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Saturday, January 20, 2001
Gibson’s 64 KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii -- For a guy who won $704 on the PGA Tour, Fred Gibson has done all right in his golden years
good for early
MasterCard lead
His earnings have gone from
spare change on the PGA Tour
to nearly $1.4 million on
the senior circuitScores
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinIn three seasons on the Senior PGA Tour, Gibson pocketed nearly $1.4 million, enough to build a new home in Orlando, Fla., something that has occupied his time of late.
So much so, Gibson had no idea he had a 64 in his bag until completing yesterday's first round of the $1.4 million MasterCard Championship on the picturesque Hualalai Golf Resort.
ON THE TEE
Where: Hualalai Golf Resort
His two-shot lead over Leonard Thompson and Bruce Fleisher may prove a precarious one before the weekend is through, but for Gibson, the 8-under effort is not something you second-guess in the comfort of a Four Seasons bungalow. You take it and run like hell.
"No, I really didn't think I would come in here and shoot a round like that," Gibson said. "Because I haven't been playing all that well. I just moved into a new house and I've been busy with that. I tried to practice, but my mind hasn't totally been on the golf part of it. I just felt guilty. I just felt like I had to get out and practice. I didn't want to get off to a bad start this year. So far, so good."
A bogey on the par-4 ninth, which was the finishing hole yesterday to fit MSNBC's early tee time, kept him from setting the MasterCard Championship record. He settled for a tie with three other golfers. John Jacobs shot opening-round 64s in 1999 and 2000. Gil Morgan and Hale Irwin turned in final-round 64s in 1998.
"Oh really?" said Gibson, after learning of the mark. "(Expletive), I could have beat it. Well, I'm in good company."
He needed every bit of it to stay ahead of Fleisher, who also bogeyed the final hole. Before visiting the media, Fleisher stole away to a beach-side grill and spent $100 for what he called an enjoyable lunch with close friends.
Like Gibson, Fleisher has made a handsome living in his two years on the senior circuit. He has won 11 tournaments and finished second another 12 times to earn a shade less than $4.9 million. Granted, he didn't come from as far out of the PGA Tour gallery as Gibson. But golf has treated Fleisher kind the second time around.
His first nine holes, Fleisher shot a lights-out 30. His daughter saw him roll in a birdie putt on No. 9 while watching on television. Once the MSNBC feed returned to stocks and bonds, Fleisher fired a rather pedestrian 36. He had his chances, but nothing would fall.
"The front nine, we started on No. 10, obviously, I played real good golf," Fleisher said of the six birdies, including three in a row on holes 13 through 15. "Oh gee, but what about the other side?
"God, I had opportunities coming right out of the box. I missed a six-footer for birdie on one hole and a 15-footer on another. It was almost like I was trying too hard. Even on that easy par-5. I pitched it in there and missed a birdie from four feet. I think I kind of lost a little focus."
There are a bevy of superstars lurking right behind, including Larry Nelson with a 5-under 67, Tom Watson and Tom Kite at 68 and Hale Irwin another shot back at 69.
The equivalent of the PGA Tour's Mercedes Championships, this senior event has only 32 golfers who are playing for the first prize of $240,000.
"The course is in perfect condition," said Gibson, who will use his earnings here to buy new furniture for his home. "The greens read true. You're not guessing out there, which is what you want."
Fleisher wasn't quite as kind.
"The course is absolutely beautiful," Fleisher said. "But why can't there be sand in the trap?"
And how many times was Fleisher on the beach yesterday?
"Never got in the bunker," he said, then laughed. "But if I did, I couldn't get out, either."
MASTERCARD SENIORS
At Hualalai Golf Club
Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
Purse: $1.4 million
Yardage: 7,053: Par 72 (36-36)First Round
Fred Gibson -- 33-31--64
Leonard Thompson -- 33-33--66
Bruce Fleisher -- 36-30--66
Jim Thorpe -- 35-32--67
Larry Nelson -- 35-32--67
Dave Eichelberger -- 32-35--67
Tom Kite -- 33-35--68
Gary McCord -- 34-34--68
Ed Dougherty -- 36-32--68
Tom Watson -- 32-36--68
David Graham -- 35-34--69
Hale Irwin -- 35-34--69
Allen Doyle -- 34-35--69
John Mahaffey -- 36-34--70
Doug Tewell -- 37-33--70
Tom Jenkins -- 35-35--70
Lee Trevino -- 36-34--70
Tom McGinnis -- 34-36--70
Bob Duval -- 35-36--71
Jim Ahern -- 36-35--71
Dave Stockton -- 36-35--71
Joe Inman -- 36-35--71
Vicente Fernandez -- 36-36--72
Dana Quigley -- 36-36--72
Gil Morgan -- 36-36--72
Hubert Green -- 39-34--73
Lanny Wadkins -- 38-36--74
Tom Wargo -- 40-34--74
Graham Marsh -- 37-37--74
John Jacobs -- 38-36--74
Jack Nicklaus -- 38-38--76
George Archer -- 38-39--77
