On the eve of the final round of the inaugural MCB Tour Championship, South African David Frost sounded a warning to leader Tom Lehman not to expect to have things all his own way in the final round.
Lehman, battle-hardened veteran of Ryder Cup campaigns as player and captain, is far too experienced to take anything for granted.
But just in case Lehman may have been feeling a little too comfortable, Frost let him know that he, too, had his sights set on glory.
One bad shot around the Constance Belle Mare Plage Legend course could be all that determines the destiny of the championship trophy.
It was certainly sufficient yesterday to allow last year’s MCB Senior Open champion to reduce Lehman’s overnight lead from three strokes to two.
And it has ensured that today’s final round will become a contest of nerves, skill and, possibly, a little good fortune.
Two rounds of compelling action in the MCB Senior Tour Championship means the scene has been set for a shoot-out between the tournaments two biggest names.
For a while in the opening round on Friday it looked as if Lehman, the man who this year made over $2m to comfortably top the money list on the US Champions Tour, was making unhindered progress towards a debut title on the European Senior Tour.
Four birdies in his opening seven holes sent out an ominous warning to his rivals.
The momentum slowed thereafter and by the close on day one, South African Frost had emerged as the major threat to the tall man from Minnesota.
And when the two men left the stage together yesterday afternoon, the difference had, from Frost’s perspective, become manageable. After all, he knows how to come from behind to win on the Legend, as last December’s MCB Open runner-up will testify.
Seven-under-par at the start of play, Lehman had moved serenely to 10-under at the eighth. Frost, too, had collected three birdies.
But then Lehman made the first of two misjudgements that cost him first a shot at the ninth and then another at the 10th. The man is human after all.
Frost also dropped a shot at the ninth but the par that followed moved him a stroke nearer Lehman.
Three birdies apiece from the 12th – Lehman getting his in consecutive holes – maintained the status quo and provided the scenario that many had expected and the sponsors must have welcomed.
“Frosty is playing pretty well but I am, too,” commented Lehman. “I’m not happy that I didn’t birdie 18, but I’m happy at where I’m at.”
Reflecting on his two blemishes, Lehman said:
“I got unlucky on the ninth when I had a good tee shot but a brutal lie. I hit it over the green then made a dumb club selection on the 10th and made a bogey from 110 yards there.
“I was pretty annoyed but then I got the thing going in the right direction. I feel good going into tomorrow.”
Frost dropped his only shot of the day on the ninth hole and remains firmly in contention for a unique Senior Tour double of winning two events at the same venue in the same season.
“We both played good golf all the way round and both made a simple mistake on the ninth,” said Frost
“We both got iffy lies on the fairway, which happens sometimes.
“Tom then looked like making four on the last and I looked like making five after I opted to lay up.
“That would have given him a four-shot lead. Instead, I made birdie and he didn’t so the momentum went the other way, but there are still 18 holes to go.
“I’ve played with Tom many times before and we chat about this and that but nothing in particular. He’s good company and tomorrow should be fun.”
Frost’s five-under 67 – the day’s best score – was matched by Scotland’s Andrew Oldcorn, making his return after injury, and American Mike Cunning, the defending Tour champion.
Cunning had a miserable time in the opening round, carding a five-over-par 77, and although his trademark smile never disappeared altogether, an improvement of 10 strokes helped stretch it a little more.
“I got too excited yesterday,” he said. “I felt I was playing well when I came here and I really wanted to have a good tournament.
“But I got a bit jacked up. My grip was a little strong and I hit the ball terribly.
“I had no rhythm and just couldn’t sort it out.
“I made a little adjustment on the practice range and it was a lot better today.”
Cunning is refreshingly philosophical and that must also have helped:
“I was at the back of the field and wasn’t expecting too much of myself. I had nothing to lose, felt more relaxed and was more comfortable with myself.
“That’s the way it happens sometimes.”
Lehman was one of three players to card a 68, following the improved efforts of Senior Tour order-of-merit champion-elect Peter Fowler and his only rival for the title, Barry Lane.
Hot and dehydrated, the Englishman found it a challenge just to get round.
But a change of clothing – Lane dispensed with his polyester attire and invested in a new shirt and trousers at the pro shop – produced a change of form.
“Yesterday it was all I could do to concentrate for 20 seconds over each shot,” he said.
“But I felt a lot easier today. I wore a wet towel round my neck throughout the round and that helped.
“I still felt the heat but I was able to cope better.”
Unfortunately for Lane, towering Australian Fowler also improved from the opening round to match Lane’s score and keep him at bay in the contest for the John Jacobs Trophy.
“After Friday’s round I worked on my game, basically, just trying to get it organised.
“It was very good today. I had four birdies, including 20-footers at eight and nine.
“The order-of-merit didn’t enter my mind. I just wanted to play good for myself.
“All I was interested in was my own game.”
Joining Lehman and Frost in the final group that tees off at midday will be England’s Gary Wolstenholme, who is six off the lead after a commendable 69.
He could have been closer if he had been able to buy a putt on his front nine yesterday. His only reward for steady if unspectacular play was a run of 10 regulation scores before a first birdie arrived at the 11th.
Neil Webber
