The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 17

Sports The Indianapolis Star MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1985 Gmiios PAGE 17 Bill jBENNEK Norlh early for second in I 1 IrV1 IJ Open title BIRMINGHAM. Mich. It is 12:15 Sunday, local time, when Andv North arrives in the men's locker room at the Oakland Hills Country Club He is there much earlier than he would have liked his tee time in the final round of the 85th US. Open still is more than two 1 i ASSOCIATED PRESS UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL hours awav Normally. North says, he tries to Andy North (left) was able to rejoice over championship because of Tie-Chung Chen's (right) misfortune on fifth hole, where he had a quadruple bogey 8 that cost him his four-shot lead get to the course an hour before he is to brem play, but he had left early in anticipation of the heavy traffic which had clogged the North Opening is Chen's closing roads around Oakland Hills Then, almost to his dismay, he drove right to Oakland Hills, virtu ally without stopping.

The locker room is a quiet but very busy place. Writers are clustered here and there, searching for By BILL BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER Birmingham. Mich. Andy North describes himself as a "survivor" and. appropriately, he was the last man standing Sunday when a wild and bizarre 85th U.S.

Open came to a close. On a day when every leader's game was reported to the tidbits and anecdotes, the room also is filled with blue coats (USGA officials) and yellow coats (Oakland Hills committee mem bersl. North, alone with most of the lost and found department, the lanky, 6 4 North finally "pulled myself together" to win his second Open and his first victory since that 1978 national championship at rest of leaders heading into the final round of the Open, are there Tom Kite. Seve Ballesteros Rick Fehr. Lanny Wadkins, Denis Watson.

Jay Haas. Dave Barr. putting for bogey, he tried to go for the pin and make par. "It was a pretty tough shot but 1 still try to get it close." said Chen. "I still try to make par.

It was stupid thing." With the smell of Open gas suddenly in the air, Chen failed miserably, his sand wedge stopping in heavy grass short of the green. Now he lay 3. He took the sand wedge again and went down after the ball. The ball popped almost straight up and Chen, on his follow through, hit the ball again a double hit. the price of which is two strokes.

"I try to hit it like bunker shot, open the face, hit the ball soft," he explained. "But I never did it." "I was watching, but nol paying close attention," said North. "But I could tell by the sound what had happened. It's a sickening feeling, but unfortunately, it happens." The double hit left Chen's ball still in the rough, short of the green, and lying 5. Again he took the sand wedge and pitched the ball.

This one skidded past the cup it almost went in and then he two putted the 6 feet coming back. Eight. That left him tied with North for the lead, but not for long. Chen proceeded to bogey the next three holes. "Golf is very funny sometimes." said Chen, without laughing.

"After the double hit. everything is gone, the feeling on my putts, everything." Chen's quick fall from golfing grace put a bunch of players suddenly in the hunt North. Barr. Watson. Payne See OPEN, Page 19 cup.

he was assessed a two stroke penalty, even though the ball eventually fell into the cup on its own momentum. Watson, to his credit, did not bellyache the call Sunday. Still, North's victory cannot be denied. When they totaled 'em up. the 35 year old resident of Madison, had the low score 279, 1 under par for the distance as Oakland Hills over the long haul proved to be as onery as everyone feared.

And North did win it with even par golf over the last seven holes and a work of art sand shot out of a bunker at the par 3 17th. It was a blast heard round the course -stopping mere inches from the cup and saving a crucial par. That was merely the eighth time during the 18 holes that Andy of Arabia had been in the sand, so it only made sense he should finally strike oil, ending seven frustrating, injury riddled years chasing the sunset. "I think the monkey's off my back again." said North, the father of two daughters who picked up a Father's Day present of $103,000 after winning only $22,000 in all of 1984. For the first three rounds plus four holes, it appeared the Open champion would be stamped "Made In Taiwan." But then T.C.

author of the first double eagle in open history, came back with another rarity double par. That was only seven strokes after Chen split split the fairway with his drive. But then he "really missed" his 4 iron approach shot, landing the ball short and right of the green, beneath trees and in the rough. Then Chen made a decision, the kind that lose U.S. Opens.

Instead of pitching to the fat of the green and two Mike Rcid And. of course, the Happy Hoo sier. uzzv Zoeller Because golf is so unlike other sports you play the course, not Denver's Cherry Hills. Just as he did at Cherry Hills, North shot a final round 74 and finished with a bogey instead of a flourish. And that should give you the correct idea that this was an Open that, in true form, was lost as much as it was won most notably by TzeChung Chen, who, we can truthfully say.

eight it. T.C. the Toast of Taiwan after leading the first three rounds in record setting fashion, got burned with an 8 at No. 5 and a 77. finishing in a second place tie with Canadian Dave Barr and Zimbabwe's Denis Watson.

