Page 18-Friday, June 16, 1978-The Michigan Daily
SCORES SKY-HIGH IN MILE-HIGH TOURNEY:
69 gives Irwii early Open lead
DENVER (AP)-Hale Irwin cautiously coaxed
out an early 2-under-par 69 to take the first-round
lead yesterday in the 78th U.S. Open Golf Cham-
pionship.
"This is the U.S. Open. There is no tomorrow. You
can't afford foolish mistakes," the intense Irwin ex-
plained of his ultra-conservative brand of play over
and through the sublte terrors of the 7,083-yard
Cherry Hills Country Club course.
"I TRIED TO put myself in the position of safely
2-putting for par. When I deviated from that plan,
when I got too greedy, that's when I got in trouble."
"I wish I had Hale's troubles," quipped defending
champion Hubert Green, who struggled to a 76 and
was one of many prominent players who fell victim
to the gusty, shifting winds, the Rocky Mountain
streams and ponds, the deep rough, narrow fair-
ways and hard greens.
"The golf course had the upper hand on most of
the fellows today," agreed Jack Nicklaus, the
Golden Bear who has won this national champion-
ship three times and owns all the records worth
having. "Particularly so for a golf course we
thought we were going to shoot some good numbers
on."
THE GOOD NUMBERS were at a minimum in
the hot, sunny weather that turned breezy in the af-
ternoon and dried the greens to the harness of a
paved road.
Irwin's score was the only sub-70 posted by the
field of 153 of the world's finest shot-makers. The
only others able to break par 71 in the mile-high
altitude were 18-year-old amateur upstart Bob
Clampett, Andy North and J.C. Snead, tied for
second at 70.
Bobby Wadkins, a tour regular and younger
brother of PGA champ Lanny Wadkins, scored a
hole-in-one with a 5-iron shot on the 208-yard, par-3
15th hole and topped a group at 71.
Also at that figure were South African Gary
Player, deeply disgusted with himself for what he
called "playing like a chicken," veteran Billy
Casper, who got into the tournament on a special in-
vitaion, Al Geiberger, Dave Stockton, Phil Hancock
and Bill Brask.
ARNOLD PALMER, the man who saw his legend
born on this mountain-ringed course with a victory
in the 1960 U.S. Open, struggled to a 76.
Lanny Wadkins wasn't in bad shape until he had
the last three holes, which he played bogey-double
bogey-double bogey. He finished with a 77K Johnny
Miller and Ben Crenshaw had 78s. Crenshaw's ef-
fort included a quadruple-bogey 8.
Tom Watson, the 1977 Player of the Year and this
season's leading money-winner, played his front
side in a fat 40 and had to rally for a 74. Spain's spec-
tacular Severiano Ballesteros, the young man who
has ruled European golf for the last two years, had a
75.
Open slowpoke
hit with penalty
DENVER (AP)-Rohet C. Impaglia of Auburn,
N.Y., became the first player in the 78 years of the
U.S. Open to be assessed a penalty for slow play
yesterday. He said he was innocent but thanked
everybody for the attention,
"I LOVE THE exposure but I wish it was for
something different," said the 25-year-old Im-
paglia, trying to keep his sense of humor after the
penalty which wrecked his game on the back nine of
the Cherry Hills Country Club course.
Open officials clocked Impaglia at 4 minutes hit-
ting his second shot on nine. After shooting a 1-over-
par 36, Impaglia was informed he had been slapped
with a 2-stroke penalty.
"CAN'T I JUST have a warning?" he asked.
"Your group was timed in 2 hours and 8 minutes
and you took 4 minutes on your second shot," an-
swered the official. "We posted a notice no war-
nings would be given.
Impaglia shot an 11-over-par 47 on the backside
after the penalty.
