Seventeen golfers break par in exciting first round

Press, 3 December 1982, Page 32

Seventeen golfers break par in exciting first round

From

BOB SCHUMACHER,

in Auckland

The people to feel sorry for most in the first round of the Air New Zealand-Shell Open golf tournament at Titirangi yesterday were the attendants manning the leader boards round the course.

Appreciating the tranquil, warm weather which stayed for most of the day and the good deal of run on parched fairways, the professionals avariciously attacked the course-. The birdies came so rapidly and from so many that there was not sufficient room on the boards to display all those under par for the round. Of the field of 109 which began the $lOO,OOO tournament. 17 players bettered the par of 70 and another eight equalled it. Those who failed to match par have an uphill task ahead of them with such a staggering number already under the card. Interest in the Open is running high. Yesterday's attendance was double that of the equivalent day last year when the United States Open and British Open champion, Bill Rogers, was present. Australian interests will also be served. A television crew from Channel 10 in Sydney is on its way to film proceedings. At the end of an incredible day, the laconic Englishman, Guy Wolstenholme, who lives in Australia, and one of the specially invited guests, Sandy Lyle, a broad-should-ered young Scot, shared the lead with rounds of 65. One shot behind are five players. On 66 are Stephen Andersen-Chapman, a 25-year-old Canadian who looked certain to lead the field until a fateful last hole; the two protagonists in the gripping final to last week’s New Zealand BP Open, Terry Gale (Australia) and New Zealand’s Bob Charles; an American, Art Russell, and the slender Australian, Noel Ratcliffe. The consistent campaigner, Brian Jones, of Australia, is on 67 along with his countryman, Ossie Moore, who only turned professional this year. Two-under par on 68 is the Australian, Bob Shearer, the defending champion, and a newcomer to the Australasian circuit, lan Mosey, of England. Many more notable names are included in the groups on 69 and 70. The pro-am winner. Bruce Devlin, of Aus-

tralia, had 70, as did the Titirangi professional, Terry Kelso, who was based at Templeton for many years. Kelso had five birdies. Wolstenholme's splendid score was based on his ability to avoid the lurking dangers and to hole the important birdie putts. Lyle’s round was something different. He varied between ordinary and brilliant: he had nine pars, two one-overs, five birdies and two eagles. The final holes provided a vivid contrast between Lyle and the Open’s other invited newcomer, Bruce Leitzke, of the United States. After 14 holes, Lyle was one-under, Lietzke four-under. When they had finished, Lyle, through birdies at 15 and 17 and an eagle at 16, had gone five-under. Lietzke dropped a shot at 16 and two at 17 where he was in trees twice, and had fallen to one-under. Lyle, who used his driver only twice, preferred a No. 1 iron for accuracy. He did not lose much distance as he hit it 250. He eagled 12 from 25cm and hit a wedge into the hole from 100 m at 16. Wolstenholme had an uneventual start, four straight-forward pars, but he had two easy birdies at the next holes. A bad approach at the eighth cost him a shot and he was still only oneunder par after 10. His purple patch started at the eleventh with a 12m birdie putt and a good chip and one putt gave him another birdie at 12. At 14 and 15 he holed putts from 2.5 m, both for birdies, and he finished safely with three pars for his 65. Wolstenholme said that because he was an early starter he had had the best of the weather and the best of the greens before theybecame worn. “With all those young fellows around it’s nice to head them off,” Wolstenholme commented after his round. "How old are you?” he was asked. “Old enough” was the reply. If fact Wolstenholme who has been coming to New Zealand for almost 20 years, is 51 and is eligible for the

senior section on the United States tour. He played in seven tournaments this year in the United States and won $40,000 on a circuit which is becoming increasingly supported and more lucrative. Andersen-Chapman turned professional in June after an amateur career in which he won nothing of significance. There was some confusion among the gallery as he had a run of birdies early in his round to be five-under par at the turn. There were mutterings that somebody . named Stephen Andersen was running hot. Others were saying that Stephen Chapman had started sensationally. In fact, it was the one and the same man with the hyphenated name who was doing it all. The dark-headed young Canadian had a marvellous front nine of 30. He birdied the first from 3m, the fourth from 1.5 m, the fifth from 7m. the next from Im, and the ninth from sm. “A lot of other players had told me that when you are in that position you don’t try and sit on it. I tried just to shoot as low as I could on the back nine.” Andersen-Chapman lipped out for a birdie on 10, but he just missed a 3m putt for an eagle at 12 and the simple birdie had him six-under. He held that score quote comfortably, although he made a couple of character-testing chips and putts, until the last hole. With the open lead beckoning him, he hit a No. 3 wood down the left-hand tree line. Andersen-Chapman expected the ball to fade, it went where he aimed it and, in spite of a concentrated search by many, it was not found. There was only one really tightly-bound clingy tree where it could possibly have stayed trapped. AndersenChapman vaulted the tree trunk with the ease of a monkey and swung from bough to bough as the perfect imitation act continued. He conceded defeat graciously and bravely made four with his second ball, lipping

