Senior Golfers Can’t Ride Out Latest Storm

Tom Purtzer is defending champion of the Toshiba Senior Classic, largely because of the course-record 60 he shot last year during the first round. But the 53-year-old with a degenerative back condition will be hard-pressed to repeat -- because this time around he’ll have to walk the 6,598-yard Newport Beach Country Club course.

The Champions Tour, for players 50 and older, is five events into its 25th season -- its first in which carts are not allowed.

The ban, which has sparked some controversy, was implemented to make the competition more attractive to fans and television audiences, tour officials say. Walking has always been required on the PGA Tour, but while some senior players don’t seem to mind it, others are speaking out against the rule.

“I had a heart attack 15 months ago and [doctors have] been in my heart twice,” said Ed Fiori, who will be 52 next month. “But obviously I’m not in bad enough shape [to warrant the use of a cart]. That’s what the tour told me” with the ruling.

Critics worry that there might be serious consequences, especially for older players or those already beset by health issues. That concern was underscored at the senior stop at the Valencia Country Club last week when John Jacobs, 60, was hospitalized and treated for dehydration after playing the first round in temperatures in the mid-80s.

There has been talk of lawsuits aimed at reversing the ban, but none have been filed, according to tour officials. Nor has a tour player sought an exception under the Americans With Disabilities Act, as Casey Martin successfully did on the PGA Tour.

Last year, about 20 in a standard field of 78 senior golfers used carts, either occasionally or from start to finish, according to tour records. When the ban was being considered, surveys placed the percentage of players in favor of using carts as high as 80%, although some are skeptical of that number.

“I’m a no-cart guy,” said Allen Doyle, 56, who said he was not questioned in a survey. “I think it looks better for our product. I think it’s much better for the spectators. I know that if I was a spectator and came out to my first tournament I would say [forget] these guys. I’m not chasing them around in their carts.”

Champions Tour President Rick George, during a conference call to kick off the season, said of the ban: “We think it’s better for the fans and the viewers and provides a better look to our broadcast, and it’s better for the condition of the golf course.”

Players are allowed to use carts during practice rounds and pro-ams, so they’re required to walk only 54 holes. “It’s not like you’re asking a guy to run four marathons,” said Howard Twitty, 56, who occasionally used a cart.

Still, said Leonard Thompson, “For 25 years carts didn’t do anything to hurt this tour. I just don’t see the point.”

At the SBC Classic, fans seemed to appreciate being able to walk casually alongside their favorite players, and opinions among players varied. However, most top players seemed to favor the ban.

The tour’s top money winner, Hale Irwin, who will be 60 in June and has begun to experience back problems, said carts are “not part of the game,” adding, “Part of this game has to do with physical conditioning.”

Irwin, winner of 42 Champions Tour events, including two this year, said he visits the on-site conditioning trailer and suggested that players who have become reliant on carts do the same.

Paul Schueren, a physical therapist who for 18 years has worked in conjunction with the tour, said it’s up to the players and their physicians to decide whether it’s wise to walk 54 holes over three consecutive days.

That said, he added that walking is beneficial. “It makes you stronger and keeps the back muscles moving,” he said. “Being hunched over in a cart, posturally, is not always the best thing to do.”

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The Facts

* What: Toshiba Senior Classic, a 54-hole Champions Tour event

* When: Today-Sunday.

* Where: Newport Beach Country Club (6,571 yards, par 71).

* Who: 78 players, including Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson, Fuzzy Zoeller, Gary McCord, Bruce Lietzke, Curtis Strange and Isao Aoki.

* Purse: $1.65 million. Winner’s share: $247,500.

* TV: The Golf Channel (today-Sunday, 2-4:30 p.m.).

* 2004 winner: Tom Purtzer, who shot a course-record 11-under 60 in the opening round, then held on for a one-shot victory over Morris Hatalsky.

* Tickets: $20 each day, available at tournament gate.

* Notes: Irwin, who won in 1998 and 2002, is the only two-time champion. He has five top-five finishes in nine appearances; Allen Doyle has shot in the 60s 16 times in 17 rounds at Newport Beach Country Club.

* Streaks: Dana Quigley has not missed a Champions Tour event since 1997. This week will be his 254th consecutive start.

* Fast fact: The Toshiba Senior Classic has a history of lengthy playoffs. In 1997 Bob Murphy and Jay Sigel needed nine extra holes to settle a tie, and in 2001 Jose Maria Canizares defeated Gil Morgan in a nine-hole playoff. In 1999, Gary McCord defeated John Jacobs in a five-hole playoff. The nine-hole playoffs are tied for second-longest in Champions Tour history.