Morgan tied Irwin with sixth win

Web posted October 6, 1998

Associated Press

CLEMMONS, N.C. -- The intense rivalry between Gil Morgan and Hale Irwin on the Senior PGA Tour seems to grow with each swing of the golf club.

Morgan held off his chief competitor Sunday by one shot to win the $1.5 million Vantage Championship with a final-round 5-under-par 65. Each have six wins this season and have virtually lapped the rest of the players on the 50-and-over circuit.

``I am not going to get into what is good for the senior tour,'' Irwin said. ``Gil is playing his game and I'm playing my game and if the other 76 are not that's a problem they've got.

``Gil's performance over the last couple of years has helped me. I think my performance has helped him. If domination is the proper word, what are they going to do, kick us off? Let's drop the word domination and just say we're playing well.''

A reprieve is on the way, though. Although each are gunning for player-of-the year honors, Irwin and Morgan said they will play only two of the final five events because of physical and mental fatigue.

``I have kept up this consistency for so long, that is what is sort of wearing me down,'' said Irwin, whose final-round 67 helped push his earnings in 1998 to $580 shy of $2.5 million. ``It's kind of being at that pitch all the time, that high level of performance, it is sometimes hard to do. I am ready to kind of climb off.''

Morgan, who finished with a 12-under-par total of 198, echoed Irwin's sentiments.

``I'm still kind of plugging,'' Morgan said. ``Coming in here I have already set my schedule to pass on the next three weeks. I feel kind of golfed-out a little bit. I've played pretty much around-the-clock the last two years. That has been part of my problem the last few months.''

Morgan's win Sunday was his second major comeback victory of the season. He came from five shots back in February to win the LG Championship. Meanwhile, Irwin has two wins and two seconds in his last four Vantage tournaments.

Jerry McGee, who started the day with a three-shot lead and at one point was four shots ahead of Morgan and Irwin, tied for third with Tom Wargo, two shots back.

Wargo moved into contention late with a third-round 64, while McGee birdied the final hole to salvage a 1-over 71 after a disastrous triple bogey on the 15th hole.

McGee was clinging to a one-shot lead over Morgan and had just saved par on the 14th hole with a 20-foot putt after escaping two sand traps.

But then disaster struck.

McGee, who has had trouble off the tee all season, hooked his drive into the lake on the 15th hole and three-putted for a triple bogey as his attempt for his first Senior Tour title went up in smoke.

``One shot killed me,'' McGee said. ``You know, one shot.''

Meanwhile, Morgan, playing in the group ahead of McGee and Irwin, took the lead for good with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

``Jerry had a pretty good lead on everybody and he made a mistake there on 15 and kind of let everybody back in the tournament, compared to what he was doing,'' Morgan said.

Terry Dill tied the course record with a 62 and finished at 8-under. Dill birdied five of the opening six holes Sunday to beat his career-best round by two shots. Irwin and Dave Eichelberger set the Tanglewood 18-hole record last year when the course played to a par-71.