Golf: Trevino loving Newport

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - One of golf’s most popular players, Lee Trevino,

rediscovered his stroke Friday and enjoyed his best round of the season

on the Senior PGA Tour.

Trevino, one of 10 players to shoot 3-under-par 68 in the first round

of the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club, was also

among the happiest people to see sunshine.

“It’s been awful,” Trevino said of the weather in Dallas, Texas, where

he lives. “It’s been rain, rain, rain, cold, cold, cold.

“I came here because I love this golf course, I love the people who

run it and I love coming to this area, and this crowd has been great.

It’s the best crowd I’ve seen all year on our tour, so that’s nice to

see. We really need it.”

Trevino hasn’t been playing particularly well this year on the Senior

Tour, but he broke 70 for the first time in 2001 to put himself in the

Toshiba hunt.

Trevino changed to an interlock putting grip before Friday’s round,

something he hasn’t tried since last year, when he carded a 66 in one

round.

“The next day, I went back to an overlap (grip). I bounce around,”

said Trevino, who recovered at 17 to make par, after a “horrible” tee

shot that landed in the bunker.

Trevino, always a crowd favorite at Newport Beach, said when he plays

here he “sees the same faces every year.””There are a lot of great sports

fans in Southern California, and I don’t think there’s a lot of

(professional) sports that go on here in Newport Beach,” Trevino added.

“And it looks like (the local fans) have been cooped up indoors because

of the rain too long, too.”

With more rain in the forecast Sunday, players were already talking

about a rain-shortened, 36-hole tournament like last year.

“Toshiba doesn’t deserve another rainout,” Trevino said.

The flu has been going around on the Senior Tour lately and Friday

Lanny Wadkins became a victim, withdrawing from the Toshiba Classic

because of the flu.

Walter Zembriski replaced him and shot 2-over 73.