Associated Press
Saturday, July 15

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Not too many 55-year-old men are willing to refer to themselves as an infant -- especially with TV cameras rolling.

But that's just what Mike McCullough did after his 5-under-par 67 in the third round of the Senior Players Championship on Saturday at the TPC of Michigan.

"Mike McCullough has been on the golf tour for a long time, but the Mike McCullough with a new golf swing is only 2½ years old, and feels like an infant out there," said McCullough, who moved within five shots of leader Tom Kite. "It's taken a lot of time to get to this point, and I'm excited about getting into the last group on Sunday."

McCullough has never won in his 28-year career on the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour, but he thinks he's ready to pick up his first victory.

"I think I've learned that winning is about patience," he said. "And knowing that while I will be nervous, so will everyone else. I've spent a lot of nights trying to tell myself to relax, but now I realize that I'm not going to relax. You just have to play smart golf and hope you get some breaks."

Although he hasn't visited the winner's circle yet, McCullough is well-known on tour for both his footwear and for being the Lou Gehrig of the senior circuit. Wearing his distinctive spiked sandals, he has now played in the last 131 tournaments that he was eligible for, the longest streak in tour history.

"I'd love to take some time off and see more of my family, but I can't do that until I'm fully exempt," he said. "There's a number in my mind, and when I get to that spot on the money list, I'll take some time off. As for the sandals, it's simple -- if you had air conditioning in your car, you would use it, right? That's what these are -- shoes with air conditioning. I don't understand why more guys don't wear them."

Jacobs' ace
John Jacobs briefly got himself back into the tournament with one swing of his 7-iron. Trailing Kite by three shots, he aced the 176-yard 8th hole. It was the seventh ace in Seniors Players history, and the second on the 8th hole. Tom Shaw did it in 1995, also in the third round. Jacobs couldn't keep the momentum, though, taking a double-bogey 6 at the 11th. He finished with a 1-under 71, and trails Kite by eight shots.

Snead's rebound
J.C. Snead turned in the first outstanding round of the day, shooting a 4-under 68 to get to 3 over for the tournament. Snead, who turns 60 in October, shot a 78 in the first round, before cutting five shots off for a second-round 73, and five more in the third.

Watson's streak ends
Tom Watson's 1-over 73 snapped his streak of 21 rounds at par or better. That was the best streak of the season, but still six rounds short of the tour record, held by three players. Watson's last over-par round came in the final round of April's PGA Seniors' Championship.