Morgan Provides Some Leadership

1 Who’s hot: Leading money-winner Gil Morgan. Though he has yet to win a tournament, Morgan has finished in the top seven in each of his last five starts, going under par in 13 of 14 rounds. Two miscues on the final hole -- an errant drive at Key Biscayne and a three-putt at Valencia -- ended his chances.... Hubert Green, with three top 10s, including the last two events in California.... Hale Irwin, with two seconds and a third.

2 Who’s not: CBS analyst Lanny Wadkins, who has managed to break 70 only once in eight rounds.... It must be spreading: Colleague Gary McCord, with lackluster California results (29th at Valencia, 43rd at Newport Beach).... Chi Chi Rodriguez (78th at Valencia, 80th at Newport Beach).... Walter Morgan, six consecutive finishes outside the top 50.

3 Biggest surprises: David Eger, the winner in Mexico who overcame a four-stroke deficit with nine holes to play. Eger, a former PGA Tour official, has worked with swing guru David Leadbetter.... Jerry McGee. In six starts, McGee, diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, has recorded three top-20s finishes.... Non-exempt Steven Veriato, 27th on the money list.

4 Biggest disappointments: Fuzzy Zoeller. Except for a 13th-place finish at the TPC of Tampa Bay, Zoeller (31st in Mexico, 49th at Valencia, 43rd at Newport Beach) has done zilch since that unfortunate disqualification in Key Biscayne.... The other Wadkins, Bobby, not playing much better than his older brother. He has one top-25 finish in six starts.

5 Best round: Eger’s final-round 65 in Mexico, punctuated by a four-foot birdie putt at 18. Another highlight was a five-foot putt to save bogey on 13 after he had hit his drive out of bounds.... Mike Hill’s six-under 66 in the final round at Tampa Bay. Hill, who finished third, turned 64 in January.... Rodger Davis’ second-round 64 at Newport Beach, leading to his first victory as a senior.

6 Worst round: Tom Kite’s third-round 74 in Mexico. He was only two strokes out of the lead when he went further south, recording the poorest score among the closest pursuers. Kite has only one top 10 in seven tournaments.

7 Best shot under pressure: Tom Purtzer’s 58-foot sweeping left-to-right putt for a closing eagle at Valencia when it seemed almost certain that he would come up short for the second year in a row.... Bruce Fleisher’s tee shot at the 213-yard, par-three 17th at Tampa Bay. Fleisher knocked it to within seven feet, converting the putt to outduel Irwin.

8 Worst shot under pressure: A tie between two birdie attempts that led to three-putts. First, Irwin’s 20-foot effort at Tampa Bay. He missed the comebacker from four feet. Second, Morgan’s 30-foot putt at Valencia that couldn’t match Purtzer’s miracle. Worse yet, it went seven feet past the hole.

9 Coming attractions: The next big stop is the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, the event that launched the tour in 1980.... The Senior PGA Championship in early June at Aronimink in Pennsylvania, where Zoeller defends. The winner gets an exemption into the regular tour’s PGA Championship.... A new event, the Columbus Southern Open in Georgia. Too bad all eyes that week will be on Annika.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Champions Money Leaders

N. Player...Tournaments Money

1. Gil Morgan...6 $462,000

2. Hale Irwin...6 $456,022

3. Dana Quigley...7 $438,671

4. Tom Purtzer...5 $395,795

5. David Eger...6 $368,748

6. Rodger Davis...6 $363,831

7. Bruce Fleisher...7 $352,843

8. Larry Nelson...6 $348,387

9. Dave Barr...6 $335,540

10. Tom Jenkins...7 $310,488

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Champions Tour at a Glance

RESULTS

*--* Date Tournament Winner Jan. 30-Feb. 2 MasterCard Championship Dana Quigley Feb. 7-9 Royal Caribbean Golf Classic Dave Barr Feb. 14-16 The ACE Group Classic Vicente Fernandez Feb. 21-23 Verizon Classic Bruce Fleisher March 7-9 MasterCard Classic David Eger March 14-16 SBC Classic Tom Purtzer March 21-23 Toshiba Senior Classic Rodger Davis

*--*

UPCOMING EVENTS

*--* Date Tournament Site April 18-20 Emerald Coast Classic The Moors GC, Milton, Fla April 25-27 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, Savannah, Ga May 2-4 Bruno’s Memorial Classic Greystone G&CC;, Hoover, Ala May 9-11 Kinko’s Classic of Austin The Hills CC, Austin, Texas May 16-18 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am The National GC of K.C., Kansas City, Mo May 23--25 Columbus Southern Open Green Island CC, Columbus, Ga May 30-June 1 Music City Championship Springhouse GC, Nashville June 5--8 Senior PGA Championship Aronimink GC, Newtown Square, Pa

*--*

-- Michael Arkush