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Lietzke In Position To Win, Says
He Won’t Be Back Next Year
By Ken Klavon, USGA
Toledo, Ohio – Fearful of missing a morning tee time, Bruce
Lietzke normally carries two alarm clocks to each tournament.
He won’t have to worry about waking up early Sunday for the
final round of the 24th U.S. Senior Open after
parlaying a 7-under 64 into a 9-under 204 for the championship
and a four-stroke lead over Vincente Fernandez and Tom Watson.
Lietzke’s tee time with Watson for Sunday’s round is set
for 2:05 p.m. EDT.
Lietzke’s 64 at the 6,983-yard par-71 Inverness Club was
the second-lowest score in a championship’s third round, tying
Orville Moody. However, Moody shot 8 under at Laurel Valley
Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., in 1989.
As was the case after the second round, only Allen Doyle
(1-under 212), Fernandez, Lietzke and Watson were under par
for the championship.
"I didn’t expect that anybody would go out and shoot
a 63 or 64," said Lietzke, who had started the round
at 2 under, three strokes behind Fernandez.
As Watson passed Lietzke near the clubhouse afterward, he
playfully shouted, "Would you cool off?" Lietzke
smiled.
So how did the 51-year-old Lietzke do it?
Three words. It wasn’t pretty.
He surprisingly registered nine birdies in gusty conditions
after playing out of the gnarly rough most of the day, striking
less than half of his fairways (7 of 15).
All week he’s reasoned that he didn’t feel comfortable off
the tee because he’s stuffed away his best club, the driver.
Only seven times, three on Saturday, did he use it.
When he did get in trouble, he recovered well by placing
shots to the correct side of the hole. With Inverness’ greens
running above 13 on the Stimpmeter, nearby shot selection
can make or break a round.
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| Following in the footsteps of Roberto De Vicenzo, Vincente
Fernandez is trying to become the second player from Argentina
to win a Senior Open. (John Mummert/USGA) |
While Fernandez and Watson seesawed back and forth with the
lead, Lietzke was creeping closer and closer. A birdie on
the par-4 11th hole finally created a stalemate
between the three at 5 under.
Lietzke, with 13 PGA Tour victories over a professional career
that began in 1974, grabbed the outright lead on the 511-yard
par-5 13th when his eagle putt from 30 feet side
of the hole lipped out, leaving him a 1-footer for birdie.
He didn’t stop there.
On the next hole, a slight dogleg right par 4, Lietzke chipped
in from 27 yards from the right rough after his 6-iron approach
went awry.
"I was back-pedaling on the back nine watching Bruce
doing what he did," said Watson, carding a 1-under 70.
Over his career, Lietzke has seven top-10 finishes in majors,
but cites his biggest thrill as winning the 1977 Tucson Open
because it was his first PGA Tour victory. About eight years
into his professional career, his priorities changed. He got
married, had a couple of kids and cut back on his schedule.
Yet, if he should win the Senior Open Sunday, surely he’d
be ecstatic. Not exactly.
"To me, it’s just the tournament I’m playing this week,"
said Lietzke. "It doesn’t carry any extra importance
to me. Probably because golf doesn’t carry any extra importance
to me.
"I don’t care how golf history remembers me. I don’t
care if it remembers me."
That said, the non-demonstrative Lietzke revealed no matter
the result Sunday, he won’t be playing in next year’s event.
Even if he wins the $470,000 first-place prize. That’s because
he’s already booked plans to take his family on a cruise to
celebrate his daughter’s high school graduation.
In any event, Fernandez and Watson know it’ll be tough to
catch him. Last year at Caves Valley Watson erased Don Pooley’s
five-shot advantage with 10 holes to play. Could he do it
again?
"Last year is something I’m not even thinking about,"
said the 53-year-old Watson. "I’m thinking about how
I’m playing at the moment.
"I wish I could bring back the magic on the back nine.
I don’t know if I can do it."
Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org
with questions and comments.
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