Lietzke’s eagles
put him in sight
of Zoeller’s pace

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By Grady Timmons
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Bruce Lietzke did something that hasn't been done on the PGA Champions Tour in more than a decade -- he posted three eagles in yesterday's second round of the MasterCard Championship on the Big Island.

On a day when mild westerly winds made the par-5s at the Hualalai Golf Club accessible, Lietzke took full advantage and eagled three of them en route to a 7-under-par 65. Coupled with his opening round of 68, the 51-year-old Texan was at 11-under-par 133, just two shots off the pace set by Fuzzy Zoeller going into today's final round.

"I've now seen two things this year that I've never seen before," said Lietzke's playing partner, Lee Trevino, as he left the 18th green. "I've seen Bruce Lietzke make three eagles, and I've seen Jack Nicklaus use a wood on a par-3."

"Basically, I had three good holes today," said Lietzke. "I played pretty mediocre other than that. When you think of 65, you think of knocking it dead, playing great ... but I kind of struggled the rest of the way. I really didn't expect to be in contention. I consider the three eagles more of a fluke than skill."

Three eagles in a round has only been accomplished four times in the history of the Champions Tour. Rocky Thompson was the last one to do it in 1992 at the Kaanapali Classic on Maui.

Lietzke was 1 over par through the first six holes before playing the last 12 holes in 8 under. The eagle assault began at the par-5 seventh, where he drilled a 3-wood second shot onto the green and holed a 25-footer.

He followed that up at the par-5 10th with a 225-yard, 4-iron second shot from the rough that came to rest on the fringe, 20 feet from the hole. He calmly sank the putt.

Then, at the par-5 14th, he uncorked his best drive of the day, and followed it with a 5-wood that came to rest 15 feet from the cup. Once again, he drained the putt.

Lietzke also birdied both par-3s on the back nine, holing an 18-footer at 12 and a 15-footer at 17.

When asked if it was the first time in his career that he recorded three eagles in a round, Lietzke said he remembered also doing it at the Hawaiian Open in either the late 1970s or early '80s. It wasn't 1977, he said, the year he won the Hawaiian Open. "I know I eagled the ninth hole back then," he said. "I followed that up by holing out my approach shot at 10 for back-to-back eagles. Then I either eagled 13 or 18 coming in."

Lietzke is the antithesis of most players on the Champions Tour. At a young age, he found a swing he was comfortable with -- a swing that produces a controlled slice -- and has stuck with it ever since. He doesn't like to practice or work out, and at the end of the season he puts his clubs away and goes fishing. He's also not much into new technology.

"When I put my clubs away for three months, I don't want to have to take new ones out," he said. "I want something I'm familiar with."

And although he's always been long off the tee, Lietzke doesn't believe that golf is a power game.

"No one has ever proven to me that extra length dictates good scores," he said. "If length were everything, John Daly would win every golf tournament he played in. Hale Irwin is the best player on the Champions Tour, and he's just in the middle of the field when it comes to distance with his irons and driver."

Lietzke said weather conditions would determine his game plan in today's final round.

"If there is not much wind, the leaders are going to have to shoot 65 or 66 to win," he said. "If it's a good healthy wind, the scores will go up another two or three shots. I prefer calmer conditions. I'm not a low-ball hitter. I hit the ball high all the time, so I'm at the mercy of the winds if it blows hard. It's also harder to putt with the longer putter I use if the winds are blowing."

Lietzke downplayed his chances in today's final round, saying that his game is rusty because he hasn't been practicing.

Fuzzy Zoeller, however, was not buying that line.

"He practices a lot, and don't let him tell you he doesn't," Zoeller said. "You can't hit a big slice like he does and know where it's going if you don't practice."