GOLF / SENIOR TOUR AT RANCHO PARK : Aoki Shoots a 63, Gains Share of Lead

Rancho Park bent Saturday, but the cream of the Los Angeles city golf courses didn’t break.

Only Japan’s Isao Aoki had a big second round Saturday in the $650,000 Ralphs Senior Classic. Aoki, with a string of six birdies in seven holes in the middle of his round, shot an eight-under-par 63 over the 6,307-yard course for a 36-hole total of 131 to tie Larry Ziegler and George Archer for the lead.

Dale Douglass, Al Geiberger and Jim Dent were a shot back.

In contrast to Friday, when the field’s average score was below 70, a record for a first round on the Senior PGA Tour, the greens were harder and the scores higher.

Ziegler, one of three to shoot 63 in the first round, thought he played as well, except for putting, and had to birdie 18 to get a three-under 68.

Archer, who had a 64 Friday, also birdied the last hole for a 67. Dent had an eagle and four birdies on the back nine for a 29 after a 37 in the front.

Except for Aoki and Dent, there was no barrage of birdies.

Aoki, who has played his best golf this year in Southern California, has not won a tournament this year. He feels this is his last chance.

At Ojai last spring, he had a three-shot lead with six holes left, faltered and finished in a tie for second. Two weeks later at Palm Springs, he finished third. Those are two of the seven times this year he has finished fifth or better.

“I’m glad to be doing so well,” said Aoki, who can make himself understood in English, but likes to have the support of an interpreter. “This is my last chance to win.

“Until Wednesday I had not been putting well. But it started to come around, and late today I really had the feel. I began to make 15 to 18-footers and if I can do that (today) maybe, I’ll break through.”

Besides the hot putter, the 6-foot Aoki, a surprisingly long hitter, used the par fives to post his 63.

“I reached three of the four long holes in two shots,” he said. “I just missed three eagles, which made for easy birdies.”

Dent, the longest hitter on the 50-and-older Senior PGA Tour, should enjoy the par fives more than anyone. But he can’t seem to solve the eighth hole, which is 500 yards, or the ninth, which is only 480.

“When I hit my second shot on nine out of bounds and settled for a double bogey, that gave me a total of 72 on the front side (even par) for the two days.

“I thought that had just about finished me. My putting had not been good. But I sank a two-footer for birdie on 10 and a 15-footer for eagle on 11 and suddenly I was back in the game.”

With three more birdies on the back nine, Dent wound up the two rounds with a total of only 60 strokes on the back nine in two days--10 under par

Although he didn’t feel he played that well, Archer, who won last week at Sacramento, looms as the one to beat. Throughout his outstanding senior career, he has won his tournaments in groups of two or three. And when he doesn’t have a good round and still is tied for the lead, it’s like a bonus.

“I didn’t have a particularly good round,” he said, “but I’m here and that’s something. Late in the day, the ball was taking funny bounces because the greens were harder.

“I’m not sure what to expect tomorrow. If they don’t water the greens, it will be tough trying to keep the ball on the greens.

“No matter what happens, I think that if I shoot just five under par, I won’t win it. I would settle for six or seven under and take my chances.”

Jim Albus, one of those who shot a 63 Friday, had a 70 for 133.

Golf Notes

Jim Ferree, whose career was almost ended by prostate cancer in 1991, shot his second consecutive 67 to earn his record-tying ninth Super Senior (Vantage Classic) tournament. Ferree’s 134 beat Miller Barber by two shots in the tournament within a tournament.

Joe Jimenez and Don January have each won nine events in the 60-and-older division in two different years. Ferree hopes to break the tie next week at Hawaii.

LEADERS

Player Score Isao Aoki 68-63--131 George Archer 64-67--131 Larry Ziegler 63-68--131 Dale Douglass 66-66--132 Jim Dent 66-66--132 Al Geiberger 65-67--132 Jim Albus 63-70--133 Jim Ferree 67-67--134 Bruce Crampton 69-66--135 Tom Shaw 69-66--135 Bert Yancey 68-67--135 Tom Wargo 68-67--135 Chi Chi Rodriguez 68-67--135 Lee Trevino 68-67--135 Dave Stockton 67-68--135 Harold Henning 67-68--135 Jim Colbert 63-72--135 Nine are tied at 136