While Others Stumble

1 WrUn wWttlA COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN, Monday, June 17, 1985-P- age 3B North survives Open while others stumble Chen falters in four-hol- e stretch United Press International to try to keep making the pars." Barr was tied for the lead with two holes to play, BIRMINGHAM, Mich - The US Open was left but bogeyed both Watson shot a 70 to slip into a share for the taking Sunday and after a day of golf that be- of second place at even-pa- r 280 longed in a chamber of horrors, it was taken by a Watson suffered a two-stroke penalty for slow play man who remembered how on Thursday a penalty incurred while waiting in Seven years ago Andy North won the Open with a hopes that a ball hanging on the edge of the eighth shaky bogey at the final hole of the Cherry Hills 'hole would drop ul Country Club in Denver and thereafter all but disap- "But that didn't cost me the tournament;""Watson peared from the world of competitive golf. said "That happened on Thursday I forgot about it wBEsUr HHBHBBfefiff mSbBuS IBB On a murky afternoon at Oakland Hills Country on Thursday." Club Sunday, North won his second Open title in With Chen's sudden collapse on the front rune, a much the same fashion, clinging to the lead while all crowd of players were thrust forward as potential about him wilted under the immense pressure that al- champions most always surfaces when" the b ggsst prize in Payne Stewart, who started the round eight shots American golf is on the line behind, could have won had he played the last nine In a 13-ye-ar professional career North has won but holes in even par But he played them in threcover, three tunes and two of those victories tave teen at shbt a 70 and finished in a tie for fourth at one-over the Open 281 with Lanny Wadkins and Seve Ballesteros. "Maybe this will get those guys off my back who Wadkins, too, was just a few birdies away from say, 'What have I done lately'' " said North, who capturing the Open, and Ballesteros shot a 71 instead fought back from elbow surgery two years ago to put of the 69 he needed his game in the kind of shape it takes to survive a ma- Tom Kite birdied the first hole of the round and if jor championship he could have managed to play the other 17 in even North did not play a classic round Sunday, but his par he could have tied for first and brought about a four-over-p- er slumped 74. ar 74 left him at one-und- 279. playoff But he to a ot to That was good enough for a one-sh- victory over a After Chen lost seven shots par over the course two-shot trio of luckless challengers, Tze-Chu- ng Chen ol Tai- of four holes, North built a advantage. But wan, Denis Watson of South Africa and Canadian North's driver gave him problems all round and soon Dave Barr. he had fallen back into a tie with Barr and Chen. A magnificent bunker shot at the par--3 17th, which Barr took a brief two-shot lead only to bogey the almost went in the hole, allowed North the luxury of a par-- 3 13th just before North made a birdie at the two dur- two-strok- e cushion and, just as he did at Cherry Hills same hole one of only birdies North made in 1978, he won the tournament by making bogey at ing the final 36 holes the 18th. "That birdie was what I really needed at that The 85th U S Open seemed headed for a one-sid-ed point," said North, who with the victory became the finish early in the round Chen, who double-eagle- d the 52nd player to win at least $1 million on the pro tour. 54-ho- 1978 second hole Thursday and equaled the 36- - and le North's career declined after his Open victory, records, seemed destined to become the first man in chiefly because of elbow problems. Only once in the 72 years to win the Open in his first try. previous six years has he managed to win $100,000 on He led by four shots going to the fifth tee, but over the Tour. the next 20 disastrous minutes he took eight shots, in- In 1983, hoping to find a cure to pain in his elbow, cluding a penalty stroke when he hit the ball twice North underwent surgery. A huge bone spur was re- to golf with a single swing of the club. moved and North slowly began rebuild his Chen bogeyed the next three holes, but amazingly swing and his confidence. still had a chance to tie North at the final hole when He won only 122,131 in 1984, but before his win Sun- his shot from a greenside bunker hit the bottom of the day he had accumulated $51,000 this season. flagshck. If the ball had gone in Chen would have fin- North became the 15th person to win at least two his 1979 ished in a tie. Opens, the last to do so being Hale Irwin with As was he had to settle fora check of $39,185. .triumph. it winning," "You know, golf is a funny game," said Chen, who "The players never questioned my said UHTrtuphulo non-Ope- n final-roun- North, 35, whose only victory came at the shot a d 77. 1977. win Tze-Chu- ng "He opened the gates," said Norm, referring to Westchester Classic in "But this take the Chen reacts to his quadruple bogey on No. 5, Chen's misfortune. "From there on I just told myself heat off." which wiped out his four-sho- t lead in the U.S. Open. Chen finds friends everywhere hut on fifth hole 26-year-- United Proas Internatlorul "I (am) really not complaining," the old was not really that much pressure (on me). Instead, Chen went for the home run, Chen said. "I just played bad, piti- I was pretty confident going to No. 5." when a sacrifice bunt would have gotten the BIRMINGHAM, Mich. It wasn't the ful golf. I finished second. That's not too The Taipei, Taiwan, native bogeyed sis, runner home. ng "My was pressure, Tze-Chu- Chen said, it was the bad for (the) first time (playing the) U.S. seven and eight before three straight pars next approach, I still trying to one-under chip he He fifth bole. Open. I made a lot of friends." left him for the tournament. the ball in the hole," said. knew "It was all No. 5," Chen said, referring to Chen would have found more friends with Chen, who produced magic shots that in- what had happened when his sand wedge 457-yar- d, $39,185),-wW- ch first-roun- d double-eagl-e contact with ball twice disas- the disastrous eight shots he took on the the first prize of $103,000 (he won cluded a over the came in the Bole of by reducing four-foot- er on ter. par--4 fifth a score the native be could have won either , first three daj3, made a the wryly, Taiwan smilingly referred to as his "dou-- the eight or stopping the equally damaging 12th to tie for the lead. But a bad tee shot on "The golf," Chen noted "is some- iraofoogeysthatfollowed. the next bole led to another bogey that put times friendly." C&en," a virtual unknown who led after But he came apart after that "double--par- ." him a shot behind again. Even the television graphic went against each of the first mree rounds, shot a seven-over-p- ar which left him tied for first with But it still came back to No. 5 for Chen, Chen Sunday. It seemed, quite innocently, wen-o-ar 4-ir- on every someone Chen 77 Sunday, leaving him at North. r .. who bit a on Va second shot and time tied for the lead 230. Andy North finished frith a 74, a It took Chen four holes to right himself af- knocked ft into some trees. Bis third shot hisname wound op insecond place. m "doubte-par- Open, leaving-M- be-Id-od Right " Chen four-roun- d total of 279 and the UJS. ter the eight, three shots left himin the rough. after the was championship. Canadian Dave Barr (72) North "It was stupid thinking," Chen said. "I listed below Norm. His name later popped 5-foot- tied-Cbe- sec- -10, up below and Denis Watson (70) n for "I think everybody has pressure," the have to chip the ball, get the ball on the Bert's and it was at the bottom ond. - 140-pran-d Chen said. 'Td say there green andtwo-pottfo-r a bogey." when the trio were fled for the lead..

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