Toshiba Senior Classic Golf: Cool in the clutch

Richard Dunn

There’s no stogie in his mouth or unique style hat. The fact that

Jose Maria Canizares doesn’t even wear a hat makes him unique on the

Senior PGA Tour.

Canizares, the defending Toshiba Senior Classic champion at Newport

Beach Country Club next week, doesn’t dance on the green or pretend his

golf club is a sword. He doesn’t pop off to the press or hunt for

television cameras.

While Canizares might not be as colorful as Gary McCord or have a

swagger like Lee Trevino, the gentleman from Spain holds a distinguished

place in Toshiba Classic lore, winning a marathon nine-hole playoff last

year after holing a downhill, left-to-right breaker with nightfall

approaching.

After having three putts lip out in the playoff against Gil Morgan,

Canizares won on the 63rd hole, draining a 24-foot birdie putt on a

difficult two-tiered green on the par-3 No. 17, Newport Beach Country

Club’s signature hole, where Bob Murphy capped the event’s 1997 nine-hole

playoff, then a Senior PGA Tour record, with an 80-foot birdie putt.

Canizares, who requires an interpreter for interviews, said that “it’s

very hard” to maintain your focus and composure after missing so many

close putts in a nail-biting playoff, especially in cold, windy

conditions.

“You’re not getting lucky and so you start to doubt the possibilities.

But the most important thing is to be very positive in the moment and to

wait for that lucky chance to get it in,” said Canizares, who won his

first event on the Senior Tour and first title anywhere since 1992 on the

European Tour.

Canizares, who had potential tournament-winning putts lip out on the

first, second and fourth playoff holes, started last year’s final round

five strokes behind leader Terry Mauney and promptly carded a 4-under 67

to earn his way into a playoff with Morgan at 11-under.

Morgan appeared to be in the driver’s seat after closing at 7-under

64, but Canizares birdied the final hole in regulation with a 10-foot

putt to set up the playoff.

The duo had pars on the first six holes, and both birdied the seventh

hole (No. 18 on the course). After pars on the eighth playoff hole,

Canizares ended the second-longest playoff in Senior Tour history with

his birdie putt on the ninth extra hole.

“In the playoff, it was just a matter of waiting to see who was going

to make a birdie, (or) who was going to fail,” Canizares said. “And there

was a lot of pressure, but it was very interesting. It was the longest

playoff, but it was great for me.”

Canizares, crowned the seventh different Toshiba champion in seven

years, said the golf course at Newport Beach is similar to the courses in

Europe.

“It’s small. The fairways are narrow. You have to be thinking a lot

while you’re playing,” said the former European Ryder Cup member. “It’s a

course that’s better adapted to the kind of game that I’ve been playing

all my life.”

Canizares, who will return to Newport Beach for the eighth annual

Toshiba Classic, and Morgan were unlikely candidates to take part in a

playoff when the 2001 final round started. Morgan opened at seven strokes

off the pace, Canizares was five shots back. But leaders Mauney, Bob

Gilder and Larry Nelson struggled in the final round.

“In golf you always have a chance. In 18 holes, anything is possible,”

said Canizares, 55, after winning last year and earning $210,000 for the

victory, the largest paycheck of his professional golf career.

Also in 2001, Canizares had two second-place finishes, 12 top-10

finishes, ended 14th on the circuit’s money list and completed his fourth

straight year with over $1 million in earnings.