Doyle's words prove prophetic
Senior Tour: MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (Nov. 3) -- Allen Doyle said his five-stroke lead in the Senior Tour Championship wouldn't last. Jose Maria Canizares took only six holes Friday to prove Doyle right.
The Spaniard had an eagle and three birdies on his first six holes to pass Doyle and everybody else for a one-stroke lead halfway through the season-ending event at the new TPC at Myrtle Beach.
Canizares' 7-under 65 left him at 10-under 134, one in front of John Jacobs, two ahead of Leonard Thompson, and three clear of Doyle, Tom Watson and Hubert Green.
The expected contenders in the elite field of 31 -- money leader Larry Nelson, defending player of the year Bruce Fleisher, and U.S. Senior Open winner Hale Irwin -- couldn't come close to Canizares.
"It's very difficult to make birdie, birdie, birdie. But it's OK, I try," Canizares said. "I had a lot of chances."
He took advantage of nearly all of them to steal the spotlight from Doyle, whose first-round 64 led to speculation of a Tiger Woods-like runaway.
Canizares, who began the round five strokes behind, hit a sand wedge to 8 feet on No. 1 for his first birdie and followed with 15-foot eagle putt on the next hole. A birdie on the sixth hole tied Doyle. The Spaniard moved ahead with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16-17.
"If you play good, the birdies come easy," Canizares said. "If you play so-so, the bogeys also come easy."
Little came easy this day for Doyle, a big change from his opening round that included two eagles.
His birdie on the second hole break a momentary with Canizares. But he had bogeys on the ninth and 11th holes and then a disastrous double-bogey on the narrow, 538-yard 18th.
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