Page 12-Thursday, July 19, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Who is he any awy?
Beauty-contest winner leads British open
LYTHAM ST. ANNES (AP) -
England's Bill Longmuir, an obscure
golf pro and sometimes male beauty-
contest winner, tied a couple of records
on his way to a 6-under-par 65 that cap-
tured the first round lead by three
strokes yesterday in the 108th British
Open.
The score - a magnificent effort in
the wet, cold, windy weather in which
the Britons take such pride for their
national championship - had the
American pros shaking their heads in
disbelief.
"I believe neither the score nor the
person," defending champion Jack
Nicklaus said in mock tones. "I believe
they've puta purely fictitious name and
score on top of the leader board.
"Who is he anyway?"
Well, Jack, he's a 26-year-old Briton
of Scottish descent, dark-haired, slen-
der and possessed of a personality that
outshines his golfing credentials.
A pro since he was 15, Longmuir's
more notable previous ventures into the
limelight occurred with 1976 victories in
the Nigerian Open and a small tour-
nament in New Zealand, and his two
beauty contest appearances.
The first, some 5-6 years ago, came
when friends entered him "just for
laughs" in the Mr. Basildon contest in
that city. "You do a lot of silly things,
answer silly questions - just a laugh,"
Longmuir said.
Americans pay to see
'80Ol1yp gymnasts
NEW YORK (AP) - The Moscow the budget for the U.S. Air Force from
Olympics are just a year away, and 1969-72. "We've had to make airlift
nearly 70 per cent of the spaces plans and 67 itineraries in 16 cities and
allocated for tours to the Soviet Union Moscow. All of the Olympic tickets
have been reserved, have been made complimentary t
And surveys by the organization han- tours of the Soviet Union."
dling the 219,056 tickets allotted to the No provisions have been made for
United States for the Olympiad show trips solely to Moscow. All packages in
gymnastics as the sport most clude stops in other cities in the Soviet
Americans want to see. Union.
"GYMNASTICS are even more RTB HAS been getting orders since
popular than track and field," said just after the Montreal Games in 1976
General Ernest T. Cragg, the director Tickets remain available to all event
of the Russian Tourist Bureau, which is at the Games.
handling all arrangements for trips to
the Olympics. "After those two come
swimming, basketball, boxing and
volleyball.
"About 80 percent of the people goinga u
to Moscow will want to see those sports, N affw j
The Russians have given us a pretty
fair shake on tickets.
"But if they're not enough, we'll set By The Associated Press
up barter booths at the Moscow hotels PONTIAC, Mich. - After 12 seasons
to swap on events with other coun- and 168 games, linebacker Paul
tries." Namff is retiring from the Detroit
A few years later, he was driving a
truck and, he said, "stoney broke"
when he entered a similar contest in
Southend. He won again.
As part of the contest, he was
required to give a golf lesson to a noted
striptease artist, a lesson in which he
stood behind her, reached around and
guided her hands and arms through a
swing.
"How was her swing?" he was asked.
"Lumpy," said Longmuir.
But the contest carried a $600 prize
which financed Longmuir to the
Nigerian Open, a victory that was
"really the start of me playing tour-
nament golf," he said.
He's done very, very little since then,
however, before playing his front side
Wednesday in 29. That tied a British
Open record and his 65 matched the
best round in an Open championship on
the difficult, 6,822-yard, par-71 Royal
Lytham and St. Annes Club course.
"Good gosh," said U.S. Open cham-
pion Hale Irwin, in second but three
shots back at 68. "What a round of golf.
That's incredible. My hat's off to him."
The score - compiled in blustery, 25-
mile per hour northwest winds off the
Irish Sea - matched Longmuir's
career best and gave him command of
this ancient, revered championship.
Irwin, who played the back - tougher
- nine in 33, was alone in second.
He started quietly with two bogeys
cancelled by two birdies, making the
turn in a par 35. He then caught fire on
the back nine, finishing with a three-
under-par 68.
One stroke back was Jerry Pate, who
was four-under at the turn. He slipped a
little on the back nine to card his 69. His
round began with a birdie three on the
second, buta couple of bogeys put him a
stroke behind par. Then he cut loose on
the next five holes with three birdies
and an eagle.
Slender, little Isao Aoki, the best of
the Japanese contingent, was the only
other man under par at 70.
