BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON -- It would probably be a stretch of Ruthian proportions to suggest that winning a PGA Senior Tour event that does not include Hale Irwin or Gil Morgan is the same as winning a home-run chase without Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire.
There are too many capable Senior Tour players to taint to a tournament, such as the Kroger Senior Classic, that lacks the two dominant players. For the others on the Tour, though, it's an opportunity that does not present itself often.
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IF YOU GO
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WHERE: The Golf Center at Kings Island
TICKETS: $25 for one day; $60 for week
PARKING: Free
TODAY ON TV:2 - 4 p.m., ESPN
TEE TIMES: 8:40 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.
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"Realistically, I think my chances are increased if they are not there," said Jay Sigel, defending champion of the Kroger Classic, which begins today at the Golf Center at Kings Island.
"Would I rather win a tournament with them there or not there? I'd rather win the event if they were there."
It certainly is easier if those guys aren't around. This is the 34th event of the PGA Senior Tour season, and the 22nd that won't be won by either Irwin or Morgan. Irwin has six titles in 1998. Morgan has six. Irwin has finished in the top five of every event he has played. When Sigel won the Kroger last season, neither Irwin nor Morgan competed. When he won at the Bell Atlantic Classic this year, Morgan and Irwin both took the week off.
This is the eighth time this year the two picked the same week for a break, which means Irwin and Morgan have won nearly half the tournaments in which one or the other was entered.
"They're good players, and they don't make many mistakes," said Jose-Maria Canizares, who stands 11th on the money list with $793,821 but has yet to win.
There were 25 different winners on the Senior Tour as recently as 1995. With those two so dominant, there have been 20 winners this year, with six events to go before the Senior Tour Championship. The 20-winner mark has been reached for the 11th time in 12 years largely because Larry Nelson, with two titles, is the only other multiple winner.
"Every week is a chance to win, if you play well," said Canizares, a veteran of the European Ryder Cup team. "But every day, you have to play really well -- three, four, five below par."
Without Irwin and Morgan, it's also difficult to suggest a favorite. They take some of the guesswork out of the process.
In their absence, here are five players who could bag a Kroger title:
Jay Sigel, Berwyn, Pa.: It's not easy to defend a title, not only for mathematical reasons but also because of the pressure and time demands. The only player other than Morgan or Irwin to do it this year is Jim Dent. But Sigel destroyed the Grizzly course last season with his 18-under total of 195 and seemed primed for another sweet run with his four-under 66 in Thursday's pro-am.
"I think you have very good vibes. You have a very positive feeling about this place," Sigel said in regards to defending. "You remember how well you putted, how well you drove the ball. To defend is great."
Bruce Summerhays, Heber City, Utah: A lousy first round cost him last year, but he wound up with a top 10 finish. He was second last week in Indianapolis, playing the sort of course-scorching golf (18-under-par) at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Club that will be necessary to win here.
Hugh Baiocchi, Johannesburg, South Africa" In winning at Indy last week with a 20-under total, Baiocchi went 54 holes without a bogey. "Wow -- 196! I remember the days I used to do that for two rounds," Baiocchi said after winning.
He has had four top 10s in his past eight events and still plays with the hunger that drove him from borderline status as the 1997 Tour season began to No. 8 on the final money list.
Vicente Fernandez, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Sigel mentions him as a likely contender. Although Fernandez did not place well last week, he closed with an eight-under 64 that indicated he may be ready for his first victory of 1998 and the third of his career. Jose-Maria Canizares, Malaga, Spain: If he could avoid the one poor round that has cost him so many times this season, Canizares might break the victory drought that has been the only disappointment in his first full season.
"I think it's my short game, my putting," said Canizares, who ranks 24th on the tour in putts per round. "It's not bad, but it's not sufficient for winning."
