Galleries at Newport Taking Stroll Down Anonymity Lane

The Senior PGA Tour originally was set up as a place for golf’s former greats to take their curtain calls, but it has evolved into something completely different.

That was apparent Friday at the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club. It certainly wasn’t a day for fans to look at the leaderboard and recall many fond PGA Tour memories.

One familiar name, J.C. Snead, popped up--the eight-time winner on the regular tour finished with a five-under-par 66 to tie for the lead--but for the most part, the day belonged to guys you probably have never heard of: Mike McCullough, Buzz Thomas and David Lundstrom, who share the lead with Snead.

David Graham, Hubert Green, Dana Quigley and Jose Maria Canizares are one stroke back. Gil Morgan, winner of two events already in 1998, and Jay Sigel, runner-up here last year, each shot 68. Dave Eichelberger (69), Jim Albus (69), Lee Trevino (70), Bob Eastwood (70), Dave Stockton (70) and Hale Irwin (70) were among the 10 others to break par on the 6,573-yard course.

McCullough and Thomas played in an early threesome with Canizares that set the pace.

Each of the three shot three-under 32 on the front nine and Canizares, a former European tour pro and four-time Ryder Cup player from Spain, had chances to pull away. But he three-putted from six feet for bogey on the par-three 17th hole to fall out of the lead and missed a three-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

McCullough, a former journeyman on the PGA Tour, and Thomas, a former club pro and seafood wholesaler, finished well to put themselves in an unfamiliar situation.

Thomas’ first bogey-free round on the tour and second in the 60s earned him his first visit to the interview tent. “This is the first real good round I’ve had, so I’m kind of excited,” Thomas said. “I don’t know exactly what all you guys want.”

Thomas handled the mild media scrutiny just fine, recounting how he grew up around the family lumber mill in Olney, Mont., won the Montana state amateur championship in 1969 and settled in for a career in seafood sales. Later he spent a time selling rabbit meat.

“It’s very healthy stuff,” Thomas said. “I sold it to nursing homes. That’s that red meat without any sodium or cholesterol.

“I never did eat it. I still eat a lot of fish though.”

The $165,000 first prize could buy plenty of swordfish dinners, and Thomas put himself in contention with a 40-foot chip-in for birdie on the ninth hole and birdies on two of the final four holes, both par fives.

McCullough also had a nice finish, despite a bogey on the 16th hole. He got the shot back with a 20-foot birdie putt on 17 and had an easy par on 18.

McCullough played PGA Tour events from 1973 to ‘96, but never made much of an impression, except for a second-place finish in the 1977 Tournament Players Championship. He has had a similarly nondescript senior career since 1995, never finishing higher than fourth.

And he said Friday’s round wasn’t too impressive either.

“I’m not kidding, you could put me in the same position in the fairway and on the green and I would have shot 71 most days,” McCullough said. “It was just a very fortunate time for me with the putter.”

He had six birdies and the bogey on 16, making a 30-foot birdie putt on 11 and a birdie after a tricky bunker shot on the par-five 15th.

Like Thomas and McCullough, Lundstrom is on the tour because of his play at the qualifying tournament; Lundstrom was the medalist. Playing in the next-to-last group Friday, he finished his bogey-free round with a 40-foot putt for birdie.

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The Leaders

TOSHIBA SENIOR CLASSIC

At Newport Beach CC--Par 71

Mike McCullough: 32-34--66 -5

Buzz Thomas: 32-34--66 -5

J.C. Snead: 33-33--66 -5

David Lundstrom: 32-34--66 -5

Jose Maria Canizares: 32-35--67 -4

David Graham: 32-35--67 -4

Dana Quigley: 34-33--67 -4

Hubert Green: 36-31--67 -4