Lee Trevino, twice a British Open
winner, topped the group at par 71. Also
FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Bill Losngmair 29-36-65
HaleeIrwin 35-33--68
Jerry Pate 31-38-9
Isao Aoki 33-37-70
Terry Gale 33-38--71
a-Peter McEvoy 34-37-71
Orville Moody 34-37-71
LeeTrevino 36-35-71
Gary Culen 33-39-72
Hugh Balocchi 35-37-72
Ben Crenshaw 37-35-72
lark Nicklas 32-401-72
Tom Watsos 37-35-72
DennisClark 32-40-72
Ken Brown 35-37-72
a-denotes amateurs
at that figure was "O' Sarge", Orville
Moody, Australian Terry Gale and
former British Amateur champ, Peter
McEvoy.
The starry group at 72 included
Nicklaus, who had his 10th career hole
in one before playing the back nine in a
fat 40, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson,
this year's leading money-winner and
the outstanding player in golf for the
past 212 seasons.
..
s
SPORTS OF THE DAILY
'hangs up Lion jersey
I
RTB HAS been planning since 1974 -
before Moscow officially was awarded
the 1980 Games - how to get "20,000
Americans to and from the USSR in a
six-week period," said Cragg, who
worked in the Pentagon as director of
Tulsa
nips
Detroit
TULSA - A short second half surge
by Detroit wasn't enough last night, and
the Express lost to the Tulsa
Roughnecks, 2-1.
The Roughnecks dominated the first
half, although they scored only one
goal. The Express, meanwhile, playing
without the injured Trevor Francis or
any other starting strikers, were held
scoreless.
Brian Tinnion tied the game for
Detroit at 56:35. But the Roughnecks
came back a little over three minutes
later to score the deciding goal, a
header by David Nish.
-DAILY SPORTS
Lions and professional football, a Lion's
spokesman said yesterday.
The 34-year-old Naumoff, who missed
just two games in his entire National
Football League career, completed his
playing days tied for third on the Lions'
all-time longevity list.
Naumoff was drafted in the third
round of the 1967 draft by Detroit. He
earned a starting position at outside
linebacker during his rookie season. He
went on to start 142 consecutive games.
His durability record was equaled by
Darris McCord in 13 seasons. Only
Wayne Walker, who started 200 straight
games, and Dick LeBeau, who started
185 straight games, have ever bettered
Naumoff's-length of service to the
Lions.
He played the first 13 games last fall
before a foot injury forced him to miss
the St. Louis game Dec. 3. The only
other game in which he failed to appear
was in Baltimore on Dec. 11, 1977.
* * *
Change of plans
BOSTON - So much for Larry Bird's
"five-year" plan.
The National Basketball Association
rookie, signed to a $3.25 million Boston
Celtics contract, said in Providence
Tuesday that he will retire when his
five-year pact expires in 1984.
' But yesterday, through his Boston.
based agent Bob Woolf, Bird issued a
short statement which said his announ-
ced retirement plans are "ridiculous."
"I hope I'm with the Celtics for the
next 20 years," Bird said.
Celtics officials said Bird's initial
statement to a Providence Journal
reporter caught them by surprise.
"He hasn't played a single minute of
pro basketball," said Celtics Vice
President Jeff Cohen. "Who knows how
he'll feel six months or a year from
now?"
Originally, Bird told the Providence
newspaper that "five years is enough,"
that money isn't important and he'd
like to live quietly in his hometown of
French Lick, Ind., and teach physical
education.
The former Indiana State star told
the newspaper he didn't know what he'd
do with his estimated $650,000 per year
and that he's tired of being chased by
the news media.
The newspaper quoted Bird as saying
he hates being a millionaire, that he'd
probably give most of his salary to
charity and needs only $10,000 or $12,000
per year to support his lifestyle.
Major League Standings
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore
Boston
Milwaukee
New York
Detroit
Cleveland
Toronto
California
Texas
Minnesota
Kansas City
Chicago
Seattle
Oakland
East
W L
59 31
56 32
54 38
49 43
45 45
42 48
29 64
West
55 38
52 39
48 41.
44 47
41 .50
40 54,
25 69
Pct.
.606
.636
.587
.533
.500
.467
.312
.591
.571
.539
.484
.451
.426
.265
GB
2
6
11
14
17
3112
2
5
10
13
15%
301%
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
W L Pct.
Montreal 50 35 .588
Chicago 47 38 .553
Philadelphia 50 41 .549
Pittsburgh 46 39 .541
St. Louis 44 42 .512
New York 37 49 .430
GB
3
3
4
61/2
1312
512
812
12
131/
171/2
Houston
Cincinnati
San Francisco
San Diego
Atlanta
Los Angeles
West
54 40
48 45
45 48
43 53
39 52
36 57
.574
.516
.484
.448
.429
.387