Watson Finds Former Form

1 Who’s hot: Tom Watson, who seems to be getting more air time these days than Jennifer Lopez.... Mike McCullough, with three consecutive top 10s after only one in his previous 10 events.... Craig Stadler, a Champions Tour rookie, with a top 10 at the U.S. Senior Open and a victory in last week’s Senior Players Championship in Dearborn, Mich.

2 Who’s not: John Jacobs, who has stumbled since winning the Senior PGA Championship in June. He was disqualified in Grand Rapids, missed the cut at the Open and tied for 61st in Dearborn.... John Mahaffey, without a top 30 finish since March.

3 Biggest surprises: Tom Jenkins (10th at the Open, fifth in Dearborn), who has moved up to fourth on the money list.... Tom Purtzer, 15th on the money list.

4 Biggest disappointments: Tom Kite, despite a closing 63 in Dearborn. In 16 appearances, Kite has recorded only four top 10s.... Andy Bean, without a top 10 in nine starts, only four of 28 rounds in the 60s.

5 Best round: Watson, again, with a second-round 64 in 35-mph winds at the Players Championship in Dearborn. Only four other players broke 70.... Bruce Lietzke’s 64 in the third round of the U.S. Senior Open, leading to his first major title.

6 Worst round: Bob Murphy’s 79 in the third round of the Players Championship. Murphy, playing in the final group, recorded a 43 on the front nine, going from three to 11 shots behind the leaders.

7 Best shot under pressure: Lietzke’s eight-iron at the 16th hole in the final round of the Open, keeping Watson at bay.... Doug Tewell’s 13-foot putt on the third playoff hole with Eamonn Darcy at the Farmers Charity Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. Tewell, with four PGA Tour victories, now has seven as a senior.

8 Worst shot under pressure: Darcy’s poor chip from just over the green at the first playoff hole in Grand Rapids. He missed a six-footer that would have given him his first tour victory.

9 Coming attractions: Another week, another major for the seniors, who will tee it up next in the Senior British Open at Turnberry. If only Watson and Jack Nicklaus could pretend it was 1977.

Michael Arkush

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Champions Tour at a Glance

RESULTS

*--* Date Tournament Champion Jan. 20-26 ConAgra Skins Game Lee Trevino Jan. 27-Feb. 2 MasterCard Championship Dana Quigley Feb. 3-9 Royal Caribbean Golf Classic Dave Barr Feb. 10-16 The ACE Group Classic presented by Vicente Fernandez Terminix Commercial Feb. 17-23 Verizon Classic Bruce Fleisher March 3-9 MasterCard Classic David Eger March 10-16 SBC Classic Tom Purtzer March 17-23 Toshiba Senior Classic Rodger Davis April 14-20 Emerald Coast Classic Bob Gilder April 21-27 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Bruce Lietzke April 28-May 4 Bruno’s Memorial Classic Tom Jenkins May 5-11 Kinko’s Classic of Austin Hale Irwin May 12-18 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am Jay Sigel May 19-25 Columbus Southern Open Morris Hatalsky May 26-June 1 Music City Championship at Gaylord Jim Ahern Opryland June 2-8 Senior PGA Championship John Jacobs June 16-22 Farmers Charity Classic Doug Tewell June 23-29 U.S. Senior Open Bruce Lietzke July 7-13 Ford Senior Players Championship Craig Stadler

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UPCOMING EVENTS

*--* July 21-27 Senior British Open Noboru Sugai (D) July 28-Aug. 3 FleetBoston Classic Bob Gilder (D) Aug. 4-10 3M Championship Hale Irwin (D) Aug. 11-17 Long Island Classic Hubert Green (D)

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Champions Money Leaders

*--* No Player Event Money 1 Bruce Lietzke 14 $1,387,304 2 Hale Irwin 13 $1,047,438 3 Tom Watson 10 $948,878 4 Tom Jenkins 18 $935,695 5 Dana Quigley 18 $928,649 6 Vicente Fernandez 14 $884,854 7 Allen Doyle 18 $846,643 8 Gil Morgan 16 $846,090 9 Bruce Fleisher 18 $796,902 10 Larry Nelson 15 $726,825

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