Record-setting day at Toshiba

Bryce Alderton

Before this week, Tom Purtzer wouldn’t have considered Newport Beach

Country Club a course that suits his game.

That all changed after Friday.

With nine birdies and one eagle, the 52-year-old Purtzer set a

Toshiba Senior Classic course record by two strokes with an

11-under-par 60 to lead after the first round, including a

7-under-par 29 on the back nine.

Hale Irwin’s 62 in the final round of 1998 was the previous

tournament low.

Purtzer is just the fifth player to shoot 60 in Champions Tour

history, and the four-stroke lead over Joe Inman, who shot a 64,

makes it the largest lead after the first round on the Champions Tour

since Allen Doyle led the IR Senior Tour Championship by five strokes

in 2000.

Purtzer did his most damage on the last five holes. He knocked in

three birdies and had an eagle on the 492-yard par-5 15th. Purtzer

had 202 yards for his second shot on and hit a 4-iron five feet

behind the hole. He drained the putt from there.

Purtzer’s previous low round in two Toshiba Senior Classics was a

67 in the final round two years ago.

“Going along, I wasn’t thinking anything special,” Purtzer said.

“Then, once I made the eagle, things turned around, and I thought I

had a shot at 59.” Purtzer leads the Champions Tour in driving

distance and averaged 281 yards Friday, giving him several wedges

into greens. He missed just one green, hitting 17 of 18 greens in

regulation.

“I hit some good shots even though I got a little anxious,”

Purtzer said. “When you start to go low, you tend to tighten up a

little bit, and it doesn’t become quite as easy. Once I hit a couple

of good shots, I said, ‘Hey, I can do this.’ You shoot at pins and

try to go low. These days don’t come very often.”

Inman and Morris Hatalsky, who finished at 65, are Purtzer’s

closest pursuers, making it the first time in tournament history that

a player has held more than a one-stroke lead after the first round.

Purtzer, who won last year’s SBC Classic for his only Champions

Tour victory, also became just the third player in tournament history

to hold sole possession of the first-round lead.

Fuzzy Zoeller, David Eger, John Bland and Keith Fergus all shot

5-under 66, while John Jacobs, Leonard Thompson, Bob Eastwood and

Lonnie Nielsen (67) are all seven shots back. Eight players shot 68.

Inman’s round included nine birdies and comes on the heels of a 64

in the final round of last week’s SBC Classic, where he finished

fourth while also tallying nine birdies.

“If anyone tries to wake me up, I will kick their [behind],” said

Inman, who tied for fifth in the 2000 Toshiba Senior Classic. “I had

magic today with the putter.”

Thirty-five players shot par or better, but that group does not

include any former Toshiba champions.

Past champions Rodger Davis, Hale Irwin and Jose Maria Canizares

all shot even par (71) along with Jack Nicklaus, who was making his

first appearance here.

Nicklaus’ round included four birdies, two bogeys and one double

bogey on the par-4 ninth.

The 64-year-old Nicklaus has been experimenting with some swing

changes and felt some shots got away from him Friday.

“I started hooking [shots] in the pro-am, and I was left and right

today,” Nicklaus said. “I pulled back out on some swings. I’m trying

to get the club in a position I wanted. I felt like I was sort of in

neutral, and I can’t play golf in neutral.”

Newport Beach Country Club head pro Paul Hahn, who received a

sponsor’s exemption to play in the tournament, had three birdies en

route to shooting a 2-over 73 and was greeted by a crowd of autograph

seekers after walking off the 18th green.

“Wild,” Hahn said about the round. “The pairing was perfect for my

first [professional] tournament. Sam Torrance, who shot a 69, helped

me through it. The birdie at 2 [a par-4] calmed me down. I had two

bad tee shots, but I hit my irons OK.”

Hahn was pleased with his round considering the circumstances.

“I hit the ball well, and I’m sure I will be more relaxed

tomorrow,” Hahn said.

Four of nine first-round leaders have gone on to win the event,

but Inman and Hatalsky are confident they can make a run at Purtzer.

“You don’t win tournaments on Friday,” Hatalsky said. “There is a

whole lot more golf to be played.”

* BRYCE ALDERTON is a sports writers. He may be reached at (949)

574-4222 or by e-mail a bryce.alderton@latimes.com.