One sweet payday

Bryce Alderton

Tom Purtzer put a lot of trust in himself and his golf game before

Sunday’s final round of the Toshiba Senior Classic and the results

speak for themselves.

After a disheartening second round, Purtzer distanced himself from

the rest of the field to win his first Toshiba Senior Classic by one

stroke over Morris Hatalsky Sunday at Newport Beach Country Club. The

52-year-old Purtzer shot a 4-under-par 67 to finish 15-under (198),

just two days after he set the tournament record with a 60 in the

first round.

Purtzer two-putted the final green to seal his second Champions

Tour victory in a tournament he held at least a share of the lead

after each round.

The day started with Purtzer and Hatalsky each at 11-under while

John Jacobs and Keith Fergus each stood at 10-under. Jacobs finished

in third at 13-under (200) while Fergus came in fourth at 12-under

(201) after an eagle on the par-5 18th.

Purtzer bogeyed two holes, but needed just 27 putts compared to 34

in the second round.

“I just felt comfortable with my swing and worked hard in swing

deficiencies with the wedge game and putter, which helped a lot,”

said Purtzer, who earned a check for $240,000. “It helped playing

with Morris and Keith. They are both good friends.”

Purtzer and Hatalsky were college teammates briefly at Arizona

State and have each won on the PGA and Champions tours.

The two, along with Jacobs, jostled for position throughout the

round, especially on the back nine.

Purtzer took a two-shot lead over Hatalsky and Jacobs with a

tap-in birdie on the 492-yard par-5 15th, but his most critical shot

was yet to come.

On the par-4 16th, after hitting his drive into the deep rough,

Purtzer knocked a 7-iron onto the green, leaving himself a 30-footer

he slid just inside the cup to move to 16-under and three shots ahead

of both Hatalsky and Jacobs.

“The putt at 16 was the biggest one I made,” said Purtzer, who

last looked at a leaderboard after the par-4 14th hole.

Hatalsky tied Purtzer for the lead at 14-under with a 15-foot

birdie on the par-3 13th. Jacobs, playing in the group ahead of

Hatalsky, Purtzer and Fergus, moved within one stroke of the lead

with a birdie at the par-4 14th.

But opportunity eluded Jacobs on the 15th. After a 307-yard drive,

Jacobs hit an 8-iron for his second shot just short of the green and

it rolled into a bunker. He settled for par.

“I hit a good shot,” said Jacobs, 59, who lost to Gary McCord in a

five-hole playoff in the 1999 tournament. “If it would have gone a

foot more, it would have settled right by the hole.

“That was a hard shot for me since I don’t hit the ball high. I

almost would have been better going behind. I was [upset] heading to

the 16th tee.” Jacobs stayed two shots back with a par-saving, 6-foot

putt on the par-3 17th, but couldn’t tally an eagle or a par on the

510-yard par-5 18th.

Purtzer salvaged a par on the par-4 14th when his pitch found a

clearing around a tree and nearly rolled into the hole. Hatalsky

bogeyed the hole and moved two shots behind.

“I was praying a root was not underneath because that ball would

have been a lead weight,” Purtzer said. “I could have hit that shot

100 times and not hit it any better.

“I wanted to take care of my own business and not know what anyone

else is doing. I didn’t hear a roar on 18, so I had a sneaking

suspicion [Jacobs] didn’t birdie.”

Hatalsky birdied the par-5 18th to finish at 14-under (199).

Hatalsky fell two shots back of Purtzer after a bogey at the 16th.

He hit his second shot on 16 into the right greenside bunker couldn’t

make the up-and-down.

“I felt I had a cushion after 16,” Purtzer said. “On the 17th I

let up a little bit.” Purtzer bogeyed No. 17, but still had a

two-shot lead over Hatalsky heading to the 18th tee.

“Tom had good control of his game today,” Hatalsky said. “He was

very solid and there was no way he was going to give it to me. I

needed to go out and make birdies.”

Hatalsky took a one-stroke lead at 13-under when Purtzer made one

of his two bogeys in the round on the par-3 eighth.

But birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 -- both holes Purtzer birdied all

three days -- swung the momentum back in Purtzer’s favor.

“I made some loose swings coming down the stretch and began

putting too much pressure on my iron play,” said Hatalsky, who tied

for seventh in the 2002 tournament.

Purtzer’s best finish in two prior tournaments was a tie for 19th

last year.

Fergus shot a 2-under 69 to place fourth while Bruce Fleisher

carded a 67 to finish fifth (11-under). Lonnie Nielsen, David Eger

and D.A. Weibring all tied for sixth at 10-under followed by John

Bland, Dana Quigley and Leonard Thompson, who all tied for ninth at

9-under.

Bland carded a 65 for the day’s best round.

The day, however, belonged to Purtzer, who struggled to an

even-par 71 Saturday after soaring to a 60 in a record-setting first

round.

“Oftentimes when you shoot low rounds, you don’t have a good round

the next day,” Purtzer said. “Lanny [Wadkins] told me that if you

shoot low rounds every day, no one can beat you. My swing didn’t feel

as free [Saturday]. The bad [shots] cost me.” Purtzer reversed

fortune and cashed in on Sunday.

“The biggest thing is just trusting,” Purtzer said.