[ GOLF ]

AYUMI NAKANISHI / ANAKANISHI@STARBULLETIN.COM Jim Albus shot a 68 yesterday and is tied with Steve Stull and R.W. Eaks for the Turtle Bay Championship lead.

No-name trio has
much to prove
at Turtle Bay

Albus, Eaks and Stull lead the
Senior PGA golfers after 1 round

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By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.com

Jim Albus, R.W. Eaks and Steve Stull could walk through Windward Mall and not turn a single head.

Today's top threesome for the second round of the $1.5 million Turtle Bay Championship is long on anonymity and short on chances to change that this season. None has a Senior PGA Tour victory in 2002, with only Eaks managing a top-10 finish.

Barring a victory this month, Stull and Eaks are headed back to the qualifying school in November, while the 62-year-old Albus ponders how much longer he can hold his exempt status of being among the Top 31 Senior Tour money winners all-time. He is No. 25 with about a $600,000 cushion.

All three shared the first-round lead with solid 4-under-par 68s on a relatively calm day at the 7,044-yard Palmer Course. The trades are expected to pay a visit over the weekend, giving big-name players lurking a stroke or two off the pace an opportunity to catch this who's-that threesome?

Two-time defending champion Hale Irwin is one of those big names. He went off the back nine in rather ho-hum fashion, before finishing with a 3-under 69. CBS-TV golf analyst Gary McCord is also among the eight golfers just one shot off the pace. Like Eaks and Stull, he needs a big finish this weekend or faces Q-school himself.

"It's tough balancing the Senior Tour with my commitments to CBS," said McCord, who is No. 36 on the 2002 money list with $505,643 in earnings. He needs to be in the top 31 in yearly earnings to keep his exempt status.

"A big payday here would help," the 54-year-old McCord said. "I just hope I can play as well over the weekend."

McCord is among 33 golfers who shot par or better during the first round. Don Pooley, Terry Mauney, Rik Massengale and Big Island native Steve Veriato were among the 10 golfers who shot 70. In all, there were 23 golfers within three shots of the lead.

Not that Stull is too worried about that. His main concern is playing within himself. The Washington resident went as low as 6-under on the back nine before giving two strokes back over the last two holes.

Albus played a steady round as well. He hasn't won an event since 1998 and would like to change that if the opportunity presents itself.

"I'm happy with this start," said Albus, who is No. 76 on the money list this year. "This was a good, solid round for me. I'd just like to play the same (over the weekend). I'd love to get in contention. I haven't been there in a while."

Albus is comfortable in the blustery conditions. In fact, he loves Hawaii almost as much as his brother, who teaches at Kailua High School.

"He came over here 30 years ago to visit and he's never been home since," Albus said. "I guess that's common. He stays here and can barely make a living."

Stull and Eaks are enjoying their stay in Hawaii as well. They haven't exactly been making a living, either, but a victory here could change all that.

"The idea for me was to get through the front nine in a decent manner," Stull said. "I haven't done that very much."

Neither has Eaks. Despite being the longest driver on the Senior PGA Tour this year with a 295-yard average, the 50-year-old hasn't found the old guys as easy pickings as he first thought.

"These guys can play," Eaks said. "I'm probably headed back to the Q-school, where I need to work on my game. I need to improve. I feel like I'm on vacation over here, so my score is surprising."