N.Z. golfers well – placed

Press, 26 February 1977, Page 56

N.Z. golfers well - placed

iNZPA-Reuter Hong Kong. ; Seven placers, including three from Japan and two from TaiIwan, shared a one stroke lead I after the first round of the |SUSSO,OOO Hong Kong open golf | championship yesterday. • Among the 13 players grouped ;on 71, one over par and one off ithe lead, were the Australian, Bob Richards, and Terrv Kendall, of New Zealand. Two Australians, Ted Bali and Brian Jones, and two New Zealanders, Simon Owen and Barry Vivian, were on 73 in the tightly bunched field which tackled the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club course at Failing on the second leg of the 1977 Asian circuit. Stewart Reece (N.Z.) shot a 74 and Walter Godfrey and Richard Coombes had 765. .Meanwhile, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Gary Player tamed gusty breezes that swept the Inverrary Golf and Country Club course yesterday to record a four-under-par 63 and grab the first-round lead in the 5L5250.000 Jackie Gleason-Inverrary classic, the Associated Press reported. A stroke behind the 40-year-ioid South African was Curtis Strange (U.S.). Jack Nicklaus, who won the ’tournament players’ championship at Fort Lauderdale last year ’and never has finished lower ithan sixth in four previous Glea-

. son events, headed £ list of fi ,igolfers at 70, two shots off ti ipace. John Lister, of New Zealanc jhad a reasonable round and lished on 74, two behind the Av* {tralian, David Graham. Bob {Shearer (Australia) shot 79 And across the world In Mei,i bourne. a local professional, , Geoff Parslow, upstaged the ’American star, Johnny Milley. I when he shot an equal ••ourtc record 63 in the $A40,000 Vi torian open at Varra Yarra ye. terday. ; Parslow’s nine under par round over his home course catapulted him to a five-shot lead on 133 after the second round of the tournament. He is now 11 under the card following a first round 70 and yesterday s score equalled the record set b> Britain's Tony Jac.klin in 1972 The former Australian amateur champion, Kevin Hartley <Vic toria) holds second spot on 13: from the Queenslander, Grf*' Norman, and two New Soutl Wales professionals. Allen Top ham and Barry Burgess tw< strokes away. Miller, who shot a 71 yester day to follow his first round 70 is in equal fourth place, and s od he should have had a 69. He missed the greens on several o< casions but forecast he couid shoot 67 today.