Associated Press
Thursday, June 29
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Tom Watson's first trip to the U.S. Senior Open isn't turning out the way he expected. Watson, 50, shot a par-71 in the first round while playing in a threesome with Hubert Green, who shot a 65.
"I thought I left something on the golf course, but I got what I deserved," he said. "I think the golf course will continue to yield low scores. I just hope I am one of them. I played with a player who played the way he should have played, Hubert Green, and he shot a 65."
Watson, in his first season on the Senior Tour, is No. 11 on the money list. He finished ninth last week in Cadillac NFL Golf Classic after two straight runner-up finishes.
"I put myself in some unsavory places and it caused me to struggle a little bit," he said. "The course is there for the taking. The greens are not particularly firm so you can get the ball close to the holes, even the holes on the little plateaus."
Tom Kite shot a 72 and Andy North had a 77. Both are playing in their first Senior Open as well.
Torch is long gone
Jack Nicklaus dismissed talk of passing of the torch to Tiger Woods during the U.S. Open. "That is a press thing," Nicklaus said after shooting a 4-under 67 Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open. "You guys have to have something to write about, it might as well be that. He is dominating the game right now. I haven't played well enough in the last 10 years to really say I am passing anything. I passed the baton a long time ago." Nicklaus, though, won't rule out a return to the U.S. Open. A victory at Saucon Valley this week would give him an automatic berth in the 2001 tournament. "I had a very nice reception at the 18th hole at Pebble Beach," he said. "Unless I am playing well enough to be competitive, I don't really want to go play again and beat my head against the wall." Besides, Nicklaus still has to win. He's three strokes behind Bruce Fleisher with 54 holes left to play. "No guarantees I am going to win here," Nicklaus said. "Let's see one thing at a time. Let's go win this tournament, then we will worry. Ask me that question Sunday evening, then I have got an option." Day of records
Fleisher shot a 7-under 64 to tie the record for the lowest score in any round of the Senior Open, matching Orville Moody's third round in 1989. It also was the lowest 18-hole score at Saucon Valley in a USGA event. Nicklaus opened his round with three birdies, which had never been done here before. Jim Thorpe registered four straight birdies, setting a record for consecutive birdies in a U.S. Open at Saucon Valley. The 1992 Senior Open was played here. Waiting it out
Hale Irwin had to sit through a 95-minute rain delay before finishing up the 18th hole. He still managed to par the final hole. "It's like seeing the cartoon after the main feature," Irwin said. "You have momentum going. You have a mindset going and you try to regenerate that. And I hit a good putt." Still the King
Arnold Palmer, a native of Latrobe, Pa., attracted the largest gallery even though he isn't a threat to win the tournament. Palmer shot a 5-over 76. "I'm living on hope these days, so I hope it's going to be a lot better," he said. Money matters
The purse is $2.25 million, up from $1.75 million in 1999. The winner receives $400,000, which is $85,000 more than 1999's top prize. In comparison, this year's winner's check will be 20 times what Roberto De Vicenzo took home after winning the inaugural tournament in 1980. De Vicenzo pocketed $20,000.
Thursday, June 29
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Tom Watson's first trip to the U.S. Senior Open isn't turning out the way he expected. Watson, 50, shot a par-71 in the first round while playing in a threesome with Hubert Green, who shot a 65.
 | |
| Jack Nicklaus matched the best Senior Open round of his career, a 4-under 67. |
Jack Nicklaus dismissed talk of passing of the torch to Tiger Woods during the U.S. Open. "That is a press thing," Nicklaus said after shooting a 4-under 67 Thursday in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open. "You guys have to have something to write about, it might as well be that. He is dominating the game right now. I haven't played well enough in the last 10 years to really say I am passing anything. I passed the baton a long time ago." Nicklaus, though, won't rule out a return to the U.S. Open. A victory at Saucon Valley this week would give him an automatic berth in the 2001 tournament. "I had a very nice reception at the 18th hole at Pebble Beach," he said. "Unless I am playing well enough to be competitive, I don't really want to go play again and beat my head against the wall." Besides, Nicklaus still has to win. He's three strokes behind Bruce Fleisher with 54 holes left to play. "No guarantees I am going to win here," Nicklaus said. "Let's see one thing at a time. Let's go win this tournament, then we will worry. Ask me that question Sunday evening, then I have got an option." Day of records
Fleisher shot a 7-under 64 to tie the record for the lowest score in any round of the Senior Open, matching Orville Moody's third round in 1989. It also was the lowest 18-hole score at Saucon Valley in a USGA event. Nicklaus opened his round with three birdies, which had never been done here before. Jim Thorpe registered four straight birdies, setting a record for consecutive birdies in a U.S. Open at Saucon Valley. The 1992 Senior Open was played here. Waiting it out
Hale Irwin had to sit through a 95-minute rain delay before finishing up the 18th hole. He still managed to par the final hole. "It's like seeing the cartoon after the main feature," Irwin said. "You have momentum going. You have a mindset going and you try to regenerate that. And I hit a good putt." Still the King
Arnold Palmer, a native of Latrobe, Pa., attracted the largest gallery even though he isn't a threat to win the tournament. Palmer shot a 5-over 76. "I'm living on hope these days, so I hope it's going to be a lot better," he said. Money matters
The purse is $2.25 million, up from $1.75 million in 1999. The winner receives $400,000, which is $85,000 more than 1999's top prize. In comparison, this year's winner's check will be 20 times what Roberto De Vicenzo took home after winning the inaugural tournament in 1980. De Vicenzo pocketed $20,000.
