The Michigan Daily-Friday, April 13, 1979-Page 13 FOUR PLA YERS ONE STROKE BACK Lietzke's 67 holds Masters lead .4 By BOB EMORY Special to The Daily footers for birdies on three and twelve, another five-footer for birdie at 17, and then a five-foot par-saving putt lipped out at the 18th. AUGUSTA, Ga. - In what he termed, "an easy stroll through the park," Bruce Lietzke nailed four straight bir- dies on the back nine yesterday en route to a five under par 67 and the first- round lead in the 43rd Masters from Augusta National. Lietzke holds a slim one-stroke edge over a group of players at four under - Leonard Thompson, Joe Inman, Ed Sneed and 1977 Masters Champion Tom Watson. Right back in a group with three under 69's were Lou Graham, Craig Stadler, Andy Bean, Billy Casper and the ever-present Jack Nicklaus. In his birdie drive, Lietzke drained putts of 20, 18, 25, and 14 feet before get- ting his only bogey of the day at the 18th when his seven iron from the left side went left again and chased out several spectators. Despite those string of putts on the 13th through 16th holes, Lietzke was still not impressed with his putting. "I was never in trouble off the tee all day," he said. "I could have had a cour- se record if I'd have putted well. I had it in there close a number of times." Close is right. Lietzke missed a five- foot putt for birdie on nine, two seven- At the Masters "I was in a trance I was playing so well," said Lietzke, who won the Tuc- son Onen .last February after an opening round 63. "At 17, I had a five- foot putt that broke my trance. If I had made that, I very well could have bir- died the 18th." At 18, a 420-yard par four that doglegs sharply to the right up a steep hill, Liet- zke elected to go with a three wood off the tee, as many players do in hopes of getting a truer lie on the slope. But he hooked his drive and left himself with a tricky approach shot that also took a left turn and bounded away from the green. He chipped back up close and two- putted for a back nine 33. Although Augusta National is possibly in the best shape that it has ever been, the course played very easily yesterday for most of the 72 con- testants. The sun broke through the cloudy skies around 11 o'clock, helping to dry out the slightly damp fairways and give the ball extra roll off the tee. And the greens, as most players agreed, were soft and true as velvet. "The course played relatively easy," said Tom Watson, whose 68 yesterday indicates he is picking up right where he left off after winning the Heritage Classic by five strokes two weeks ago. "The fairways were excellent so if you missed a shot, you couldn't blame anyone but yourself." All totaled, nine players shot rounds of better than 70 over the yawning, tree- lined fairways of Augusta. But no mat- ter what the conditions are, it is not one of the tougher courses on the pro tour. The fairways are wide, there is vir- tually no rough and there aren't that many sand traps to get buried in. For those immersed in nostalgia, yesterday was not that eventful. Aside from Casper's 69, there wasn't much to yell about as far as the older players were concerned. Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Gene Littler all shot unim- pressive 74s. Don January had a 73, Gay Brewer had a 75, and Bob Goalby, the 1968 Masters champion, blew to a 79. 1 I AP Photo FIRST-ROUND LEADER Bruce Lietzke looks on as he cans a birdie putt yester- day during the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Four players finished their round one stroke behind Lietzke: Leonard Thompson, Ed Sneed, Joe Inman, and Tom Watson. ROUNDS OF APPLAUSE FOR CASPER, NICKLAUS: Veterans returning to old orm By BOB EMORY Specil to The Daily AUGUSTA, Ga.-Two comebacks- one just a-matter of time and the other just plain heartwarming-were started yesterday in the first round of the 1979 Masters. Those comebacks, by Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper, were seen in a pair of three under par 69's that they shot, much to the delight of the dignified and cour- teous galleries that strolled over the Golfers tee off By JOANNE SCHNEIDER The old, age-worn cliche says that when the competition gets tough, the tough get going. Well, if that's true, there is no better time than this weekend for the Michigan men's golf team to "get going." They travel today to Columbus, Ohio to begin Big Ten tournament play in the Kepler Open. The Wolverines main competition in the three-day, 72-hole event should be Ohio State, defending Kepler champion and tournament host. Michigan captain Frank Sims anticipates good play from the squad, despite the fact that they are facing Big Ten teams