It could be golf. Or showtime. Or both. Jack Nicklaus and Chi Chi Rodriguez were to settle the U.S. Senior Open championship in an 18-hole playoff at historic Oakland Hills Monday.
They finished 72 holes tied at 2-over-par on the 6,718-yard layout. Al Geiberger, victim of a heart-breaking bogey on the 18th hole, finished one shot back at 283. Lee Trevino, closing with a 4-over 74, tied with Jim Dent at 284.Rodriguez, winner of four senior tournaments this year, promised the playoff would be exciting. "To me golf is show business," Rodriguez said. "They come to be entertained, see a good show well staged. I give them a show. Jack gives them good golf."
Rodriguez, who earned a spot in the playoff with a dramatic birdie on the final hole Sunday, added, "If the big bear goes to sleep, the little mouse from Puerto Rico will slip right in," he said.
This will be the fourth playoff in the history of the U.S. Senior Open, which was first played in 1980. Arnold Palmer won at this course in 1981, Billy Casper won in 1983 and Gary Player won in 1988.
It is the first playoff in a senior event for Nicklaus. Rodriguez is 1-4 in senior playoffs.
With Trevino out of the picture after a bogey on the par-3 No. 17, Nicklaus and Rodriguez both needed clutch birdies down the stretch to catch Geiberger.
Nicklaus got his birdie at the 185-yard No. 17 by hitting a high 5-iron that dropped softly five feet from the pin. Rodriguez got his with a snap-hook 6-iron at No. 18 that rolled to a stop two feet from the cup.