shootout spot. He picked the greenside sand trap, a hole too late for Hobday, but it turned out to be a poor choice for Laoretti.

It took a tape measure to determine it, but his shot was the farthest away and he left with $1,100.

Tournament Notes

Others in the shootout were Bob Brue ($500), who was eliminated first. George Archer ($600) went out second, Larry Ziegler ($700) third, Al Geiberger ($800) fourth, and Bruce Crampton ($900) fifth. . . . The two-day Pro Am begins with 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. shotgun starts today. Among those playing in the afternoon are Isao Aoki, Calvin Peete, Dave Stockton and Tom Weiskopf. The Pro Am continues Thursday.