Monday, September 27, 1999
KROGER NOTEBOOK
Officials pleased by turnout
They were up against the Ryder Cup, a pennant race, a fairly historic college football game between UC and Ohio State and the National Football League. Considering the competition, officials of the Kroger Senior Classic were pleased with how their tournament was received.
The September date is enough of a concern, though, that the tournament has asked the Senior PGA Tour for a date no later than mid-July in the 2001 season.
General chairman Don Schumacher said the schedule for that year is not set because the Senior Tour does not have its television contract arranged for that year. That could present the opportunity for the Kroger Classic to move back to the summer, although Schumacher said he'd rather not be back on the July 4 weekend, which was when the tournament was played before moving to September in 1998.
“If we can have our tournament by July 15, we can really turn out people,” Schumacher said. “September is very difficult. All you had to do was look at the paper to see the wealth of choices for sports fans.”
Schumacher estimated the crowd at the Golf Center at Kings Island was about 15,000 for Sunday's final round, based on the number of cars in the parking lots.
There are no turnstiles at the course, so an exact count is not possible.
Hail the Grizzly
The Grizzly surprised Hale Irwin a little bit.
The Senior PGA Tour's all-time money leader expected the Kroger Classic course to be a tad easier than it played this week.
Irwin finished the event at 8-under-par 202 — in a three-way tie for third place, four shots behind winner Gil Morgan. It was Irwin's first appearance at the Kroger.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “The course played fast. A course that plays fast, even though they play short, will play differently simply because the ball runs and you don't always have control of it.
“It was certainly not the birdieing golf course I heard it was. If they toughened it up, they did a good job. If it softened up, it would've been much lower scoring.”
Irwin was 4-under Sunday and thought he missed chances throughout the weekend to score better. Example: He missed a birdie opportunity on his final hole.
“I wish I'd have putted a little better today,” Irwin said. “It would've been a much different story. But I didn't, and here we are.
“I missed five 4-footers and that one (on 18). That's six for the week. That does it right there.”
Irwin remained atop the 1999 money list with $1,899,842, and Bruce Fleisher stayed second at $1,817,630.
Merry Mex
Lee Trevino's first trip to Cincinnati since 1995 ended almost as well as he could have asked. He shot 7-under-par 203 to finish tied for seventh and earn $47,600.
He could have had seventh place by himself and left with another $3,000 were it not that he pushed a 4-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to the right. That left him at 2-under for the day.
Schumacher said he will approach Trevino early in the 2000 season about making a return trip to the Kroger Senior Classic. In six appearances since 1990, he has averaged a seventh place finish and earned just under $175,000.
—Michael Perry
and Mike DeCourcy
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