Big Finish Puts Event On Map

As the playoff between eventual champion Bob Murphy and Jay Sigel dragged on Sunday, it became clear the real winner was going to be the Toshiba Senior Classic.

The tournament, in its second year at Newport Beach Country Club, was best known for all the camera shots taken from a blimp over the Newport Beach area.

Shots of someone surfing or sailing in the afternoon sun were more memorable than the golf until Murphy and Sigel hooked up in a duel that lasted about 90 minutes.

Now, it will be known as the tournament that has the longest playoff--nine holes--in the history of the Senior PGA Tour.

“You couldn’t have written a better script,” tournament chairman Stephen Wagner said. “I think we’ll get tremendous media coverage from all over. This gives us something to build on.”

The first thing on the tournament’s agenda is securing Newport Beach Country Club as the tournament site again next year. At this time it doesn’t seem to be too difficult a challenge, considering the tournament directors want it to stay at Newport Beach and country club officials agree.

Jerry Anderson, general manager of the country club, said he talked to several players Sunday who had positive things to say about the course and the event.

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Did you see it: While the tension grew as the playoff progressed, its sad to say the crowd didn’t. By the time Murphy rolled in the winning 80-foot putt on the 17th hole, there were only about 500 people left watching. There were maybe about the same number sitting around at the 18th green hoping it would go one more hole.

Tournament organizers placed attendance between 50,000 and 60,000 for the week but there is no way to verify such numbers because there are no turnstiles.

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Still ticking: Bob Charles turned 61 Friday but said he feels as good as he did when he started the tour. He is playing about as well too.

Charles shot 72 Sunday and finished tied for third place, worth $60,000. He missed two birdie putts, a four-footer on No. 16 and 12 feet on No. 18. Either would have put him in the playoff.

Still, Charles has won 23 times on the senior tour and he has five victories on the PGA Tour. He has also finished third, fifth, and ninth this season and is sixth on the money list with $227,917.

Although he has just started his 12th season on the senior tour, Charles says his game is as healthy as ever. While many players start to slow down after a few solid years as a senior player, Charles has continued on.

He had a victory last season and is four behind all-time leader Lee Trevino, who has 27.

“I feel just as good at 61 as I did at 50,” Charles said. “Thanks to the Centinela fitness trailer we have the opportunity to work out. I do my exercises and I sure eat my broccoli every day and carrots and cauliflower and orange and apples and all those fruits and vegetables. For a sheep farmer from New Zealand to say something like that sure goes against the grain a bit.”

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The hole story: The fifth hole, a 455-yard, par-four that plays into the wind most of the time, was the most difficult hole for the players all three days. Players had a stroke average of 4.372 on it and there were 14 birdies against 83 bogeys and nine double bogeys.

David Graham, who finished in a tie for sixth, had a birdie on the hole the first day, then made double bogey Saturday and bogey Sunday.

The 15th hole, a 492-yard, par-five was the easiest hole on the course. Players averaged 4.705 strokes and there were two eagles--by Charles and Terry Dill--and 85 birdies and only 16 bogeys.

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The past: Jim Colbert, the 1996 champion, didn’t even get close to his championship form this time around. He got a shot worse each day, shooting 73, then 74, and finally a 75 Sunday.

His three-round total of nine-over 222, 21 shots worse than his winning total of 201. He finished in a tie for 67th place and won $980 after taking home $150,000 last year.