Without Rhoden, race for title should be open

There is an opening this week and the good players can sense it.

Without Rick Rhoden in the field, the best players who haven't won an American Century Championship have a golden opportunity this weekend at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Rhoden, a six-time ACC winner, is testing his skills against some of golf's best ever in the Champions Tour's Ford Senior Players Championship in Dearborn, Mich. His absence has made four-time Dan Quinn and Al Del Greco the oddsmakers' top favorites at 6-5 and 4-1, respectively.

"I know without him here it makes my chances a little better to win," said Del Greco, the 2000 champion. "He's having fun, we're having fun, so as long as everybody is happy, that's OK."

Quinn wasn't sharp last year, finishing in an uncharacteristic tie for sixth.

"I didn't really play well last year, so I'm really looking forward to getting back at it this year," he said.

Somewhat overlooked leading into the 17th annual 54-hole championship is defending champion Billy Joe Tolliver. Tolliver won his second championship by four points over 49ers' quarterback Trent Dilfer, and he was his usual colorful self in selecting a possible winner.

"I'm sure that Dan Quinn, Al Del Greco, Chris Chandler, Trent Dilfer, the usual suspects will show up," Tolliver said in a pretournament press conference. "(But) I like that red-headed kid from Texas, that Tolliver kid. He is a hell of a guy, good looking, chicks dig him."

Del Greco tied for sixth last year, 13 points behind Tolliver. But the former NFL kicker says his game has progressed since then.

"I feel like I really know my game well know. What I do good, what I do bad and why I do things at times," Del Greco said. "I have worked harder in the last three months than I ever have before. My putting is much better, which has always hurt me here. I feel my golf game as a whole is a lot more solid than it's ever been."

If Tolliver, Quinn and Del Greco fail to add to their title collection, a first-time champion is a distinct possibility. Dilfer has contended and Chandler was a career-best fourth a year ago.

"I keep working at it," Chandler said while practicing on the driving range late Thursday afternoon. "It's trying to play well, make some putts, and who knows?"

Like Dilfer, actor Jack Wagner has a second-place finish to his credit. Wagner has also placed in the top 10 on 13 occasions.

"In the last few months I've played a lot, and I'm a lot sharper this year than I have been," he said.

Fortunately for most of the players, the gusty winds of several days subsided on Thursday. The strong winds off the lake brought back memories of the gale that blew during the second round of the 1999 tournament won by Rhoden.

"I remember I was on 17 and playing with JB (John Brodie) and Chris Chandler and we could barely tee our balls up," Dilfer said. "Seventeen is normally an 8-iron or 7-iron and I hit 4-iron, JB hit 4-iron and Chris hit 5-iron."

If there had been a sailing race on that day, there would have been a delay because of too much wind. The winds were so fierce that players were nearly blown over and golf balls moved several inches without being struck by a club.

"It was all about survival. I almost fell over on the fifth tee," said former hockey star Pierre Larouche.

Naturally, the golf scores rose with the wind's velocity. Not one player broke par on that miserable day. In fact, the best scores of the day were a pair of 74s turned in by Rhoden and Larouche.

Mark Rypien and John Elway were the two contenders who fell the most during the raging wind. Rypien, a first-round leader, with a 2-under 70, shot 79, while Elway followed a 71 with an 81.

Then-Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura was even less fortunate, shooting a 51-over 123 and country singer Steve Gatlin's first-round score rose from an 84 to a 99.

"I was so happy to get back to Minnesota, thinking that I had escaped the wind, and this made the wind in Texas look still," said retired hockey great Brett Hull.

Warmer weather and a threat of thundershowers are expected to move into the area over the weekend.