Senior Classic: Aoki breezes into lead

What was so surprising about the opening round of the Las Vegas Senior Classic was not who was leading, but who wasn't.

Isao Aoki took a one-shot lead over Dave Stockton into today's second round, but two-time defending champion Hale Irwin saw his late-afternoon challenge for the lead swept away by strong winds.

Irwin, playing in a howling wind at the Tournament Players Club at The Canyons, had gotten to 5 under par and within two shots of Aoki with three holes to play before disaster struck.

Irwin played the final three holes in 4 over par and finished with a 1-under 70. He hit only eight of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens.

Needless to say, Irwin didn't stick around long enough to comment on his round.

After playing the back nine -- Irwin started on hole No. 10 -- in 2 under par, Irwin birdied three of the first six holes on the front nine at The Canyons. Then, Irwin took a bogey on the par-3 seventh, double bogey on the par-4 eighth and bogey on the par-4 ninth to finish at 70.

Aoki, on the other hand, had the benefit of starting his round at the TPC at Summerlin in the morning with nothing but a comfortable breeze. His seven-birdie, no-bogey round translated into a 65 and the early lead.

"Very good day today -- not windy," Aoki, a Japan native, said. "Good conditions today. The greens are in very good shape, very good condition. I enjoyed playing with the amateurs, no pressure. They enjoyed the day -- and I enjoyed it too."

Aoki made three birdie putts of 10 feet or longer, including a 15-footer on the first hole that set the tone for his round.

"Putting, I had a nice feeling and nice touch," Aoki said.

Aoki did just about everything well Thursday -- save for taking advantage of the par 5s. He was 1 under on the par 5s, birdieing only the 560-yard 16th hole after hitting his second shot, a 4-iron, to within 25 feet and two-putting for birdie.

"On the par fives, three times I miss," Aoki said of the only three greens he didn't hit in regulation. "I was lucky on the course, but the par fives, three times I was unlucky. But seven birdies and no bogeys is OK."

Likewise, Stockton missed only three greens en route to his 6-under 66 at the TPC at Summerlin. And, like Aoki, he had the advantage of playing in the morning before the afternoon winds wreaked havoc on the scores.

"It was a steady round, I only missed three greens," Stockton said. "I hit 15 greens, which is good. I got a little erratic -- I hadn't played the last two weeks so I was a little rusty from not playing.

"The greens are the best I've seen this year, by far. I told my amateurs that I've got a pool table at home that's not as smooth as these things. It felt good, I putted well and even the putts I didn't make, I was all around the hole."

Stockton came to Las Vegas ranked 50th in earnings with $96,030 in seven starts and looking to turn his luck around.

"Being 50th on the money list is a spot I'm not accustomed to," said Stockton, who won the Senior PGA Tour money title in 1992 and 1993 and hasn't finished out of the top 10 since.

"I'm looking forward to getting my year started here," he said.

Based on history, Las Vegas should provide a nice jump-start to Stockton's season. The 57-year-old posted a pair of top-10 finishes here in 1995 and 1996 and is 12th in Las Vegas Senior Classic earnings with $160,191.

"I've had a good track record here," the native Californian said. "It's close to home and usually it's warm -- it's much warmer this year than it has been (and) I enjoy warm weather.

"I just feel comfortable when I come here to play. I enjoy it. Nobody enjoys playing in the howling winds we've gotten here (in the past) but this wasn't a bad day."

Try telling that to Hale Irwin.

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