People looked at him differently after his impromptu romp around the 18th green of Medinah Country Club nine years ago, the joyous jaunt that occurred after he holed an improbable 60-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the championship.

	Hale Irwin was on the leaderboard all day during the first round.

That stroke of genius put Irwin in an 18-hole playoff, which he won over Mike Donald the next day. With a third Open title, Irwin's place in history was secure.

But everyone remembers that high-fiving run. Irwin even joked this week at the PGA Championship that he could not duplicate that trek around the green today.

"I'd need a golf cart for that," said Irwin, 54. "Remember, I'm on the Senior Tour now."

He hardly played like it Thursday during the first round of the PGA. The man who has rewritten Senior Tour record books and banked millions of dollars since turning 50 figured to be a nice, ceremonial addition to the tournament.

Irwin was even paired with 19-year-old Sergio Garcia, putting the youngest and oldest players in the same group.

But while Garcia was sprinting to the first-round lead with a 66, Irwin was acquitting himself just fine, thank you. His 2-under-par 70, which included a bogey at that same 18th hole, put him in some fine company, tied with Tiger Woods, David Duval, Tom Lehman and Nick Price, just four shots out of the lead. He is one of 34 players under par.

And he acted as if we shouldn't be surprised.

"It's golf. It's not a marathon," Irwin said. "I'm not trying to get into a strength test, or a stamina test with them. I'm just trying to play golf. I still have a few skills that are there. I'm not throwing in the towel quite yet."

Age has always been just a number to Irwin. He remained competitive well into his 40s, becoming the oldest player at age 45 to win the U.S. Open when he did so in 1990. He also won the Buick Classic that year and captured the Heritage Classic at age 49, his 20th PGA Tour title. As recently as 1993, Irwin tied for sixth at the PGA Championship.

Since joining the seniors, Irwin has been nearly unbeatable, winning 24 times, including 21 in the past three seasons. Even after a slow start this year, Irwin captured five of eight events this summer and could be headed for another money title and player of the year award.

But Irwin is the first to admit that the Senior Tour is not the PGA Tour and is not a major championship.

"You have to forget that this is a different arena than in which you normally play," Irwin said. "This is an event which is most important. All in all, I don't want to say that today's round was emotion, because I didn't play any golf last week. I felt like I needed the rest to come in here, playing Medinah, playing in a 72-hole grind against the best players in the world.

"You need a little energy like you had when you were 19 years old."

The reference was to Garcia, whom Irwin described as "my grandson ... I can't remember when I was 19 years old."

But Irwin certainly remembers how to play good golf, even when he's out of his element, on the game's grandest stage.

"I enjoyed playing today," he said. "Being back at Medinah, playing well. I'm not used to this long of playing and it's kind of hard to keep my concentration. I hit a few loose shots in the end, but all in all, I played very well."

Bob Harig, who covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, writes a column every Tuesday for ESPN Golf Online.