for the first time this season on a northern course. "We'll do fine down there," said Sims. "We're going to let the other teams come after us." Sims' optimistic attitude arises despite a disappointing ninth-place finish in the GAC Intercollegiate tour- nament three weeks ago, Michigan's most recent competition., One factor working in favor of the Blue linksters is that none of the Big Ten teams have had extensive outdoor practice prior to this weekend's action. The winter-like weather has prevented on-the-course activity for all of the nor- thern squads. The tournament is hjeld on Ohio State's Scarlet Course, the most dif- ficult of the Buckeye's two home layouts. Sims attributed the difficulty of the Scarlet course to the sand traps, strategically placed on each hole. "It's a thinking man's course," said Sims. "You hpve to think the ball around. The hazards are pronounced. When you hit into one, it leaves the ball in too tight (too close to the pin) and then you don't have much of a shot." The Michigan team is using the Kepler to gear up for the Northern In- tercollegiate tournament, to be played next weekend on the same course. A good showing in the Northern would qualify the team for the NCAA tour- nament, contested in late May in North Carolina. Augusta fairways. Nicklaus has,been in a terrible slump of late that has produced some terrible statistics for a man who won 17 major championships (84 in all) and over $3 million following his 1959 victory in the U.S. Amateur. He has broken par only once in the See more sports, page 14 and 15 first five tournaments he's played in this season. His best finish is a tie for eleventh in the Hope Classic and his earnings of $11,309 leave hiln 79th on the winning list. But yesterday he was the Nicklaus of old as he rose to the occasion of Masters pressure and put an end to any thoughts that he might be ready to hang up the. clubs. You see, the press has been writing things like, "Jack is passed his prime" or "The king is dead; long live the king" and not surprisingly, this has Nicklaus somewhat on edge. "I'm tired of reading and answering as to why I've been playing badly," he said on Wednesday. "You guys (the press) have done this to me before and I've always come back. to win tour- naments again. I assure you, I'm not ready to hang up the clubs yet." That much is obvious. But still, Nicklaus made it clear that he wasn't upset with his 69. "I'm very satisfied with my round today," he told a jamh- packed crowd in the press building. "I drove the ball well, my iron game was good ... it puts a lot of confidence back in my head." And as for the 47 year old Casper, well, all he did was step out of one those ancient pictures that adorn the walls of the Augusta Clubhouse and shoot a round for the ages, a sweet 69 that left him two strokes off the pace. Casper, like Nicklaus, is also in a slump. It's called old age. He's entered seven events this year, has made the cut in only two and won only $2,444. His season stroke average is an astronimical 74.10. A huge gallery began to follow Casper around yesterday, especially after he birdied the first two holes. He's a big favorite here at Augusta, partly because he won the Masters in 1970 in a dramatic, 18-hole playoff against Gene Littler and also because he's always warm and friendly to the crowd. In the press meeting afterwards, Casper showed he still had some of his down-home wit left too, as these following quips indicate: " "I missed the cut at Greensboro and I came down here last Friday evening. I was out here Saturday mor- ning and I played the back nine first. As I went down ten, eleven, and twelve, I thought, 'Wow, what a beautiful course this is." " "The weather was-perfect for me today. With a few clouds in the sky it makes it easier for me. My eyes can't stand a lot of brightness." " It's important for me to shoot a low round anywhere, especially with the gray hairs coming around the edges. Yes sir, I struck a blow for the old folks." For Billy Casper and for Jack Nicklaus, yesterday was a day to remember. K FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED We will be open EVERY NIGHT 'TIL 3 AM during Finals Week AT BELL'S We've got the best PIZZA and RINDERS IN TOWN. Corner of STATE and PACKARD 995-0232 Open Sun. -Wed. 'tit 1 am Thurs. 'tit 2 am Fri. 8 Sat. fi1 3 am For biking, hiking, camping, it's the poplin outdoorsman jacket for Mr. J. He's -ell covered with the hooded, lightweight, wa r3r-repellent polyester/cotton two-tone jacket. Roomy flap pockets with Velcro closures, snap-over zipper front, nylon lining. Navy with khaki, khaki with navy. 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