Classic Jam at Top Is Par for Course

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, Tom Jenkins, John Jacobs and Bruce Summerhays shooting four-under-par 67s.

“You’re 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. McCord, Irwin, Summerhays, Morgan and Quigley were the only players without a bogey.

“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 power ball it around the place.”

How’d you guess, Hale?

Jacobs, the Senior PGA Tour’s longest driver the last two years, said you won’t find him hitting anymore irons off the tee 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.”

He did that plenty of times Friday. Jacobs made two birdie putts of 10 feet and two of three. If he hadn’t missed two birdie chances 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 ’96.

McCord, in the second group and playing in his first tournament of the year, took the early lead Friday. He hit a nine iron to within two inches on the par-four seventh hole and made 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.

Jenkins, who finished with two 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. He only got into one of the four Florida events in February, finishing tied for 11th in Naples.

“I probably hit more golf balls in Florida than anyone else,” Jenkins said. “I was at every event and when I didn’t make the field, I just stayed and practiced all day.”

Summerhays made his run late. He had consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 and finished by chipping to one foot for birdie on 18.

Irwin’s game hasn’t been sharp this season, but he said he has been focusing on other priorities: Working on a home he is having built in Phoenix and spending more time with his wife. He said he needed the rest after winning 16 senior tournaments the last two years.

“I’ve needed some time to let the golf and all the buzz go by,” he said. “I’m sort of trying to jump-start it now.”

His 68, matching his best opening-round score this year, could be a good omen. Irwin’s first victory last year came at Newport Beach.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The First Round

Scores with relation to par Friday after the first round of the Toshiba Senior Classic, played on the 6,584-yard, par-71 Newport Country Club:

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Gary McCord 34-33--67 -4 Tom Jenkins 33-34--67 -4 John Jacobs 34-33--67 -4 Bruce Summerhays 35-32--67 -4 Hale Irwin 34-34--68 -3 Tom Wargo 33-35--68 -3 Dana Quigley 32-36--68 -3 Gil Morgan 35-33--68 -3 Allen Doyle 35-33--68 -3 Jim Albus 33-35--68 -3 Howard Twitty 34-34--68 -3 Bob Duval 33-35--68 -3 Frank Conner 33-36--69 -2 Walter Hall 33-36--69 -2 Tom McGinnis 35-34--69 -2 Al Geiberger 34-35--69 -2 Terry Dill 36-33--69 -2 Butch Baird 36-33--69 -2 Bill Hall 35-35--70 -1 David Lundstrom 36-34--70 -1 Bob Murphy 34-36--70 -1 John Bland 34-36--70 -1 Jay Sigel 34-36--70 -1 Graham Marsh 33-37--70 -1 Joe Inman 35-35--70 -1 Babe Hiskey 36-35--71 E Jim Thorpe 34-37--71 E Calvin Peete 36-35--71 E Hubert Green 35-36--71 E Gibby Gilbert 38-33--71 E Gary Player 35-36--71 E George Archer 34-37--71 E David Graham 38-33--71 E John Mahaffey 35-36--71 E Gay Brewer 37-34--71 E Barney Thompson 35-37--72 +1 Ray Carrasco 36-36--72 +1 Walter Zembriski 36-36--72 +1 Larry Mowry 36-36--72 +1 John D. Morgan 37-35--72 +1 Jim Ferree 37-35--72 +1 Tom Shaw 38-34--72 +1 Lee Trevino 38-34--72 +1 Larry Ziegler 35-37--72 +1 Gene Littler 37-35--72 +1 Bob Wynn 37-35--72 +1 Mike McCullough 35-37--72 +1 Larry Laoretti 36-37--73 +2 Rocky Thompson 37-36--73 +2 Bob Dickson 35-38--73 +2 Chi Chi Rodriguez 37-36--73 +2 Hugh Baiocchi 37-36--73 +2 J.C. Snead 38-35--73 +2 Jimmy Powell 38-35--73 +2 Charles Coody 36-37--73 +2 DeWitt Weaver 37-36--73 +2 Bobby Nichols 37-36--73 +2 Dave Stockton 36-38--74 +3 Dave Eichelberger 37-37--74 +3 Dale Douglass 37-37--74 +3 Walter Morgan 37-37--74 +3 Miller Barber 35-39--74 +3 Harold Henning 37-38--75 +4 Orville Moody 38-37--75 +4 Bob Eastwood 37-38--75 +4 Leonard Thompson 37-38--75 +4 Fred Gibson 40-35--75 +4 Alberto Giannone 37-38--75 +4 Rick Acton 38-37--75 +4 Jerry McGee 36-40--76 +5 Dave Hill 41-35--76 +5 Larry Nelson 39-37--76 +5 Lee Elder 36-41--77 +6 Don January 42-35--77 +6 Don Bies 37-40--77 +6 Steve Veriato 39-38--77 +6 Dick Hendrickson 37-41--78 +7 Norm Davis 43-43--86 +15

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Today’s Tee Times

Second round of the Senior Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club:

8:20 a.m.--Steve Veriato, Dick Hendrickson, Norm Davis

8:30--Lee Elder, Don January, Don Bies

8:40--Jerry McGee, Dave Hills, Larry Nelson

8:50--Fred Gibson, Alberto Giannone, Rick Acton

9--Orville Moody, Bob Eastwood, Leonard Thompson

9:10--Walter Morgan, Miller Barber, Harold Henning

9:20--Dave Stockton, Dave Eichelberger, Dale Douglass

9:30--Charles Coody, DeWitt Weaver, Bobby Nichols

9:40--Hugh Baiocchi, J.C. Snead, Jimmy Powell

9:50--Rocky Thompson, Bob Dickson, Chi Chi Rodriguez

10--Bob Wynn, Mike McCullough, Larry Laoretti

10:10--Lee Trevino, Larry Ziegler, Gene Littler

10:20--John D. Morgan, Jim Ferree, Tom Shaw

10:30--Ray Carrasco, Walter Zembriski, Larry Mowry

10:40--John Mahaffey, Gay Brewer, Barney Thompson

10:50--Gary Player, George Archer, David Graham

11--Calvin Peete, Hubert Green, Gibby Gilbert

11:10--Joe Inman, Babe Hiskey, Jim Thorpe

11:20--John Bland, Jay Sigel, Graham Marsh

11:30--Bill Hall, David Lundstrom, Bob Murphy

11:40--Al Geiberger, Terry Dill, Butch Baird

11:50--Frank Conner, Walter Hall, Tom McGinnis

Noon--Jim Albus, Howard Twitty, Bob Duval

12:10--Dana Quigley, Gil Morgan, Allen Doyle

12:20--Bruce Summerhays, Hale Irwin, Tom Wargo

12:30--Gary McCord, Tom Jenkins, John Jacobs