Nicklaus, Watson Remain Formidable

The words used to describe Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson over the years are plentiful.

Legendary. Clutch. Intense. Classic.

A combined 26 major championships and 104 PGA Tour titles earn that type of praise.

Saturday, during the first round of the Hyundai Team Matches at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, a new word was added to the list: unbeatable.

Nicklaus and Watson defeated Gary McCord and John Jacobs, 4 and 2, in a Senior Tour semifinal, extending their unbeaten streak to seven when playing together in a team match-play tournament.

They were 3-0 in the 1981 Ryder Cup, 1-0 in the 1977 Ryder Cup and 2-0 in these matches last year. Perhaps a few practice round Nassaus have cost Nicklaus and Watson a few dollars, but in competition, they have managed to come out on top.

“I don’t think anyone feels unbeatable,” Nicklaus said. “You just have to be unbeatable.”

Saturday against McCord and Jacobs, they were.

They were two down after three holes but rallied to make the turn all square. They remained tied after swapping birdies on Nos. 11 and 12, but Nicklaus reeled off four consecutive birdies to close the match on No. 16.

“I was riding that horse today,” Watson said of his partner.

Nicklaus and Watson will play Bruce Fleisher and David Graham in a rematch of last year’s final, won by Nicklaus and Watson, 1-up. Fleisher and Graham defeated Allen Doyle and Dana Quigley on Saturday, 2 up.

Nicklaus credited patience, experience and his short game for Saturday’s round, in which he and Watson shot a team total of 11-under-par 61 after playing the final two holes for practice.

“You get yourself two down and you don’t panic,” Nicklaus said. “I was very pleased with my ability to get the ball up around the hole and get the ball in the hole.”

In the PGA Tour matches, Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf, who won the title in 1995 and 1996 and lost in the 1997 final, combined for five birdies in their final six holes and dusted Phil Mickelson and Rocco Mediate, 6 and 5.

Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia defeated Jean Van de Velde and Steve Flesch, 4 and 3, setting up a final match between the defending champions (Couples and Calcavecchia) and the winningest PGA Tour team in Team Matches history.

“I’m sure nobody will be afraid to do a little bantering back and forth out there,” Couples said. “Duffy has a pretty dry sense of humor and so does Tom.”

Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper, going after their fourth consecutive LPGA division title, didn’t need long to defeat Grace Park and Kelli Kuehne, 4 and 3.

Inkster birdied the first hole and the two did not trail. They will play Annika Sorenstam and Lorie Kane in the final. Sorenstam and Kane defeated Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel, 2-up, highlighted by Sorenstam holing out from 160 yards on the ninth hole for eagle.

“This is what we wanted,” Sorenstam said of facing the three-time defending champions. “It would not have been a successful tournament if we did not get to the final and play those two. I mean, they are the defending champs.”