Nicklaus Steals Show at Pelican Hill

It’s pretty tough to steal attention here at Pelican Hill Golf Club, perched upon the bluffs of Newport Coast, where majestic vistas of the Pacific Ocean dominate the scene.

But when you’re Jack Nicklaus and you’re making one of your famous Golden Bear charges, it’s even tougher not to.

Nicklaus captured the consciousness of the Saturday crowd at the Diners Club Matches with birdies on the first three holes, awed the onlookers with an eagle on the eighth and carried partner Tom Watson to a 5-and-4 dusting of Allen Doyle and Dana Quigley in a first-round Senior PGA Tour match. Nicklaus and Watson, who have never lost a match in any event when teamed together, will play Bruce Fleisher and David Graham in the final today.

“I’ve been playing very well the last week or so,” said Nicklaus, who missed much of the 1999 season after hip replacement surgery in January.

“I’m really pleased to see that. I’m kind of excited just to be playing golf.”

So excited that when Watson closed the match with a par on the 14th hole, the pair played out the final four holes. Nicklaus made another eagle at No. 17 and finished with a 62.

“The lowest score I’ve shot in probably 30 years,” Nicklaus said. “But you’re shooting 62 in a four-ball match--a better-ball match where you’re going ahead and doing things that you might not normally do. If I had played an individual round today, I mean I don’t think I’d have shot 62 . . . maybe I would have, but I don’t think so.”

Nicklaus, on the advice of son Gary, recently used a laser beam on the face of his putter to check his alignment. He discovered he was lining up two inches left and made the adjustment that spurred the assault on Pelican Hill.

He two-putted for birdie on the first, made a three-footer on the second, a 15-footer on No. 3, an 18-footer on seven and, after walking through his own putting line and removing a ladybug from his ball, drained a 35-foot eagle putt on the eighth for a 4-up lead.

“I’ve seen Jack play that well in lots of instances,” Watson said. “Yesterday he played right in front of me and he said he made an eagle and no birdies in the pro-am, so basically what he did today was get even with the course after two rounds.”

Nicklaus doesn’t expect the birdie barrage to continue today, but pointed out that the guy playing with him is pretty good too.

“I know the guys that we’re playing tomorrow are saying, ‘Well, I’m glad he got that out of the way today,’ ” Nicklaus said. “But they don’t realize that I’ve got a partner and I’m gonna ride on his shoulders tomorrow.”

Fleisher carried his team to its 3-and-2 victory over defending champions Gil Morgan and Jay Sigel by making birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 11 and holing a fairway shot for eagle on the 13th.

Defending champions Dottie Pepper and Juli Inkster will play Karrie Webb and Kelly Robbins in the Diners Club Matches LPGA final.

Inkster made a match-saving two-putt par over two tiers from 35 feet on the 18th hole for a 1-up victory over Laura Davies and Kelli Kuehne.

Webb and Robbins won, 3 and 1, when Annika Sorenstam and Lorie Kane both three-putted the 17th hole.

Defending Diners Club PGA champions Steve Elkington and Jeff Maggert will play Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples in the final. Calcavecchia made three birdies and an eagle in the final five holes of his team’s 2-and-1 victory over Chris Perry and Skip Kendall.

Elkington and Maggert defeated Steve Pate and Mark Wiebe, 3 and 1.