NAPLES - In three of his four appearances at the ACE Group Classic, including two years in a row, Tom Watson has finished second. He is in position for another high finish today.
Watson was one of three to shoot in the 60s Saturday, moving from a tie for 26th into a tie for fourth after 69 at the Club at TwinEagles. He trailed leader Craig Stadler by five.
"The wind gave me a chance," Watson said. "(Friday) with a 70 I got way behind. The conditions got a little tougher, and I struggled out there, but I made a couple of good putts. I was happy with the way I played the back nine. Maybe it's a good omen."
SMOOTH PUTTING: Stadler is thrilled with the smooth greens. Last week he played the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where bumpy greens are the norm.
"It's no secret, everybody knows the greens are not very good there because of all the players," Stadler said. "They are like putting on bark. It was so nice to see the ball roll here."
GOLF FOR EVERYONE: The ACE Group Classic drew a record first-round crowd Friday, but it resulted in a huge headache for tournament officials when an overturned UPS truck on a road leading to the course led to traffic problems. Spectators have to be shuttled in, but because the busses could not get back to the course, thousands of spectators waited in line to leave TwinEagles.
Tournament director Jason Camp attempted to appease the masses by offering four rounds of golf at the Club at TwinEagles from May to September for cart fees only. That was a pretty good consolation gift for a club that charges more than $130,000 to join.
"TwinEagles has bent over backwards to accommodate everything," Camp said.
SPEAKING OF TRAFFIC: Winter visitors to Florida cause an increase in traffic, and that is painfully apparent in Naples. Roads are congested at all times of the day, a fact not missed by the players. Lee Trevino couldn't help but make light of the situation.
"How about this traffic around here?" he said on the putting green. "These people retire down here to live another 15 years and they spend seven-and-a-half of it in their car."
CHIP SHOTS: J.C. Snead won the Grand Champions, beating Isao Aoki with birdie on the first playoff hole. The 36-hole event is a tournament within the tournament for players 60 and older. The win was worth $30,000 from a $175,000 purse. ... Eight of the past 15 Naples tournaments have been decided by a playoff or a shot. ... Jack Nicklaus followed an opening 68 with 74 that included birdies on three of his last six holes.
