Old friends meet again

Bryce Alderton

Tom Purtzer and Morris Hatalsky will be paired together for the

second straight day in today’s final round of the Toshiba Senior

Classic at Newport Beach Country Club, but it’s not the first time

these two have spent time on the course together.

The two 52-year-olds were teammates for one year at Arizona State

University and have known each other since they were 17 and harbor a

mutual respect for one another.

“We want to see each other play well,” Hatalsky said. “We are out

there encouraging one another. I wish him the best.” Purtzer and

Hatalsky are tied at 11-under-par and join Keith Fergus (10-under) in

today’s final pairing at 12:05 p.m.

“I hadn’t seen him for awhile,” Purtzer said of Hatalsky. “He’s

pulling for me and I’m pulling for him.” Hatalsky was voted the

Champions Tour Rookie of the Year in 2002.

Both players said they don’t feel any anxiety or tension when

playing with one another.

Hatalsky’s only blemish on an otherwise bogey-free day came on the

par-4 5th hole Saturday.

His drive went awry into pine trees and was never found, costing

him a stroke and an eventual double-bogey. But the incident didn’t

rattle his confidence.

“It hit a branch and people were looking for the ball,” Hatalsky

said. “I could have gotten upset about it, but I didn’t. My attitude

was good from that vantage point and I just hung in there.”

* D.A. Weibring, who sits at 8-under after a 65 Saturday, was

contemplating withdrawing from the tournament after the ninth hole

Friday due to a bad back.

“I felt spasms and tightness in my right shoulder blade and neck,”

Weibring explained. “I rested on Monday, played in the Pro-Am

Wednesday and felt OK. Then [Friday] I felt more pain under the

blade. It makes it hard when you can’t simulate [the swing] until you

get to competition.” Several hours spent receiving treatment and

working with a chiropractor this week have helped Weibring stay in

the tournament.

“I was pleased I was able to play [Saturday],” he said. “[Doctors]

don’t think I could hurt myself more, but it won’t get better until I

rest it.” Weibring birdied the final four holes, including making a

15-foot putt on the par-4 16th.

Now he sets his sights on the leaders.

“There are birdies out there. If you drive it in the fairway, you

can attack some pins and get the momentum to shoot a low score.” Gary

McCord (3-under) and Jose Maria Canizares (2-under) are faring the

best of any past Toshiba champions after two rounds.

* Hale Irwin, the 1998 and 2002 champion, sits at 1-under while

2000 winner Allen Doyle shot a 67 Saturday to make up for a 75 in the

first round and is at even par.

Three of the last five tournament champions earned their first

Champions Tour victories at NBCC. Keith Fergus will be looking to add

his name to that group today.

* Jack Nicklaus shot a 1-under 70 Saturday to move to 1-under for

the tournament and even though he said it wasn’t the best round of

golf he could play, it was a better than Friday.

“I hit some solid shots, but they were still off-line,” said

Nicklaus, making his first tournament appearance. “I hit 13 greens,

but felt I didn’t hit a lot of greens because I was 40 feet from the

hole on most of them.”