Charles Disastrous 80 In Golf First Round

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31089, 18 June 1966, Page 17

Charles Disastrous 80 In Golf First Round

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) SAN FRANCISCO. The Australian, K. D. G. Nagle, was in a sound position, but the New Zealander, R. J, Charles, was out of the running after the first round of the United States open golf championship yesterday. I Nagle scored a par 70 to finish three strokes behind the leader, a virtually unknown American, A. Mengert, Mengert shot a three-under-par 67, to take a one-stroke lead from G. Littler, the 1961 Open champion, and D. Massengale.

Casualty List (From Our Rugby Reporter) The Lions team now has its share of injuries. The fol- ; owing walking wounded reported yesterday. B. Price, strained leg ligament, out for two weeks. S. J. Watkins, pulled hamstring, available next Saturday. R. M. Young, badly bruised back (“allowed no contact” was Mr O’Brien’s wry comment on the kick Young received against Combined). S. J. Wilson, pulled hamstring, out for two weeks. A. E. I. Pask, pulled neck muscle, available next

week. K. F. Savage, back injury, available next week.

W. Casper, the 1959 title-holder, was lying fourth with 69.

With Nagle on 70 were P. Rodgers and D. Sanders, two of the leading money-win-ners this year, and J. Miller, a 19-year-old college student who had registered to caddy during the tournament before he qualified to play in it. Three of the pre-tourna-ment favourites—A. Palmer, J. Nicklaus and A. Lema—were well placed to strike back for the lead. They were in a gap of seven on 71. But Charles, with disastrous halves of 39 and 41, was 10 over par with 80. Another to fail was the current champion, G. Player (South Africa), on 78. After the second round, the lowest 60 golfers and those tied with the sixtieth ranking player will continue. Charles and Player will need to play magnificent golf today to qualify. Two more Australians, B. Devlin and B. Crampton, are also still in the running, at 74. Playing easy, relaxed golf, Mengert played to par until the ninth hole when he suddenly hit a streak of perfect shots. He had a birdie on the ninth and then carded five more birdies in the next seven holes. “I didn’t take any chances," he said later. “This is not the kind of course you can attack and get away with it. ’ She’ll hit back.”