Las Vegas Senior Classic notebook: Big risk pays no reward for Hall

Victoria Sun

Monday, April 23, 2001 | 9:46 a.m.

Senior Tour professional Walter Hall was willing to take a risk during the final round of the Las Vegas Senior Classic at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin Sunday afternoon, but it cost him.

After Hall birdied the 16th hole to move within a stroke of eventual champion Bruce Fleisher, he triple-bogeyed No. 17, a 196-yard par-3, while Fleisher saved it with a 10-footer for par to take a four-stroke lead with one hole left.

"I had already made up my mind standing on the side of the 16 green that I was going to try to win the golf tournament and I didn't want to play for second," Hall said. "I saw the leaderboard, saw what I had to do to finish up second.

"But I'm trying to win the golf tournament. It didn't work. Hindsight is always 20-20. In hindsight, I hit the bunker where Bruce did, take my three or four and go to 18, but I was trying to hit the middle of the green and get a birdie putt."

He hit his 6-iron off the tee, and the ball landed in the lake around the green.

Hall's final-round 70 gave him a total 5-under 211, tying two-time Las Vegas champion Hale Irwin, former champion Vicente Fernandez, Jose Maria Canizares and Doug Tewell for second. They each earned $86,240.

For Hall, it was his best finish this year and the sixth time that he finished in a tie or in sole possession of second on the Senior Tour.

He entered the final round three strokes behind leader Jerry McGee and one back of Fleisher. Though he was disappointed he couldn't pull out a victory, he said he wasn't too upset with himself.

"I can't wait to play again next week," Hall said. "I had a really good tournament.

"If someone would have told me Monday morning you were going to tie for second five ways, I would have said, 'Let's go on to Birmingham.' We're out here to win and I just want to continue to play well and everything else will take care of itself."

"I had to birdie 15 and 16 just to get to 2-under for the day," Irwin said. "My game is almost there, but not yet. I'm in a funk. It's like I take a few steps forward then one back."