First-Round Notebook: Mason Finds Way Onto Tour

By Alex Miceli

BALTIMORE, Md. – James Mason is not a household name like those of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player or Hale Irwin.

His Senior career has been a short one, consisting of seven events in 2001 and five this season, but Mason's breakthrough came in May in New Jersey when he won the NFL Golf Classic over John Schroeder.

"It hasn't totally sunk in," Mason said of his win. "I was able to pay off all my bills was the big thing for right now."

Mason had tried to Monday qualify into numerous Senior Tour events since he turned 50 in January of 2001, and it was that qualifying method that got him into the NFL Classic, where he shot 65-73-69, a 9-under total, to win by two shots.

Mason, playing in his second U.S. Senior Open, showed a game he didn't have last year at Salem Country Club when he shot 74-76 and missed the cut. In the first round at Caves Valley Thursday, he shot a 3-under 68, tying his second-best round of the year and putting him solidly on the leaderboard headed by R.W. Eaks.

"Just letting myself play," Mason said was the short answer

as to why he is playing better. "My wife has certainly helped a lot with the mental side of my game. And I'm just believing more in myself and believing that I can play. It's an old cliche, but I'm kind of getting out of my own way and just letting myself play."

Mason's hopes for this week are simple: stay on the leaderboard and see what happens on Sunday.

And as for his professional career?

"I'm going to be out here for a least a year, and should be out here for a year and half,” he said. “Hopefully, I can just continue to improve and play better and stay out here for four or five years."

Blistering Round

"Too much golf lately," was Lanny Wadkins' remark as he limped off the course after shooting a 2-over-par 73 in the first round.  Wadkins looked beat up by the hills and the warm, humid temperatures at Caves Valley, but it was just a blister on his left foot that was wearing him down.

Wadkins had played four days of golf at Pine Valley late last week and was feeling the effects.

If carts had been available over the practice rounds Wadkins would have used one, but the USGA does not allow carts in its championships.

"The problem is going down hills, because it rubs," said Wadkins of his blister.  "I got this thing wrapped so tight right now I think I got the circulation cut off."

Long-Distance Solution

At last year's U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club, Paul Simson finished as low amateur, shooting 74-74-73-73.  That performance got him an exemption into this year's field, where he bettered his previous best Senior Open round by three shots on Thursday, shooting a 1-under-par 70.

Of the 29 amateurs in the 156-man field, Simson was the only one to break par.

Simson hadn't been getting much from his game lately, so he did something he hadn't done in 20 years -- took a lesson. Simson sent a video to an assistant pro at his home course of North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh, N.C., and the two men worked over the phone on the changes.

"One of the assistant pros down at the club kind of gave me some ideas, and sure enough I played at the Northeast Amateur all weekend and I didn't really play well," said Simson. "Monday, I started to see some signs of maybe some really good hope, and then Tuesday I played a really good round. I hit a pretty easy 68. Yesterday I hit the ball pretty well again, and I felt confident doing another round."

Simson's solution to his problem was a simple tweak that

forced him to take the club more outside then on the inside path he was initiating on his back swing.

Watson Rolls

Tom Watson had an excellent first round of 4-under 67 that included four birdies and no bogeys.

Watson was nearly flawless, hitting 14 greens and 12 of 14 fairways. He did need 29 putts, which wasn't bad, but wasn't great either.

"I like the fact that greens in regulations says 14, but I actually putted on two that I missed there, so I really missed only two greens from the standpoint of putting the ball," said Watson. "And that's the best.

"I had shots, so that was the key to my round. The best part

of my round was my driving, keeping the ball in play, and that's what I've been doing in the practice rounds."

And Watson, who won his only U.S. Open title 20 years with a dramatic chip-in on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach to defeat Jack Nicklaus, said his round could have been lower.

"I missed a short birdie putt on one. I missed a short birdie putt on 11, short birdie putt at 12. Again, there were a lot of birdie putts there, and outside of that, from the 15-foot range that I didn't make. But I did chip the ball in and that made up for one of those missed short putts, so I can't complain," he said.

When asked if his fans should root for his driver or his putter to  perform in the next three rounds, Watson didn't hesitate in his response.

"Root for my putter, will you,” he said. “I need a little help in that area."

Alex Miceli is a freelance writer.