Young U.S. golfer has dream round to lead golf open

Press, 28 November 1980, Page 26

Young U.S. golfer has dream round to lead golf open

PA Auckland The 1978 United States amateur champion, Vance Heafner, led the field by two strokes after the first round of the $lOO,OOO Air New Zealand-Shell open golf championship yesterday. Heafner returned a 65, which he described as the best round of his competitive life. Behind him on 67 were the Americans, Gary Hallberg and Lanny Wadkins, and the Australian, Ted Ball. Heafner, a 26-year old from North Carolina, who has won no money to speak of in professional golf, had a round of dream putting on the Titirangi course. New Zealand, as represented by Stuart Reese battling ’ with an injury, figures respectably among the several on 68. But the bigger -New Zealand guns. Bob - Charles and Simon Owen, will really have to dig in as from today to stand a chance. . Charles had a bad day. He three-putted the eleventh from 60 feet, and had misadventures on the sixteenth and seventeenth, each of which cost him 5. On the 18th his birdie putt of perhaps 14 feet stopped dead two or three good handspans from the hole. Owen struck trouble with trees at the long fifth. He struck Worse trouble, with a penalty drop from a waterhazard, at the villainous twelfth. The three Americans in the first four leaders of the classy field of 131, from several nations, all broke

into big-time golf after distinguished playing careers at the college level cf American .education. Hallberg, who played with Ball, played a scintillating. 67 in which, he played 40 shots to the greens and only 27 upon them — Ball’s was a similar effort. Lanny Wadkins, who like Hallberg is a graduate of Arnold Palmer’s celebrated college of Wake Forest in Pennsylvania, shot a 67 which was a little more adventurous, especially upon the greens, than either Hallberg’s or Heafner’s. The Australian golden boy of a year or two ago, Jack Newton, having shot an horrendous 84 which included four 5s in the front nine and four 6s in the back, headed for the nearest acupuncturist

for immediate treatment to a left arm which, so it seemed, was entirely out of kilter. The defending champion, David Graham (Australia) is well poised on 69. He would be better poised if he were happier with his putter — he gave it a keen look more than once during the round and was hard at work upon it not too long after he had finished his play. Leading scores are:— 65—V. Hefner (US). 67— G. Hallberg (US), E. Ball (Aust), L. Wadkins (US). 68— S. Reese (NZ), E. Darcy (Ire), R. Mallicdat (US), B. Barnes (UK), P. Stewart (US). 69— R. Fischer (US), D. Graham (AuSt). M. Bembridge (UK), R. Shearer (Aust), B. Albn (US), G. Archer (US), G. Marsh (Aust), B. Devlin (Aust), N. Ratcliffe (Aust). 70— T. Gale (Aust), M. O’Meara (US), D. J. Clarke (NZ), C. Tickner (Aust), I.' Stanley (Aust),' R. Barker (NZ), M. Ferguson (Aust), R. McNaughton (Aust), B. Jones (Aust), F. Conallin (Aust), W. Grady (Aust). 71— L. Korn (Aust). P.- Beames (UK), J. Benda (US),' P. Headland (US). J. Goodwin : (US), A. Russell (US), B. Burton (US), B. Vivian (NZ), B. Cook (Aust),. R. Shaw (Aust), B. Whaley (US). 724-R. Ellis (NZ), ; M: Inglis (UK), R. Thompson (US). G. Wolstenholme (Aust),'M. Moynihan (NZ); T. Kelso (NZ), G. Serhan (Aust), K. Southerdern (NZ), J. Lister (NZ), R. Thomson (Aust). 73— K. Dukes (Aust), S. Owen (NZ), R. J. Charles (NZ), P. Croker (Aust). M. Krantz (US), P. Mateer (NZ), G. Parkinson (NZ), P. Hamblett (NZ), T. Graham (US). R. Davis (Aust), P. Fowler (Aust). 74— p Fisher (NZ), G. Franks (US), M. Cahill (Aust). M. Paxon (UK). T. Ireland (Aust), R. Coombes (NZ), F. Nobilo (NZ), S. Long (US). K. Nagle (Aust), G Brookman (Aust), D. Simon (US). 75— D. Maggs (Aust), M. Harwood (Aust), T. Jackson (US), T. Leech (NZ), M. Young (NZ).