out with his first putt from 4m. First round scores: 65 — G. Wolstenholme (Aust.) S. Lyle (U.K.). 66 — S. Andersen-Chapman (Canada). T. Gale (Aust.). A. Russell (U.S.). N. Ratcliffe (Aust.). R. J. Charles (N.Z.). 67 — O. Moore (Aust.). B. Jones (Aust.). 68 — I. Mosey (U.K.), R. Shearer (Aust.). 69 — B. Lietzke (U.S.). M. Colandro (U.S.), L. Stephen (Aust.), S. Reese (N.Z.), T. Daber (U.S.), G. Marsh (Aust.). 70 — T. Kelso (N.Z.), C. Bishop (Aust.). F. Conallin (Aust..), J. Newton (Aust.), K. Dukes (Aust.), G. Grut (N.Z.), B. Devlin (Aust.). M. Harwood (Aust.). 71 - S. Bidwell (N.Z.). D. Maggs (Aust.). T. Kendall (N.Z.). D. Graham (Aust.), S. Bittie (N.Z.), W. Grady (Aust.), M. Ferguson (N.Z.). 72 — M. Young (N.Z.). W. Riley (Aust.), P. Thomson (N.Z.), J. Anderson (Can.), V. Somers (Aust.), D. J. Clark (N.Z.), V. Singh (Fiji), J. Godwin (U.S.), B. Dunk (Aust.), W. Godfrey (N.Z.), A. Nanga (Aust.), J. Lister (N.Z.), I. Stanley (Aust.), S. Stull (U.S.). 73 — K. Southerden (N.Z.), S. Knapp (Canada), J. Noulds (U.S.), J. Kelly (Aust.), A. Bonnington (N.Z.), J. Clifford (Aust.), E. Fisher (U.S.). S. Ginn (Aust.), I. Smalley (N.Z.), K. Tarling (Canada), A. Cooper (Aust.), B. Murray (Aust.), K. Smallbeck (U.S.), R. Michael (U.S.), T. Ireland (Aust.), D. Klenk (U.S.). 74 — M. Moynihan (N.Z.), R. Ellis (N.Z.), W. Davies (N.Z.), P. Mateer (N.Z.), S. Bann (Aust.). 75 — K. Nagle (Aust.), M. Tapper (N.Z.), Simon Owen (N.Z.), Craig Owen (N.Z.), P. Headland (Aust.), A. Gilligan (Aust.), L. Lavery (Aust.), B. Vivian (N.Z.). 76 - G. Smart (N.Z.), R. Wood (Aust.), R. Stephens (Aust.), B. Shaw (Aust.), G. Parkinson (N.Z.), M. Guy (N.Z.), P. Jones (Aust.). 77 — I. Baker-Finch (Aust.), T. Jackson (U.S.), M. Lanner (Sweden). R. Barker (N.Z.), D. Bleakley (Aust.). 78 - B. Griffiths (N.Z.), D. M. Clark (N.Z.), A. Roberts (N.Z.). R. Lee (Aust.), G. Serhan (Aust.), D. Hartshorne (N.Z.), A. Johnston (Aust.). 79 - J. Wenman (U.S.), P. Somers (Aust.), G. Watson. 80 — J. Reid (N.Z.), D. Leeary (Aust.) J. Croskery (N.Z.). 81 — A. Snape (N.Z.) D. Keown (N.Z.). 83 — G. Healey (Aust.). 85 - K. McCarty (U.S.). W. Kawakami (U.S.), P. Dickey (N.Z.). 86 - D. Sullivan (N.Z.). 87 — S. Hitchcock (Aust.). 90 — J. Peragallo (U.S.).