"It really got to me," said Impaglia hoping it
wouldn't. "I tried to compose myself."
yesterday in Billy Casper.. . . .........35-37-72
on the 7.083- Lee Trevino.. . . ..35-37-72
Club course. Andy Bean ................................. 36-36-72
Peter Oosterhuis ............... ..... .......34-38-72
...... 3-36-69 Joe Inman ...................... ...........35-37-72
...... 35-35-70 Bruce Lietzke .............................. 35-37-72
..... 35-35"70 Bill Kratzert.. . . ..36-36-72
..... 36-34-70 Jack Nicklaus .............................37-36-73
..... 35-36-71 Gene Littler.. . . ......... 36-37-73
...... 35-36-71 Mark Hayes.. . . ..34-39-73
......36-35-71 To m lozas................................36-37-73
...... 34-36-71 Wally Armstrong .......................... 36-37-73
......37-34-71 Jerry Pate................................. 37-36-73
......37-34-71 Tom Kite .... ............................35-38-73
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DENVER (AP)-First-round scores
the 78th U.S. Open Golf Championship
yard. par-35-36-61 Cherry Hills Country
A-denotes amateur:
Hale Twin.................. .
J.C. Snead ..................... ....
Andy North..........................
a-Boby Clampett....................
Dave Stockton .................... .
Gary Player.........................
AlGeiberger-..----..........
Phil Hancock ........................
BillBrask ...........................
Bobby Wadkins......................
Thompsons $ 68 tops
Buick Open golfers
GRAND BLANC (AP) - Barney prize.
Thompson offset a pair of bogies with Bunched at 69 were Rex Caldwell,
six birdies Thursday-one with a 55-foot Bobby Walzel, New Zealand's John
putt-to shatter a logjam at the top and Lister, Canadian Jim Nelford, Bill
take the first-round lead of the $100,000 Calfee and Greg Powers.
Buick Open golf tournament with a 68. There were 46 at par or better scores
Thompson, 29, fired nines of 35-33 for and 79 in the field of 155 shot 74 or better
his four-under-par score over the 7,001- over the wind-swept course.
yard par-72 Warwick Hills Country Thirteen players were at 70 including
Club Course. 1976 winnter Ed Sabo and Jerry Heard,
The lanky veteran of six years on the who won the Atlant Classic last month
Professional Gofers' Association tour and has earned $74,582 already this
nosed out six players at 69 in the four- year. He is one of about a dozen big-
day, 72-hole quest for a $20,000 first name golfers who skipped the U.S.
Open in Denver to compete in Grand
PRE PARE FOR:-4th ea BDefending champion Bobby Cole of
MCA T a DAT - LSAT - GRE South Africa, who won the event at the
Flint Elks' Club last year, carded a 72.
GMAT eOCAT "VAT SAT Thompson's 55-foot putt gave him a
NMB TI[ jg birdie 3on the 432-yard second hole. He
also birdied the third, seventh, 12th,
ECFMG "FLEX-VQE 16th and 17th holes, while bogeying the
NAT'L DENTAL BOARDS first and fourth.
NURSING BOARDS "I don't shoot alot of low rounds and I
Flexible Programs & Hours don't shoot a lot of high rounds, either,"
?riwere IS adiffceene22 Thompson said.
He hardly seemed enthused about his
top position.
L M P N "It's a nice position to he in, hut I
EDUCATIONAL know what can happen," said the 6-foot-
CENTER 5, 200-pounder,,
TestPrearatio Spcialists 5,S e 1938 Thompson, ad three-time west
For Information Please Call: Virginia State Amateur champion, said
(313) 662-3149 he has led several tournaments after
For Location1s I Qther Cities, Call: , tw6 rotds ahd'once, Iast'year at the
TOLL FREE: 800.223:1782 Milwaukee'Open, led afterthree.
- t -- He woun uptied or fift h fr his best
foish on the tobr. ' ' "
anywhere on
earth cdothes
NICKELSARCADE
Mon.-Sat. 9:30-5:30
Thus. & Fri. until 8:00
761-6207