Rocky road for golfers

Press, 15 July 1978, Page 52

Rocky road for golfers

NZPA St Andrews The infamous Road Hole, one of the supreme tests facing a golfer, is bringing ever-increasing grief to the field in the 107th British Open at St Andrews. Yesterday, the 21-year-old Spaniard, Severiano Ballesteros, was apparently cruising to an outright lead in the second round. He was seven-under with two holes to play and to all intents and purposes was about to eclipse Japan’s Isao Aoki, the first-round leader, and the Texan, Ben Crenshaw, and take up the running in the Open. Bur the deadly seventeeth struck. Ballesteros blasted his drive out of bounds, got on in four, two-putted for a double-bogey six, and joined Aoki and Crenshaw in the clubhouse at five-under par 139. Tom Weiskopf, Jack Nicklaus, David Graham and Hubert Green were among those who bogeyed the hole. Twice the Open champion, Arnold Palmer, sailing along nicety at the time, was jolted by a triple bogey. Palmer, still only three off the lead, had some strong

words about the seventeenth but diplomatically refrained from saying them. Tucked behind Ballesteros, Aoki — the surprise packet of the championship — and Crenshaw was the 30-year-old Australian, Bob Shearer, who came into championship calculations with a threeunder 69 for a four-under total of 140 at half-way through the tournament. Shearer, too, had his share of problems at the seventeenth. He drove right into tall grass and then screwed into the left rough before finally getting on and two-putting for a bogey. Joining Shearer in joint fourth place was the 23ye a r-old Rhodesian-born Gary Cullen, who fired a five-under 67, the best round of the tournament so far. One stroke behind is a group of six players, including the defending champion, Tom Watson, who jumped to a challenging position with a four-under 68 yesterday. Along with the dual Open winner were fellow Americans Weiskopf, Tom Kite and Bob Byman, and the Japanese duo of Ozaki and Nakajima.

New Zealand’s big hope, Simon Owen, slipped to six strokes behind the leaders yesterday with a 75, and fellow New Zealander Bob Charles shot a 76 to just make the 148 cut-off point. Leading scorers after two rounds (British unless stated): 139— B. Crenshaw (U.S.), 70, 69; 1. Aoki (Japan), 68. 71; S. Ballesteros (Spain), 69, 70. 140— R. Shearer (Aust.), 71, 69; G. A. Cullen, 73, 67. 141— T. Kite (U.S.). 72, 69; M.

Ozaki (Japan), 72, 69; T. Watson (U.S.). 73, 68; T. Nakajima (Japan). 70, 71; T. Weiskopf (U. 5.. 69, 72; B. Byman (U.S.),

72. 69. 142— Moody (U.S.), 73, 69; A. Palmer (U.S), 71, 71; J. Morgan. 74 , 68; P. W. Thomson (Aust.), 72, 70; P. Oosterhuis, 72, 70. 143— M. F. Cahill (Aust.), 71, 72; J. Nicklaus (U.S.), 71, 72; A. Bean (U.S.), 73. 70; J. Schroeder (U.S.), 74, 69; B. Gallacher, 72, 71; N. Faldo. 71. 72. 145—S. Owen (N.Z.). 70, 75. 148—R. J. Charles (N.Z.), 72, 76.