[ GOLF ]
As the Senior PGA Tour enters its autumn phase, several players in this week's Turtle Bay Championship are in need of a hefty paycheck to assure themselves a top-31 finish and the 2003 exemption that goes with it. Seniors just want to
stay out of school
By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comCBS-TV golf analyst Gary McCord enters today's final round alone in fifth, just one shot off the lead. More importantly, he's No. 36 on the money list, trailing No. 31 Tom Purtzer by $80,000.
"If I could just putt, I'd be right there," McCord lamented after shooting a second-round 70. "I'm thinking about getting a kayak and using my putter for an oar. I'm then going to throw it in the ocean and maybe it will be lost in the Great Barrier reef."
McCord conceded earlier this week that he needs to finish near the top to have a chance of earning the automatic exemption. One of his main competitors is Purtzer, who struggled to a two-day total of 151. The 7-over effort left him in a tie for 56th after two rounds.
McCord will play with Isao Aoki, who is No. 29 on the money list with nearly $600,000. He had one of the better rounds of the day with a five-under 67 to move to 4-under for the tournament. He trails leaders Hale Irwin, Dick Mast, Mike Smith and Morris Hatalsky by two shots.
Mast is No. 46 on the money list and needs a strong 18 holes today to give himself a shot at a top-31 finish. A victory would give him a one-year calendar exemption as well.
"I hope I'm still around tomorrow," Mast said. "I'll try to shoot 67 and see what happens. This is the time of year you've got to make a move or wind up going back to Q-school. This is a big event for me."
The same can be said for Smith. He fashioned his second consecutive 69 to earn a share of the lead. He is No. 52 on the money list. And like several of the others dotting the leaderboard, he needs to finish strong today.
"I played good and I need a good tournament, so I'm pretty excited about it," Smith said. "You have to be real patient out here because the wind isn't going to let anyone shoot way low.
"I live in Florida, so I'm used to these conditions. I need to shoot low tomorrow and see where it takes me. I've been in the final pairings before. Hopefully, I learned something from it. A win for me would be big. I've only had two top-10 finishes all year. I need a lift."
Jose Maria Canizares is another bubble boy. He is No. 33 on the money list and looked in good position to move up with an opening-round 69. Unfortunately, the Spaniard followed it up with a 3-over 75 yesterday to drop into a tie for 25th.
John Bland is No. 28 on the money list and Dave Eichelberger is 27th. Bland is tied for sixth at 4-under for the tourney. Eichelberger is well off the pace at 7-over and may slip down the list if he doesn't finish strong today.
"There are a lot of guys jockeying for position since there are only three official tournaments left," Mast said. "Any of us would love to get a win, but if we don't, the higher up the leader board we finish, the better chance we have of getting an exemption."
