COURSE REVIEWS

First Round Coverage:
Toshiba Senior Classic

Dave Eichelberger's Putter Earns
Him Share Of Lead with Roy Vucinich

By Bob Buttitta,
GolfCalifornia.com Course Reviewer

 

	Dave Eichelberger

NEWPORT BEACH - Dave Eichelberger's hot putting catapulted him into a tie for the lead after the first round of the 2000 Toshiba Senior Classic being played at the Newport Beach Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif.

Eichelberger needed just 23 putts on Friday, enabling him to finish with a 5-under, 66 good. Joining him at the top of the leaderboard is unheralded Roy Vucinich, whose best career finish in his short Senior Tour career is a tie for 14th at the 1997 Bell Atlantic Classic.

Just one stroke back are Larry Nelson and Howard Twitty, who both posted 4-under 67s.

Eichelberger's strong showing on the greens included a birdie putt of 25-feet, two from 10-feet and a 20-foot par putt. "A lot of times those par putts are better than the birdie putts," Eichelberger said. "You think you're going to lose a stroke and then you roll one in and it allows you to keep your momentum rolling."

Keeping his momentum rolling throughout an entire tournament is something Eichelberger has not been able to do of late. He said a perfect example was this year's Liquid.com Invitational.

"Last week (at LiquidGolf.com) I was in second place heading into Sunday and I came out and didn't do much," Eichelberger said. "I couldn't put anything together, especially with the putter."

• Preview: Toshiba Senior Classic • Past GolfCalifornia.com course reviews

But while he struggled with the putter in last week's final round, overall Eichelberger said he's rolling it well and has a lot more confidence on the greens. He said one reason for that confidence comes from a new putter, an Odyssey 500. Another reason is his confidence in reading greens.

"My caddie Bobby Conlan is the best I've ever seen at reading greens and I'm the second best," Eichelberger said. "We work together well reading greens."

Last year was Eichelberger's best on the Senior Tour. He won twice, including the US Senior Open and he earned $882,532, the most money he ever won either on the Senior Tour or the PGA Tour. While he's struggled a bit this season, Eichelberger likes his chances this week.

"I don't have a strategy, I just try to hit it as far as I can on first tee and shoot as low as I can," Eichelberger said. "I didn't finish well last week but this week will be different."

Vucinich tied Eichelberger at 5-under with a 30-foot birdie putt on 18. The longtime club professional said 5-under was a little more than he expected.

"Five-under is as low as I have been all year," Vucinich said. "I've never been in the lead at a tournament of this size, so I'm going to enjoy the experience tomorrow of playing in the final group."

Larry Nelson is also looking forward to the weekend. After struggling throughout the early part of this season, Nelson played his best round of the year on Friday. It came as a result of a change he made in his golf swing after noticing a flaw in his swing while practicing in front of the mirror in his hotel.

He discovered he was leaving too much weight on his right side so he made a conscious effort to keep his weight on the left side on Friday and it seemed to work.

Nelson fired a 4-under, 67, a round that included six birdies and an eagle. "That's more birdies than I've made all year," Nelson said. "I started off well (he was 4-under after four holes) but then the course started playing pretty difficult.

"I put some new shafts on my clubs yesterday and I hit them pretty well. The changes I made in my swing still feel awkward but I still feel better than I have felt in a while. I had a lot more confidence today than I did yesterday and I'm hoping I have even more confidence tomorrow."

Toshiba Notes:

	Tom Jenkins

Jenkins Is Senior Tour's Unknown Soldier: Tom Jenkins is among a group of players at 2-under par though one round of the Toshiba Senior Classic. The fact that Jenkins is near the top of the leaderboard is not a surprise, he won the 1999 Bell Atlantic Classic had 17 top 10 finishes in 1999.

But despite winning more than $1 million last year, the third year Senior Tour veteran is a virtual unknown to most golf fans.

"It's hard to break into that group that the television guys like to show," Jenkins said. "Getting exposure isn't easy but that will change if I keep staying in the hunt and winning. But the exposure isn't a big deal.

"I'm having a lot fun playing. I feel good about my game and my attitude. This is my sixth event in a row but I still feel refreshed. Sometimes when I play a lot I start to lose my patience when something bad happens but that hasn't been happening. I feel good about things."

Jenkins played the PGA Tour from 1973 through 1985, winning his only PGA event in 1975. He won the IVB Philadelphia Classic, holding off a late charge by Johnny Miller.

But he said the last two years on the Senior Tour have been his best. "I'm having a lot of fun out here," Jenkins said.