For Irwin, 4-wood forecasts trouble

Victoria Sun

Monday, April 24, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.

By Hale Irwin's estimation, he hadn't hit a good shot with his 4-wood in weeks, even months. But he refused to abandon it.

Most recently, using the club cost him a penalty stroke during the first round of the Las Vegas Senior Classic on the pesky 560-yard par-5 16th hole on the TPC at Summerlin.

Wielding it the final day of the tournament resulted in a much greater loss.

Irwin racked up another penalty shot on the same hole Sunday afternoon in the same fashion, all but destroying his chances to win his third Senior Classic. After he bogeyed No. 16, Irwin finished with a 65 for a 14-under 202 total, dropping him into a tie for second with Bruce Fleisher.

Both players took home $112,000 and were five strokes behind first-time champion Larry Nelson, whose three-day total 197 set a new record. It was the third time this year Irwin finished second.

"It was just a week of almosts," Irwin said. "I'm not playing badly. But just not good enough to win."

Not with his 4-wood, anyway.

After 15 holes, Irwin was one stroke behind Nelson, who was 16 under.

But on the 16th, Irwin hit his 4-wood into the water hazard on the right, costing him a drop. Upset, Irwin plucked his ball out of the water and placed it in front of the hazard for another shot, then two-putted for bogey.

It was his only bogey of the day. Two groups later, Nelson eagled the same hole to pull ahead.

"One swing kind of took the air out of a very nice day," Irwin said. "It was a bad time to make the mistake.

"I knew that Larry would be birdieing some of those holes that I did. So (on 16) I felt like I had to kind of go at the pin, although I didn't aim it at the pin. I was trying to go left and let it drift into the pin and I pushed it a bit."

All weekend, no matter what he tried on that hole -- laying up or going for it -- his approach worked against him.

Irwin entered the final round four strokes behind Nelson and Fleisher, who were tied for the lead. He started off strong with six birdies on the front nine to move into contention.

Were it not for a penalty stroke he incurred Saturday on No. 17, Irwin might not have been that far behind.

"Two of three penalty shots this weekend came off the 4-wood," a frustrated Irwin said. "I've had three this week, one last week.

"It's like I'm playing hockey. It's the most I've had in quite a long time."

Irwin thinks it might be a long time before he touches his 4-wood again.

"That club might have found its way into the basement."