Golf: Trevino shoots his best Sunday round in a year

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Perhaps lost in the Toshiba Senior Classicplayoff

excitement Sunday, but certainly never going unnoticed, was Lee Trevino

at Newport Beach Country Club.

In heroic fashion and causing a loud roar from the gallery, Trevino’s

chip shot from 120 yards out on the finishing hole at No. 18 landed 10

inches from the flag as he ended the final round with a birdie.

Trevino, in fact, sizzled at the end of his round, making birdies at

15, 16 and 18, adding to his three birdies on the front nine at 1, 3 and

9.

“I’ll you tell, I passed a lot of cats out there (in the last four

holes),” Trevino said. “It was like they had anchors on the way I was

passing them.”

On a pace to finish tied for 18th, Trevino instead passed about a

dozen players on the leaderboard with his 5-under-par 66. Trevino

finished in ninth place at 206, earning a $39,200 paycheck.

“That’s the best Sunday round I’ve had all year,” Trevino said. “In

fact, that’s the best Sunday round I’ve had in a year. I’ve had some good

opening rounds and middle rounds, but not on Sunday.”

Trevino’s 66 was his lowest round ever in the Toshiba Senior Classic,

in which he has played every year since the Senior PGA Tour event started

in 1995.

“They did a great job with this golf course after all the rain, and

the crowd was great,” Trevino said. “They had a nice crowd out there

today.”

Dave Stockton, one of five first-round leaders, was in the hunt

Sunday, but finished the final round at 2-under 69, two strokes off the

lead.

Stockton is probably still kicking himself all the way to Valencia

Country Club, site of this weekend’s SBC Senior Classic.

On the par-4 16th hole, Stockton, a notoriously great putter, missed a

five-foot birdie putt attempt, then missed his putt coming back for par.

By three-putting the hole, Stockton knocked himself out of contention.

Those two strokes cost him dearly, because he finished at 9-under 204.

Gil Morgan and eventual playoff winner Jose Maria Canizares shot

11-under 202.

Hale Irwin also made bogey at 16 to fall out of contention, also

finishing two strokes off the pace at 9-under 204.