In truth, it wasn't all that long ago that Tom Watson wanted the Senior PGA Tour about as much as he wanted a case of the stomach flu.

He still had some game left, he figured, even at 50. And though the tour's slumping television ratings desperately cried out for new blood, Watson wasn't all that interested in being its savior when he became eligible.

After all, why would a fierce competitor, recognized as one of the game's greatest players, want to compete in tournaments where the three-day totals often reach 20-under par? The situation got somewhat embarrassing in April 2000, when Watson skipped The Tradition, one of the Senior PGA's four majors, to play in a regular PGA event that same week in Hilton Head, S.C.

These days, however, Watson isn't so much skipping Senior majors as he is threatening to rack them up. He shot a 4-under 67 yesterday at Caves Valley Golf Club, good enough for second place, three shots behind surprise first-round leader R.W. Eaks.

"I was very happy about the way I struck the ball today, and I hope it will continue, obviously," Watson said. "I'd sure like to hit 14 tee shots and only have two of them [miss the fairway] the next three rounds."

The Senior PGA Tour wouldn't mind, either. With Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player all reaching the twilight of their competitive careers, many are still hoping Watson - winner of last year's Senior PGA Championship - will be the standard-bearer for the next generation of senior tour stars.

And while he has been somewhat reluctant to accept that role - no one on the money list inside the Top 40 has played in fewer tournaments than his nine - Watson is gradually becoming a larger presence. The challenge of Caves Valley seems up to his ultra-competitive standards.

"This is a good golf course to play this championship," he said. "It's going to hold up very well as an Open venue. ... The golf course is new to all of us, and when you throw some wind and elevation in there, we're going to make some mistakes."

Watson still swears up and down that he's not a player fans come out to watch, because of his quiet demeanor, but he and playing partners Fuzzy Zoeller and Jim Thorpe had a large, vocal following yesterday. Watson delivered some thrills by chipping in from 30 feet for birdie on 14, one of four birdies he made in his round.

"On 14, I hit a 2-iron into the left rough and then hit a sand wedge just short of the green," Watson said. "The ball was in the heavy rough, but it was a perfect lie. It was like it was teed up. I was like, 'Well, look here.' I just took a nice, easy swing with a sand wedge and it was into the hole and on to the next hole."

Watson doesn't drive the ball like he once did, ("Old folks like me can only hit it about 245-250," he said), but that may not matter on this course, at least as long as he keeps putting well. Bothered by the yips late in his career, Watson still doesn't completely trust his stroke in the 8- to 10-foot area. But he rolled in enough putts yesterday to make things interesting.

"I missed a few out there, too," Watson said. "I missed a short one on No. 1, and I missed a short one on No. 11. But I did chip the ball in, and that made up for one of those, so I can't complain."

There is still that desire, however, to compete at the level he did when he won the British Open in 1975, '77, '80, '82 and '84. When asked to assess Tiger Woods' chances in this year's British Open at Muirfield, he couldn't help but address his own as well.

"They've added length to about three tees, but it's not going to affect me that much," said Watson, who won at Muirfield in 1980. "If they lengthened holes like No. 10, and No. 1, then I'm going to be at a real disadvantage. There are certain holes you have to get by ... but if you do, then you'll have opportunities."

For now, Watson will simply have to get his competitive fix on the senior tour. Leaving the press tent yesterday, he ran into Eaks, who had just finished shooting a 7-under 64, tying him for the best round ever at a U.S. Senior Open.

"Hey, nice playing," Watson said, shaking Eaks' hand. "Very well done."

The handshake was genuine. But it was also the handshake of a man who was very much looking forward to the challenge in front of him.