Morgan Changes for Better

Gil Morgan didn’t know what to expect when he teed off Friday in the first round of the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club, so imagine his surprise after he’d shot six-under-par 65 for sole possession of the first-round lead.

Last week at Valencia Country Club, his drives went crooked, his iron shots strayed off course, his putts didn’t fall and he finished in a tie for 53rd. Only twice had he finished lower since joining the Champions Tour in 1996.

But Morgan didn’t become the second-leading money winner in Champions Tour history by giving up, so he visited swing coach Ernie Vossler in La Quinta, then came out firing Friday with a bogey-free round that included four birdies and an eagle.

“I was a little apprehensive coming in here this week, trying to figure out what my game was doing,” Morgan said. “It’s a little depressing when you play poorly like that, so it’s nice to get off to a good start.”

Tom Jenkins and Wayne Levi are a shot behind Morgan. Bruce Lietzke, Keith Fergus and Allen Doyle are in a group of nine at four under, and Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw and defending champion Tom Purtzer head a pack of eight who are three shots behind.

Most of the leaders finished before a light but steady drizzle began. The forecast called for overnight rains and triggered thoughts of a shortened tournament, so a quick start became more important.

“In a three-day tournament, you want to get off to a quick start anyway,” Fergus said. “You don’t want to fall behind and then have to do something crazy to come from way back.”

Morgan might be difficult to catch, no matter how many rounds they play. He has taken a first-round lead 27 other times and gone on to win nine times. In the Toshiba Classic, he has shot 16 of 21 rounds in the 60s.

He has yet to win it, though, in his seven appearances at Newport Beach Country Club. He came closest in 2001, when he lost a nine-hole playoff to Jose Maria Canizares.

“You think it would be a good time to win, especially getting off to a good start this year,” Morgan said. “In the past, I always seemed to have one round or something that I don’t play up to snuff. Hopefully, this play can carry forward to the next couple of rounds.”

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Crenshaw’s 68 was his lowest round since a second-round 68 at Newport Beach last year.... John Jacobs, who was carted off the course during the first round last week and spent about eight hours in a hospital because of food poisoning, celebrated his 60th birthday Friday with a one-under 70. “I’m happy with that,” Jacobs said. “After last week, I thought I’d be under the grass instead of walking on top of it.”