‘Shark' In The Hunt, Grabs Early Lead

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Kettering, Ohio – As Greg Norman ambled onto the 17^th green Thursday in the first round of the Senior Open, someone in the gallery shouted, "Looks like another shark attack."

Indeed it does.

Norman, coming off a third-place finish in last week's Senior British Open, shot a 3-under 68 to share the early lead with Dick Mast at Kettering Country Club. Five players from the morning round were in the clubhouse at 2-under 69. Defending champion Peter Jacobsen suffered a double bogey on the 17^th hole to finish at 1 over.

Wetness from Wednesday evening showers softened the course, evidenced by less-than-firm fairways that played longer. Approach shots stopped dead on greens, hopping little. Green speed, measuring 11 on the Stimpmeter at the beginning of the week, seemed slower.

Jacobsen said that the two days of preparation went out the window with all the moisture, because firmer conditions had bred familiarity.

"Greens were a little bit slower today obviously because of the rain that we had yesterday, and that's what's tough," he said.

Bob Gilder acknowledges the gallery after a birdie on the 15th green Thursday. (John Mummert/USGA)

Norman, playing in his second senior event after being sidelined by back surgery, had few flaws. His bogey-free round on the 7,000-yard, par-71 layout was accentuated by the fact that he missed just one fairway and one green. He did, however, amass 33 putts and missed a couple of birdie opportunities on the back side.

"I didn't feel uncomfortable with my putter," he said. "I didn't feel like there's anything wrong with it. It's just a matter of speed, that's all it was."

In March Norman underwent microsurgery on his back to correct nerve decompression, a bone spur and a mild stress fracture. He had suffered from an achy back since the mid-1990s but finally blew it out at the Dubai Classic. Up until that point he had many rounds in which his knees would buckle from pain.

"I used to walk off the course absolutely hating it," said Norman. "I didn't want to come back because I was in so much pain; I couldn't play golf properly. That was indicative of my attitude and I hated being that way."

On Thursday, it was he instead who started bringing NCR to its knees, beginning the first step toward gaining an exemption into next year's U.S. Open. The Senior Open champion traditionally receives an exemption into the championship. On Wednesday Norman cited that has the carrot for playing.

Norman broke through a jammed leaderboard that, at one point, featured Ron Streck (2-under 69) at 4 under. Bogeys on 15 and 17 forced Streck back. Four players had gotten to 3 under before falling off. In the meantime, Mast and Norman were buoyed by consistently giving themselves a chance. They stayed away from short-siding themselves for the most part.

Like Norman, Mast has taken an injury-riddled journey to get back to playing. In 2003 he hurt his left hip flexor while overdoing a golf drill. Trying to come back the next year, he re-injured the hip and quit. He headed to Q-School last fall, finishing 12^th and earning conditional status -- meaning he mostly has to go through Monday qualifying on the Champions Tour.

"It's difficult," said Mast.

Mast was the first to enter the clubhouse at 3 under. The native Ohioan, who now lives in Florida, started on No. 1, birdieing the fifth and sixth holes. He knocked in a 15-footer on the 549-yard, par-5 sixth after scrambling out of the rough. His drive went into the left junk before his lay-up approach rolled into the right rough.

On No. 17, his fifth birdie, Mast went to 3 under after hitting a wedge 80 yards in to 5 feet before converting the putt.

With the conditions being what they are, Mast gladly accepted the score and lead.

"I'd take three of those [rounds] and watch," said Mast.

Norman had a chance to go 4 under on the 224-yard, par-3 15^th, but his 4-footer for birdie slid past. Two holes later he again had the opportunity to go lower, standing over a 7-footer for birdie. He pushed that one right as well, bringing a sigh.

Jacobsen, trying to become the first champion to successfully defend since Gary Player, had been 2 under through 15 holes. The double bogey on the 17^th smarted. He got out of a greenside bunker, the ball stopping 20 feet away from the hole. He three-putted from there.

"Overall I didn't have a good putting day," said Jacobsen, who took 32 putts.

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