By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - Because of all the rain and some course changes, the TPC at River's Bend is a completely different golf course than last year, said defending Kroger Classic champion Bob Gilder.

Gilder played in the morning round of Thursday's Sara Lee Pro-Am. The course was much softer and considerably easier than the one on which he shot a 16-under par last year, he said.

"Last year, the course was hard and fast," Gilder said. "The changes they've made since last year - flattening out some areas on the greens and fairways - are going to make the course easier."

He was impressed by how well the course has drained despite the area's recent saturating rains.

"With all this rain, these guys (the maintenance crew) have absolutely done a fabulous job," Gilder said. "They deserve some big bonuses for that."

The crew worked 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday, and was scheduled to do the same through this morning.

Fourteen teenage golfers spent late Wednesday and Thursday repairing fairway divots in preparation for the event.

The sun was out and the wind was blowing all day Thursday, so Gilder expects the course to firm up somewhat by today, and definitely by the weekend.

Still, he wouldn't be surprised to see a lower winning score than last year.

The Kroger Classic is in its 14th year, and no one has ever successfully defended his championship - the longest such streak on the Champions Tour.

Among the favorites this year are Gilder, Hale Irwin, Ed Dougherty, Larry Nelson, Gil Morgan, Tom Jenkins, Bruce Fleisher, Jim Thorpe, Dana Quigley, Allen Doyle, Jay Sigel, Vicente Fernandez and Doug Tewell.

There could be some interesting banter in the final group: former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden, who finished fifth two weeks ago; Des Smyth, eight-time winner on the European PGA tour from Drogheda, Ireland and Doug Johnson, who traces his inspiration for his golf career to being a marshal at the 1972 Milwaukee Open.

Gilder thinks the TPC listened to the complaints of the tour pros last year about how hard it was to hold the greens on some of their approach shots.

Some of the complaints were legitimate.

There were placements last year where approach shots rolled away 15 to 20 feet, Gilder said. But by and large, he said he likes a tougher course.

"Last year, I was trying to figure out what everybody was crying about," Gilder said laughing. "The harder the green, the more the shooter has to shape his shot. Hole sloping away from the righty? You'd better re-think your hook."

All that said, he thinks the TPC at River's Bend is already one of the better courses on the Champions Tour.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 6 or 7, and I don't think we have any 10s out here," Gilder said. "I'd say the range (of tour venues) is 4 to 8, maybe 9."

Last year, River's Bend was a 10, said Gilder, grinning.

"The galleries might look at this course and say it's not hard off the tee, (that) the premium seems to be the second shots, but that's deceptive," Gilder said.

"You've got to drive it well," he said. "I drove it well last year, and I'm driving it well right now. When you see this course from the fairway only, it looks a lot easier. This place has some rough, and if you're playing out of the rough a little bit, the golf course changes completely."

The three-day tournament kicks off today at 7:50 a.m., with the 10:50 group boasting the big names: Lee Trevino, Gilder and college hockey player Allen Doyle.