Johnny Mathis Seniors : Douglass Shoots a 66 to Win His Second in a Row

With a little help from a strategically placed eucalyptus tree, the Dale Douglass Tour is in full swing.

Still finding that life begins at 50, Douglas shot a sizzling six-under-par 66 Sunday at MountainGate Country Club to stave off the challenge of Chi Chi Rodriguez and win the $250,000 Johnny Mathis Seniors tournament by three strokes.

In finishing with a 54-hole total of 202, 14-under-par, Douglass kept two amazing strings intact and took over the money earnings lead with $96,000.

The Oklahoma native who resides in Scottsdale, Ariz., has played 10 rounds since becoming eligible for the Senior PGA Tour and has shot 70 or under in every round. In the last nine rounds, he has either led or been tied for the lead.

In 25 days since he turned 50, he has won more money than he did in any of the 23 years he was on the regular PGA Tour. On this fantastic streak, he lost a playoff in his first tournament and has won the other two. In 10 rounds he is 44 shots under par for an average of 67.6 strokes per round.

Rodriguez, another youngster in the over 50 group, also shot a 66 in the final round to finish at 205. The top two were followed by a couple of Australians. Bruce Crampton was third at 207 and defending champion Peter Thomson shook off a muscle injury to shoot a 67 and finish fourth with a 208 score.

It was the sixth event as a senior for Rodriguez and he keeps getting closer. He has never been worse than fifth and he has had successive finishes of fourth, third and second.

“Next, is No. 1,� said the popular Puerto Rican. “I came along the wrong year. Last week at the Vintage I shot better than Peter Thomson did the year before and here, I again shot better than Peter did last year. I should have come out last year.

“But give the credit to Dale. He deserved it. I really thought I could win it when there was a two-stroke switch at nine. I missed a three-foot putt on 10 and that beat me. I misread it. I read it in Spanish and putted it in English.

“Also, Dale had a break on 16. It looked like his second shot was going down the mountain, but it stayed up. Instead of getting a six, he got a birdie four and a two-stroke lead. That was the end.

“I told my wife that I could win it if I shot a 66 today. I did it and I didn’t even gain ground. Give the credit to Dale.�

Going to 16, Douglass held only a one-shot lead after building a four-stroke lead on the front nine. It was on the short par 5 (470-yard with a dogleg left) that the eucalyptus tree came into play.

Not one to play it safe, Douglass tried to reach with his second shot. He hooked a three-wood and it appeared the ball would wind up in the lateral hazzard down the hill and would cost him a penalty stroke. The ball hit the tree and dropped in the rough, a couple of feet from the hazzard. Douglass chipped over a sand trap onto the green and it rolled past the pin. He sank the seven-foot putt for a birdie.

He sank another four-footer for birdie on 17 and it was history.

“I feel very fortunate to keep winning,� said Douglass, a deadpan on the course who has exhibited a dry sense of humor in his daily visit to the interview room. “The Senior Tour is great and it is great here.

“Was I worried when Chi Chi cut the lead to two when he birdied nine and I bogeyed? I was worried all day. But, if I have learned nothing at all, I have learned that I am emotionally able to play with the best on this tour. In the three weeks I have played in the same group with Peter Thomson, Charlie Owens, Arnold Palmer, Jim Ferree and today Chi Chi and I’ve been able to handle the emotional end of it, too.�

Douglass, beset with injuries and poor luck after an encouraging start on the regular tour, has shown he can handle pressure. Last week at the Vintage, Gary Player pulled even with Douglass after eight holes on the final day. Douglass strung together three birdies and that was that.

Rodriguez, with most of the gallery of several thousand (attendance was estimated at 10,000) rooting for him, made one challenge after another and Douglass refused to falter.

On the short par-4 No. 3, Chi Chi sank a 12-foot birdie putt. Douglass responded by knocking in his 10-footer. But No. 5 may have been the switch that gave Douglass the championship. When they teed off on the 520-yard par 5, Douglass held a two-shot lead. Rodriguez hit his third shot to within three feet of the pin. Douglass, only about 40 yards from the flag in two, chipped short and was faced with a 25-foot putt for his birdie. The big switch came when he sank his putt and Rodriguez missed his short one. Instead of being one stroke behind and charging, Chi Chi was three back and fading.

For the tournament Douglass had four bogeys. Two of them were on nine. “We have to do something about that hole next year, “he quipped.

There are reports there will not be another Senior Tour tournament on the hilly, 6,300-yard MountainGate course. There is a report that Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley has made a pitch to hold next year’s Johnny Mathis tournament. It might be a good idea for the seniors to take a look at it first. Tony Sills, a regular on the Regular PGA Tour, calls Wood Ranch the toughest course in Southern California.

Charlie Sifford, who figured in the only controversy of the tournament, shot a last-round 71, finished at 213 and earned $4,500. That is considerably less than the $100,000 Sifford didn’t win when he made the hole-in-one at No. 15 Friday shortly after a sign announcing a $100,000 prize plus a Buick for the first ace had been removed.

After his final round Sunday, Sifford dourly admitted that he had not yet received the Buick. When asked if he had talked with a lawyer concerning the possibility of suing for the $100,000, Sifford answered tersely: “No comment.