Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 2, 1990 TAG: 9007020105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PARAMUS, N.J. LENGTH: Medium
"Jack has a habit of peeking on these, sometimes gets 'em right," Trevino said on national television Sunday as Jack Nicklaus stood over a critical 4-foot par putt on the 17th hole.
Nicklaus, making a late run at Trevino, had to sink the putt to keep his chances alive.
But, as Trevino predicted, the putt went a little to right, just enough to catch the lip of the cup and spin out.
"Trophy," Trevino howled, grabbing his golf cap and pulling it down over his ears.
"Give me the trophy!"
It was his. The bogey-6 dropped Nicklaus two shots back with one hole to go.
Trevino, who beat Nicklaus to win the 1968 and 1971 U.S. Opens, claimed the over-50 Open title with a storm-interrupted closing round of 5-under-par 67 and a 275 total, 13 under par on the Ridgewood Country Club course.
It was Trevino's sixth victory of the year and, with the $90,000 winner's check, pushed his senior-leading money total to $598,633.
"I knew I had to shoot a low round to catch Jack," said Trevino, who started the final 18 holes one stroke back of his old rival.
"I didn't think 67 would be good enough."
But it was.
Nicklaus, winner of two of his three previous starts among the seniors, got away to a slow start, spotted Trevino two shots at the turn and couldn't catch up.
He twice closed to one stroke in the two-man battle over the back nine, but each time cost himself dearly with a bogey on the following hole.
The one on the 17th - with Trevino already finished and in the TV booth - was the killer.
A 12-foot putt on the 16th gave Nicklaus his third birdie in four holes and fourth in six.
On the 17th, a par-5 that usually requires three shots to reach the green, Nicklaus played two long-iron shots into an excellent position short of the putting surface. But with rain starting to fall again, his third shot was short of the green.
Nicklaus chipped to about 4 feet, then missed the par putt. It dropped him two strokes back with one hole to go and Trevino had his trophy.
Nicklaus, like Trevino a rookie among the seniors, finished with a 2-under-par 70 and a 277 total.
No one else was even close.
Gary Player, who beat Nicklaus and Trevino for the PGA Senior title earlier this year, took himself out of it over the back nine, shot 73 and tied at 281 with Mike Hill and Chi Chi Rodriguez.
Jim Dent, in a three-way tie for second with Player and Trevino, simply could not keep pace. Playing with a finger badly injured in an accident Saturday, Dent shot 76 and finished far back at 284.
Keywords:
GOLF
by CNB