Notebook: Thorpe Starts Low-Scoring Parade

By Ken Klavon and Alex Miceli

Hutchinson, Kan. – Blame Jim Thorpe.

He's the one who led the parade of low scores in Saturday's third round of the U.S. Senior Open. Loren Roberts put his late stamp on the day by shooting an 8-under 62, breaking the USGA U.S. Open held by five others.

Thorpe, 57, in shooting a 5-under 65 early in the day, tied his best score in the U.S. Senior Open.

"Let me just start off saying that I think I had a good day today," said Thorpe of his bogey-free round.

Hubert Green looked at Thorpe's performance a little differently.

"Great courses makes great players, and great players are going to win or do well on great courses," he said.

It would be hard to measure Thorpe's career as that of a great player. He never won a tour major

Jim Thorpe, watch a knee-bending putt on No. 16 Saturday, started the scoring frenzy early. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

championship and only won twice on the PGA Tour in the mid 1980s.  When Thorpe got a second chance, joining the Champions Tour in 1999, everything turned around as he recorded 11 wins on his senior resume. The 2002 JELD-WEN Tradition, his first senior major, helped elevate his game and status in golf.

Yet in 2006 Thorpe has come up dry, with his best finish being fourth at the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham. Now getting along in years, with limited opportunities, Thorpe sits at nine strokes behind leader Tom Watson.

"I feel good about tomorrow man," said Thorpe.  "I feel like I told my brother today. I said, ‘I don't want to hear nothing about no lay-up yardage. Just let me go."

Eagle Time

Larry Nelson, the 1983 U.S. Open champion, had an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole Saturday. He hit 6-iron to within 12 feet of the hole and knocked in the putt. Afterward, though, he lamented over a double bogey on 437-yard, par-4 13th. Going off early and noticing what Jim Thorpe (5-under 65) had been doing, he knew the conditions were ripe for posting a decent score.

"I was short of the green, then I played off the green on the other side," said Nelson of the double bogey. "I three-putted and made six. It hurt because I had it at 2 under."

He finished 1 under for the round, which got him to 6 over total.

Happy Canadian

Rod Spittle, 50, is playing in his first Senior Open and couldn't be more thrilled. When he saw who he was paired with Saturday, he got even more excited. He played with two-time major champion Hubert Green. Both chatted throughout the round, with Spittle coming away impressed by Green's wit.

"What an honor that was," said Spittle, from St. Catharines in Ontario, Canada.

Spittle shot a modest 1-over 71 Saturday but didn't seem bothered that he was 8 over for the championship. Realistically speaking, his chances of winning are next to impossible, what with scores going further under par fast among the leaders.

"I'll get a chance to shoot 70 tomorrow," he said. "I'm sure the leaders aren't too worried about what I'm doing."

Unhappy Charles

Bob Charles, 70, was the second group off Saturday in a little under three-and-a-half hours and wasn't happy. Not so much that he posted a 4-over 75 but that he couldn't find any rhythm. Dropping from a group of three to two on the weekend made the 1963 British Open champion jittery because he's used to four-and-a-half hour rounds.

"For an old man, playing in twos is nonsense," said Charles. "I felt like they had me on the run the whole time."

Charles felt the round was better suited for speed golf. It affected almost every facet of his game.

"It's bad for the players, it's bad for the fans – they can't keep up – it's bad for TV because they can't feature some players, and it's bad for the volunteers," he said. "You don't have time to make a decision. You're on the run the whole time.

Marker Marucci

George "Buddy" Marucci got to play on the weekend in his first U.S. Senior Open.

The U.S. Walker Cup captain missed the cut at Prairie Dunes Country Club Friday after an indigestible 82, but his appetite for golf rebounded quickly when he was asked minutes after signing his scorecard to be the non-competing marker with Walter Worthen, Jr. Saturday morning.

"I would have loved to have played competitively, but just another chance to get on the golf course was great," said Marucci, 54, who was an alternate until a rash of withdrawals got him a place in the draw. He finished at 153, six off the cutline. "I hit it a lot better than my last round, which was good. I hit it in the fairway. It was much better."

Marucci said he didn't keep track of his score Saturday. "I was just keeping Walter company," he said. "It was a nice day for golf. It was my first Senior Open. I'm looking forward to giving it another try next year."

Dave Shedloski contributed.