Last year, he shot a course-record 63 on the first day and never trailed, winning by two strokes.
By: Justin Feil
The Instinet Classic may come just in time for Dr. Gil Morgan.
Morgan is off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the 2002 year, with his best finish being a third place at the SBC Senior Classic the first week of March. Prior to that, he hadn’t finished higher than 11th in any of the four previous events.
But for Morgan, coming to Princeton for the Instinet Classic at Jasna Polana could be the answer to his woes. Despite only two top 10 finishes this year, he’s coming to a course where he has won two straight tournament titles.
"For me, it’s been a little bit of a slow start," said Morgan, who nonetheless has won $297,253 this year. "But hopefully the memories of last year and the year before will help."
Morgan seems to have hit the Instinet Classic each of the past two years at the perfect time. Last year, he set a course-record 63 on the first day and never trailed in winning by two strokes over J.C. Snead and Tom Jenkins with a score of 15-under for three days.
"This course has always been good to me," said Morgan, the first repeat winner of a Senior PGA Tour event. "I’m not exactly sure why. Sometimes a course just seems to fit a player. This course suits the type of shots I play."
Morgan also won the ACE Group Classic last year. There are signs that his game is coming back from some extended time off as well as some of the injuries that come along with being a 55-year-old athlete.
He followed up the third-place finish at the SBC Senior Classic in March with his second-straight Top 10 finish of the year, a seventh place at the Toshiba Senior Classic.
"I took off the fall a lot and didn’t play," said Morgan, who did not finish in the top 10 the rest of March or April. "The older you get, playing sports is tough. I don’t feel I can swing as smoothly as I could. I’m hoping to get my game back into shape."
The injuries have Morgan thinking more frequently about how much longer he’ll play on the Senior PGA.
"When I first came out, I gave myself five years and then I said I’d look at where I am," he said. "I did that last year, and I decided to go on. If I can play effectively, I’ll probably play until I’m 60. If I keep playing like I have been, I don’t know. I’ve been toying with (retirement) for a year.
"I’ve played pretty well here the last couple of years. Winning two years in a row is a big thrill. A three-peat is a little more rare."