UNPLAYABLE

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32777, 30 November 1971, Page 30

UNPLAYABLE

(NZPA-Reuter—Copyright) HILTON HEAD ISLAND (South Carolina).

H. Irwin held on in the face of growing pressure and the unnerving effect of hitting a tee shot down the front of a woman’s dress ami fired a 70 to win the Heritage Golf Classic. The 26-year-old Irwin, who had not won before in four years on the professional tour, led all the way on the cool, sunny, final day and finished with a tournament record of 279—five under par on the very tough Harbour Town golf links.

The former Colorado football star became the tenth first-time winner this season when he held off R. Lunn by a single stroke and edged the threatening F. Beard and J. Nicklaus by two. Beard had a 67, the best of the day, and Nicklaus took a 70 and was in contention .for his fourth victory in as many starts until: he went one over on the par-three seventeenth hole. Lunn finished with a 280, with Nicklaus and' Beard tied on 281. Palmer, just three strokes off Irwin’s leading pace going into the final round, took a two-over 6 on the first hole—he missed the green and three-putted—and never really recovered. Pa’mer had a 74 for 286, but he won $4500 for fifth place and joined Nicklaus, L. Trevino, and W. Casper as

the only $200,000 winners in a single season. He pushed his earnings for the year to $201,707, the best of his career. Trevino, who already has set a record for single-season money winnings, was not a factor in the final round, but had a 69 for 290 and put his earnings at $229,553. Nicklaus won $6515 for a total of $213,678, nearly $16,000 behind Trevino with only two tournaments left. Irwin, a soft-spoken sixfooter, won a hard-earned $22,000 from the total purse of SIIO,OOO. He had a onestroke lead starting out, birdied the second and third and the par-5 fifth, turned in 33, and had a three-stroke advantage at that point. Then he pushed his tee shot on the tenth to the right. It hit a woman spectator in the chest and dropped down the front of her dress.

When he got to the area where he had last seen the ball, the former collegiate champion started looking around the palms and cypress for it. The woman held it out to him.

"I guess I can’t play it from where it landed,” Irwin said. He took his drop and played away. He went one over for the hole.

Irwin played it very solidly down the tough last three, making par on all of them—good enough because Lunn failed to have a birdie and could not- close the gap.

irwin piayeu n very souuiy down the tough last three, making par on all of them—good enough because Lunn failed to have a birdie and could not, close the gap.