Newport Logjam Co.

Bryce Alderton

The Toshiba Senior Classic turned from a possible runaway victory to

a tournament title within reach for a handful of players who made

their move in Saturday’s second round.

Tom Purtzer, who shot a tournament-record 11-under-par 60 in

Friday’s first round at Newport Beach Country Club, followed with an

even-par 71 Saturday and is tied with Morris Hatalsky for the lead at

11-under heading into today’s final round.

John Jacobs and Keith Fergus are each one stroke back at 10-under

while D.A. Weibring sits three shots back at 8-under.

While Purtzer struggled with the putter, his pursuers were busy

making up ground on the greens, especially on the back nine.

Fergus made the biggest leap on the final nine holes with a

5-under 31, which featured six birdies in seven holes. Hatalsky and

Jacobs each carded 33s on the back to make their way back into the

tournament.

The difference, they said, was the putter.

“One putt opens the door and makes a difference,” said Fergus, who

holed a 30-footer on the 16th green to move to 11-under. A bogey on

the par-3 17th dropped him back to 10-under.

Hatalsky saved par on the par-4 11th with a 12-footer while

sinking six-foot putts on Nos. 16 and 17 following his two-putt from

45 feet to birdie the 492-yard par-5 15th. Hatalsky hit just nine of

18 greens and nine of 14 fairways.

“Putting keeps the momentum going,” Hatalsky, who leads the field

in putting (1.458) through the first two days, said. “Nothing

replaces good putting.”

The tournament could have gotten out of reach for many players

after Purtzer’s birdie-3 at the par-4 12th, which capped a string of

three straight birdies and moved him to 15-under.

But a 6-iron shot that sailed left on the 170-yard par-3 13th left

Purtzer scrambling and he finished the whole with a double bogey.

“I hit a 6-iron without thinking what I was going to do,” Purtzer

said. “I overshot, thinking the wind would blow the way it did. I

quit on it and flipped it way left. One shot ruined the whole day.”

Purtzer bogeyed two of his final five holes.

“I was irritated,” he said. “I’ve never been in the lead like

that, but still thought I could shoot low today. I just didn’t have

the touch with the putter.”

Fergus, however, did have the putter’s touch Saturday --

especially on the back nine -- and has been gaining confidence from

playing three straight weeks, something he hasn’t done in quite some

time.

“I played solid on the front nine, but was discouraged,” said

Fergus, who made his Champions Tour debut two weeks ago.

Jacobs, the reigning Senior PGA champion, capitalized on his

length off the tee to leave himself short irons into greens. He

averaged nearly 303 yards off the tee Saturday, including a 330-yard

drive on the 492-yard, par-5 14th, which left him a 9-iron into the

green. Jacobs averaged 292.7 yards off the tee heading into the

tournament, trailing only Purtzer (296.1). He two-putted for birdie

and then went 4-under the final three holes, including an eagle on

the par-5 finishing hole.

An increase in stretching exercises has helped Jacobs feel fresher

for the duration of a round and he has responded with “I don’t get

tired,” he said.

Jacobs said he shouldn’t have played the final 10 events last year

after tearing ligaments in his foot during the Senior PGA

Championship.

Weibring has spent the week getting treatment for a sore back and

said he felt much less pain Saturday. He and Jacobs each shot 65 for

the low rounds of the day.

Jacobs said he would prefer to have the lead heading into the

final round, but feels confident with where he sits.

“Tom didn’t play bad today,” Jacobs said. “It is hard to follow a

low round with a low round. It’s been that way since I was a kid.

When you have the lead on Sunday, your concentration is absolutely

focused.”