It’s That Pack Mentality Again

In its fourth year at Newport Beach Country Club, the Toshiba Senior Classic is settling into a routine as certain as the cool afternoon breeze off the Pacific.

There have never been fewer than three players in the lead after the first round, and Friday was true to form with Gary McCord, John Jacobs, Bruce Summerhays and Tom Jenkins each shooting four-under-par 67.

“You are probably not going to blow the field away here,” Summerhays said. “A lot of people are in the tournament normally.”

No doubt. Eight others--defending champion Hale Irwin, Gil Morgan, Tom Wargo, Dana Quigley, Allen Doyle, Jim Albus, Bob Duval and Howard Twitty--are one stroke behind. Thirteen more, including Al Geiberger (69), Bob Murphy (70), Jay Sigel (70) and Graham Marsh (70), broke par on the deceptively tricky 6,584-yard layout.

“You have to take what you can get from this golf course, you don’t overpower it,” said Irwin, who won the 1998 tournament with a course-record 62 in the final round. “And as soon as I say this, John Jacobs will go out there and powerball it around the place.”

How’d you guess, Hale?

Jacobs, the Senior PGA Tour’s longest driver the past two years, said you won’t find him hitting any more irons off the tees at this tournament. Jacobs tried one on the ninth hole Friday, was distracted by nearby construction work and “hit it in the bushes.”

Jacobs said he hasn’t played well at Newport Beach in more than 40 years, since winning a junior tournament as a 12-year-old from Whittier. But a 67 in the pro-am Thursday gave him hope.

“I usually drive it up against about 10 trees a round out here,” Jacobs said. “I always try to guide the ball around. My mind-set this year is the hell with it, I’m just going to hit it as hard as I can. If it goes behind a tree, at least I’m going to be far enough down there, maybe I can get it on the green.”

Doing that Friday sure helped. He made two birdie putts of 10 feet and two of three. If he hadn’t missed two chances at birdies from less than three feet, he would be leading by himself.

But that wouldn’t be the way at Newport, where four were tied for the lead after the first round last year, three in 1997 and five in 1996.

McCord, playing in his first tournament of the year in the second group, took the early lead Friday. He hit a nine-iron to two inches on the par-four seventh hole for birdie and then birdied the 11th and 12th holes, the second on a 35-foot putt from the fringe. He also birdied the par-five 15th.

His bogey-free round came despite having little time to prepare because of his hectic schedule as a television golf commentator, author, movie producer and wannabe TV sitcom writer. After practicing a couple of days last week and here this week since Monday, he’s ready to go.

“That’s why I’m out here: to get in the hunt,” said McCord, who received a sponsor’s exemption. “That’s why I’m playing the senior tour: to get my heart started again.”

Jenkins, who finished with consecutive birdies, is trying to make the best of limited opportunities early this year. He won $455,000 as a senior tour rookie in 1998, but at 36th on the money list is only conditionally exempt for ’99.

Summerhays, one of five players without a bogey Friday, had birdies on Nos. 13-15 and finished by chipping to one foot and making birdie on 18.

Senior Golf Notes

Bruce Fleisher withdrew from the Toshiba event last week. He is still recovering from a viral infection.