U.S. golfer plays ‘best round of life’

Press, 7 August 1982, Page 60

U.S. golfer plays ‘best round of life’

NZPA Reuter Tulsa, Oklahoma The American golfer, Raymond Floyd, leads the U.S. Professional Golfers’ Association championship after yesterday’s first round played at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. Floyd called his seven-under-par 63 “the finest golf I’ve ever played.” The score was a course record for the 6862-yard Southern Hills layout. It gave him a three-stroke lead over Greg Norman, of Australia and Bob Gilder (United States) Nick Faldo, of Britain, was tied at three-under-par 67 with Fred Counles and Rex Cald-

well. It was a hot, humid day with the temperature reaching well over 38 degrees (Celsius) in mid-afternoon and some of the scoring was just as hot and some was not. Tom Watson; bidding for his third major championship this year, birdied the seventeenth hole and finished with a two-over-par 72. . Jack Nicklaus and the defending champion, Larry Nelson, each shot a 74. Nicklaus was disappointed with his 74, saying: “I got just about what I deservved today; . I played the first seven holes very well, and then didn’t play very well at

all. I just hit too many bad shots.” His birdie at the seventeenth hole came when he sank an 18-foot putt. Floyd’s 63 was the lowest score ever posted in the first round of a P.G.A. championship. Bruce Crampton, of

Australia; had 63 in the second round of the 1975 P.G.A. championship. Couples who attended the University of Houston, finished his round with six conservative birdies for a tournament and course record 29 on the homecoming nine.' ■' Floyd said: “When you consider the importance of this tournament and the diffi- .

culty of this golf course, yes, this is without a doubt the best round I’ve ever played. I made only one mistake, one bad shot all day, and that was my drive at the third hole, but I still made par there.” He parted the first six holes, and then birdied the seventh and ninth on the front nine. His other birdies came at the tenth, twelfth, where he >sank a 15-foot putt, thirteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth holes. “I may not have another round like this the rest of my life,” said Floyd, "but I don’t expect my game to sour overnight, either. If I continue to hit the ball solid, I

can continue to turn in more good scores even if they are not 635.” Norman made only one bogey in his round of 66 and that came at the tenth where he bunkered his approach. He had birdies at the parfive sixteenth where he pitched his third to within three feet and made the putt, and the 354-yard seventeenth where he pitched to within 10 feet and made the putt. Faldo, who has been playing extremely well the last few weeks, said it was because: "I’m back to fading the ball, and that is the way I play the best. I worked hard on my swing early in the year and everything

started to fall together about a month ago.” The Briton had four birdies and a lone bogey, commenting, “I only missed two fairways and played very consistent all day.” Watson was three-over par after suffering a double-bo-gey six at the 444-yard twelfth hole. After a one-iron off the tee, his four-iron approach hit the water: “I made that one mistake and didn't putt well early in the round. That added up to a 72. It is just an average score today,” he said. Bob Shearer,'of Australia, withdrew from the tournament because of a shoulder injury.