Carrasco Reminisces Through Round

Ray Carrasco spent much of Friday morning reliving the past with one of his playing partners in the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club.

Carrasco, a touring professional who now represents Strawberry Farms after years of teaching in Laguna Hills and Irvine, played with Gary McCord and David Lundstrom in the first round.

McCord and Carrasco have a special connection. The two played in the same Little League at Elks Park in Garden Grove. They competed against each other starting at age 8 and were on the same all-star team in 1959 as 12-year-olds.

They traded baseball stories much of the round, and at one point McCord was running through a series of signs just like a third base coach as Carrasco got ready to hit an approach shot to the 12th green.

Carrasco said just getting to play with McCord was one of the high points of the round, during which he shot a one-over 72. He had three birdies and four bogeys. Carrasco also has a longtime friend, Paul Faus, in from St. Louis to caddy for him.

Carrasco said, “McCord was a tremendous pitcher,” but McCord had his own version of the days when the two battled more than 40 years ago.

“I’ve known Ray Carrasco forever,” McCord said. “We went at it until we were about 15. I quit because my arm blew up, and he just got slow.”

Besides being in the same Little League, Carrasco and McCord also have something else in common: Each received a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s event.

That was a great relief for Carrasco, who had made it through Monday qualifying in 1997 and ’98.

Carrasco finished at eight-over 221 each of the last two years and won a combined $2,465. He is using this year’s event to get ready for the European Senior Tour, for which he has qualified.

“It’s exciting to start preparing to play [in Europe],” said Carrasco, who leaves in early May. “I want to get my game to a higher level so I’m ready for next year [when he attempts to qualify to the Senior PGA Tour].”

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Irons only, please: Want to bring home a souvenir but don’t want to spend $15 for a shirt or $10 for a hat. Well, the area near the eighth green is the place for the thrifty shopper.

The green sits behind the back fence of the driving range, which is only about 230 yards long, and a half dozen balls either came through or over the fence in about 15 minutes while the practice tee was full.

A marshal working the eighth hole said he had to pick up three balls that reached the rough near the green, and a boy walking along the fence also had collected three balls.

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Quick hits: Billy Casper withdrew from the tournament at the last minute because his wife was ill. He was replaced in the field by John Morgan, who shot 72.

Larry Nelson, bothered by a herniated disc in his neck, shot five-over 76, ending a streak of 12 consecutive rounds under par.

The 430-yard fifth hole was the hardest of the day. There were 27 bogeys and one double-bogey and it played to an average score of 4.321.

The 492-yard par-five 15th was the easiest. There were 30 birdies and it played to a 4.731 average. There were no eagles.