Ferree Leads, but Big Three Have a Nice Day : Senior golf: Nicklaus and Player two shots back at Tradition after 69s. Palmer at 71.

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, great golf names of the ‘ 60s and ‘ 70s, haven’t forgotten how to put on a show.

Theirs was the feature grouping of the first round of the $1-million Tradition senior tournament Thursday over the rugged Cochise Course at Desert Mountain. The three ran the golf gamut, from a hole in one to a double bogey.

On a beautiful day with some gusting wind, the trio summoned shots from the good old days.

Nicklaus and Player, although they arrived at their scores in much different ways, shot 69s, three under par. Palmer came in at 71.

On another day, the leader, Jim Ferree, who had five birdies on the way to a 67 and a two-shot advantage, would have been the story. Ferree, soon to be 64, has overcome prostate cancer, rotator cuff problems and a severe wrist injury.

“Usually, with my long-handled putter, I don’t putt too well,” Ferree said. “But today I had only 27 putts. That’s the best I’ve done in a long time. The best thing is, I feel good. On the first hole (390 yards), I hit the best drive of my life--only 54 yards from the pin.”

Tied for second with Player and Nicklaus are Bob Charles, Calvin Peete and Jerry McGee. Another stroke back are Raymond Floyd, Lee Trevino, Jay Sigel and Costa Mesa winner George Archer.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a huge crowd for the 8:20 a.m. start of the famous threesome, although it grew later. A bigger gallery was with Chi Chi Rodriguez, defending champion Floyd and Trevino, who teed off three hours later.

But the early risers were treated to a hole in one by Player, who also made an eagle when he sank a sand wedge from 100 yards.

“I had the strangest round,” Player said. “I hit the ball well, but I couldn’t putt. The eight-footer I sank for my first birdie on 12 was the only putt I made all day. Otherwise I had to use other clubs to put the ball in the hole. I hit an eight-iron for the hole in one (on the 186-yard seventh hole, playing downwind). On the hole after I sank the sand wedge, I used it again and it went only 60 yards and I bogeyed. A strange round.”

Nicklaus, who has played poorly in PGA Tour events, said he is on an exercise program and is getting his strength back.

He played a steady, down-the-middle game. But the wind sent his seven-iron shot on No. 7 over the green and into the water for a double bogey. It also prevented a birdie on 18 when it carried his wedge shot over the green.

“The three of us have played many rounds together, but the seventh (hole) today was the strangest ever,” Nicklaus said. “I hit first and put the ball in the water. Then Gary knocked it into the hole. That’s an almost unheard-of four-stroke switch.”

The seniors try to put Nicklaus, Player and Palmer together whenever they can, but to have them on the leader board is a page out of the past, when they dominated the tour.

“I think we all get a lift when we play together,” Player said. “I know I get a pleasure out of being with these two. Jack and Arnie aren’t just great for golf, they’re great ambassadors for golf. Believe me, I travel more miles than any athlete. Everywhere I go, Arnie and Jack are popular. It’s something special.”

Nicklaus is always expected to contend among the seniors. And Player doesn’t win as often as he did a few years ago, but he still fires some low rounds. Palmer, though, isn’t often under par anymore. In the last week, however, he switched to cross-handed putting and Thursday sank a 20-footer for a birdie on No. 2 and had no three-putt greens.

“I have a good feeling every time I play with these two fellows,” Palmer said. “We had a nice day. We really kid each other. I felt I could have played better. But all three of us under par is something. We’ll have another go tomorrow.”