Crammed At The Top

Roberts, Stadler, Watson Lead While Palmer Says Goodbye

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Kettering, Ohio – Blame it on Mother Nature.

A receptive NCR Country Club South Course continued to yield low scores Friday during the second round of the 2005 U.S. Senior Open as three players shared the clubhouse lead. Loren Roberts, first-round leader Craig Stadler and Tom Watson created a stalemate at 9-under 133. Wayne Levi was two strokes back, and Des Smyth and Raymond Floyd, who won the 1969 PGA Championship at this venue, trailed by three at 6-under 136.

The 133 totals tied the Senior Open record for low 36-hole score, set previously by Dave Stockton (1992), Simon Hobday (1994) and Bruce Fleisher (2000). Sixty-four players, including four amateurs, made the cut. The cut line was established at 3-over 145.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange, appearing in his first Senior Open, and Jim Thorpe were a couple of prominent names who won't be playing on the weekend. Perhaps the most famous, 75-year-old legend Arnold Palmer, won't be around either, in this, his 25^th Senior Open. Palmer shot a 24-over 166. After sticking his approach shot to 6 feet, flagstick high and to the right, he walked up the fairway to a raucous applause. He donned his cap, taking two-putts to finish. He bowed three times toward the crowd and walked away from competitive golf.

"As far as trying to compete in major championship such as the Open and other tournaments," said Palmer, "this is it. I'm through doing that. I won't be doing that anymore."

Besides Palmer, most of the attention Thursday centered on how low scores can go if the 7,000-yard, par-71 layout doesn't show its grit. Heavy rain on Wednesday night softened the course, which finally started firming up Friday afternoon.

"If those greens get firm," said Bruce Summerhays, at 5-under 137, "it'll make a big difference in the scoring because that's all this needs. If those greens get firm, watch out, because they're so slopey and you're going to have to hit the ball just absolutely perfect to have it end up in the proper spot."

Still not feeling comfortable with his backup driver Tom Watson, teeing off on No. 16 Friday, said he pushed everything right. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

Said Roberts, playing in just his second 50-and-over competition after reaching that plateau on June 24: "The greens are still really holding. The condition of the golf course is absolutely magnificent."

Roberts wavered on whether scores should fall even further, adding that he expects the greens to be more severe if the USGA pushes hole locations out closer to the edges, as expected.

"I think it's going to be pretty low, obviously with no wind," said Watson, the 1982 U.S. Open champion and two-time U.S. Senior Open runner-up. "It's perfect conditions, the greens are soft, so it's easy to get to the hole."

Entering the day four shots off the lead, Watson rode four shots that each stopped a foot from the hole for easy tap-in birdies in a 6-under round. It was the reason why he had 25 putts on otherwise receptive greens. Watson is attempting to win back-to-back majors, coming off last week's Senior British Open victory at Royal Aberdeen in Scotland.

The Senior Open marks his fourth major in four weeks (he also played the British Open at St. Andrews in mid-July). That's caused carelessness in some situations.

"It's somewhat fatiguing in the sense that I got a little careless today," said Watson. "Mentally I got a bit careless."

He was referring to his drives. Using a backup driver because his original one cracked during a practice round, Watson had a tendency to consistently fire right. He missed six fairways, incredibly scrambling to a round that saw him record seven birdies and just one bogey.

The most interesting sequence occurred on the par-4 fourth, which he parred. But it was the way he did it. He found the green with a 9-iron, short-siding himself, before putting off. He then holed out from 20 feet, forcing his aw shucks gap-toothed smile.

His next hole, the first of the consecutive par 5s, was equally exciting. Struggling with his putting, he knocked an 80-footer within inches of the hole that led to a birdie. Through two rounds, Watson has posted four birdies on the three par-5s at NCR.

Asked what was more surprising, whether he scrambled as much as he did for a 65 or the fact he put four balls to within 4 feet, Watson said, "It kind of counter-balanced each other. It was an adventurous round, let's put it that way."

Roberts, in Watson's group, couldn't confess the same. He took two more putts than the first

Craig Stadler, watching a shot on the eighth hole Friday, carded a 2-under 69. (John Mummert/USGA)

round, and hit one more green but one less fairway in carding five birdies. He got up and down on his first hole, No. 10, from the front bunker for a birdie, sinking an 8-footer for the longest putt he made all round.

"I played really solid the last two days," said Roberts. "But the key is that I've driven the all well. Anybody who's put a low score up has driven the ball in the fairway."

Despite a 2-under round, Stadler walked off bolstered by a long hole-out at the par-4 18th. He had put his ball in the left rough, near a front bunker, 45 feet away from the hole. He had no thoughts of the ball running in.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I was just trying to get it on, two-putt it, but the hole got in the way."

He knew he could have gone lower but misreads on "six or seven" putts 12 feet or closer cost him.

Levi, who has two top-15 finishes in the two Senior Opens he's played, moved into contention with a solid 4-under 67. He started with consecutive birdies. On holes 12-15, he posted a birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey stretch before closing the round with a birdie and bogey.

"In a four-round tournament you always worry about making the cut," said Levi.

Floyd, the 1986 U.S. Open champion who like Watson is seeking his first Senior Open crown, got hot on his backside, firing off five birdies in six holes to position himself in fifth. With Floyd set to be on the receiving end of an honorary membership at NCR, he'd like to do well.

Heading into the weekend, Floyd said it's "kind of fun. I'd rather be doing that than going to the airport."

Which is where The King will be headed.

"Am I emotional?" said Palmer. "Certainly. You can not be after being on the Champions Tour or the Senior Tour for 25 years. I feel very fortunate to have lived long enough to be able to do that."

Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.