Thursday, April 23, 1998 | 9:24 a.m.
A QUICK LOOK at the odds for this weekend's Las Vegas Senior Classic reveals one noticeable omission.
Bob Charles' name is nowhere to be seen at the top of the betting boards. You're lucky if you can find him at 25-1.
It was only two years ago that the lanky left-hander from New Zealand stood at the brink of victory at the TPC at Summerlin. He needed only to drain a 35-foot putt in two tries to finally claim victory after so many near misses over the years.
Instead, he three-putted, lost a playoff to Jim Colbert and little has gone right for Charles since. He finished tied for 22nd at last year's Senior Classic, belittling the new TPC at The Canyons course to the extent he said he wasn't sure he'd return to Las Vegas.
So why is the 62-year-old Charles back?
"For one round of aggravation, I can put up with it," he said of The Canyons. "The less I see of it, the better. The course doesn't suit my game."
But Charles was quick to admit layouts aren't his biggest problem these days. His distance off the tee is shrinking. He's not scoring as well. That beautiful swing which has made him a contender for so many years on the PGA Senior Tour has all but deserted him.
And with the clock his enemy, he's in a bit of a sticky wicket.
"The question is, do you work harder now than when the game came quite easy to me," Charles said. "It's not easy to work harder later in life, especially when I've never been a very hard worker. You can do physical damage trying to do too much and I've been fortunate to play most of my career injury-free.
"I enjoy the game. But I don't want to be a slave to the game."
Truth is, Charles is a slave to golf. He loves to play too much to give it up. And the money isn't bad either -- he has earned nearly $8 million on the Senior Tour. He sees himself playing competitively for another three years. But he said retirement may come sooner if his scoring continues to drift upward.
"Two years ago, I was averaging around 70," he said of his scoring. "Now, it's up around 72. Guys are hitting middle irons on par-5s and making eagles and it's hard to compete against that."
That said, Charles can understand why he's not on the betting board, where defending champion Hale Irwin is the solid 6-5 favorite to repeat this weekend.
"The way my present game is, it's a non-event," he said of his chances of winning. "Hopefully, I can consolidate my game and get some consistency back.
"I'm making too many bad swings, too many mis-hits. I'm not anything close to consistent right now."
Perhaps Charles can pull it together this weekend for old times sake. The galleries would get a charge seeing his name up on the leader board come Sunday.
Maybe the swing will return. Maybe the putts will fall. And maybe this affable gentleman from Down Under, who has provided us with so many thrills over the years, can find a way to do it one more time. It sure would be fun to see him rekindle the magic.
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