Purtzer takes narrow opening advantage

Tom Purtzer, making his fourth senior start, shot a 2-under-par 70 in windy conditions Friday to take the first-round lead in the SBC Senior Classic.

Gil Morgan shot 71 to join Purtzer as the only players under par after the opening round at Valencia Country Club. Tom Watson, Gary McCord, Walter Hall and Howard Twitty shot 72s.

Purtzer, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who turned 50 in December, had three birdies and a single bogey to take the lead as wind gusting to 30 mph made club selection tricky.

``There were some exciting shots out there,'' Purtzer said. ``It made you look silly at times. It was quite a test.''

On a clear, sunny day, Purtzer was the only player in the 78-man field not to be over par at some point during his round.

``It was very hard to figure out where the wind was headed,'' Purtzer said. ``The tee shots were particularly difficult. The hardest part of this course is the greens.

``The mounds in the greens made you second-guess yourself all day.''

Morgan, a 20-time winner on the senior tour, carded two of his three birdies on the final two holes while still playing cautiously.

``I could have started my ball over trouble (water, sand, rough) in order to get it closer to the pin,'' Morgan said. ``But I couldn't make myself do it. There were times I needed to do it, but I bit the bullet and went for the fat part of the green.''

Purtzer, winless since the 1991 NEC World Series of Golf, said he feel fortunate that golf has always come naturally to him.

``I didn't take the first 15 years too serious,'' Purtzer said. ``Probably because it was too easy. I've been lucky my whole life. My gift has been the golf swing.

``I started playing when I was 13 and I'm playing pretty much the same as when I started. It all came pretty easy.''

Watson's up-and-down round included four birdies and four bogeys.

``This is one of the toughest courses we play on the senior tour,'' Watson said. ``The wind made it very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. Even par was a very good score for me. I was grateful for that.

``These greens have so many down slopes to hit to that you have to hit away from the pin. And when you hit away from the pin, you can't make birdies very often.''

Defending champion Jim Colbert struggled to a 5-over 77. Colbert's opening round in 2001 was a 5-under 67.

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