Since they lost by only one shot, history should note: Barr had a two shot lead after both Chen and North spun out of control, but bogeyed three of his last six holes, including 17 and 18, to hand the lead back to North. Watson lost two shots the margin of victory without touching the ball. In Thursday's first round, because he did not hurry to tap in a putt that was hanging on the lip of the the opponent the locker room is also unlike what you might expect in the short time before something as important as the final round of the S. Open If. indeed, you could cut the tension with a knife, it would be a butter knife Zocller.

of course, is one reason. When the Fuzz is around, no one could be tight because he keeps everyone so loose So. like always, the Fuzz is chain smoking and chattering in cessantlv. He walks up to North Banks' world record highlights USA meet who had played Saturdays third round in the rain without a hat. Dats him on the head and says.

"looks like you finally found a hair drier Then he sDies Stewart, who wears the knickers. Payne is at tired in red plusfours. a while By KURT FREUDENTHAL STAR STAFF WRITER sweater over a red shirt, a red hat and red and white shoes, Stewart Just when the USAMobil Cham pionships was being written off as and Zoeller are paired together in "just another track meet, the unex the final round pected happened a world record. "My God!" Fuzzy exclaims, "is The sprints and the metric mile, that what I'm going to have to look at all day. No, really, you iook gorgeous.

glamour events in any track meet, took a backseat to one of the less publicized events Sunday night, with veteran Willie Banks providing the excitement. The Fuzz continues to flit from Dlace to place, wisecracking, hav ing a good time, stopping lo laiK with anvone who wants to. Competing for the Los Angeles Some, however, want no pari 01 this lightheadedness. Ballesteros quickly retreats to a table away from Fuzzy and the press. Barr, Track Club on the final night of the threeday event.

Banks leaped an all time best 58 feet 11 inches to win his fourth national triple jump title in this meet. specialty for the first time in 22 years. A bit of controversy surrounded that bit of history. Stones filed two protests with meet officials involving the time limit imposed on jumpers and the number of contestants advancing to the finals. Both protests were denied.

The winner of Sunday's first event, the men's 20K walk, was Tim Lewis of the New York Athletic Club in 1 hour, 28:26.46. American record holder Jud Logan of the New York A repeated easily as hammer throw champion at 250 feet 2 inches. NCAA champion Mike Conley of Arkansas, competing for Bud Light, grabbed the men's long jump with a wind aided 28 feet even. He improved with every attempt through the first five jumps but fouled on his sixth and final leap. John Powell of Bud Light, the Olympic bronze medalist, also retained his title, winning the men's discus at 214 4.

So did Judi Brown King of Ath letics West, the Olympic silver medalist, in the women's 400 hurdles in 55.10. Mark Rowe of Accusplit came from fifth place with 50 meters to go to nip Darrell Robinson of the Los See RECORD, Page 21 Page won the women's 200 in 21.93, the fastest in the world this year. World record holder Calvin Smith had to settle for third in the men's 200. American record holder Johnny Gray of the Santa Monica T.C. had the strongest finishing kick to win the men's 800 in 1:44.01 as early leader Earl Jones of Eastern Michigan, the Olympic bronze medalist, faded to third behind John Marshall of Team Adidas.

While only four meet records and one American standard were established during the first two days, this 110th U.S. Nationals will also be remembered for a couple of major disappointments. First and foremost, of course, was the failure of Carl Lewis, the world's fastest human and a quadruple gold medalist in last summer's Los Angeles Olympics, to qualify for Saturday night's 100 meter dash finals. Lewis, who suffered a minor in jury a month ago while long jumping, finished fourth in his semifinal heat and later said he wasn't feeling 100 percent. He promptly withdrew from Sunday's 200.

Dwight Stones, twice the Olym pic high jump bronze medalist, failed to make the finals in his the Canadian, growls to a reporter, Jim Spivey, the Indiana Univer "I don't have anything to say sity alumnus, saved the day for the North, too. does not want to be Hoosiers, winning a thrilling duel in hnthered Zoeller. he can put up the final 50 meters to repeat as 1.500 with. The writers, he rather noi. champion in 3:39.54.

It is 12:48 when Tze Chung Chen, the Taiwanese pro who has led this tournament for the first three rounds, arrives He momentarily panics when he reaches his locker and cannot lo cate his yardage book the pro golfers Bible. He rushes flown stairs, then comes back with a STAR STAFF PHOTO RICK MYERS smile. "My caddie had the book, savs T.C "It is very important." Willie Banks waves to the I.U. Track Stadium crowd after setting a world record in the triple jump at the USAMobil Outdoor Nationals. Chen is asked how he slept.

After all. sleeDine on the U.S. Open lead can't be easy, especially for one new to the position. Mario overhauls Unser at Portland Rut Chen reports he slept well "I turn on football game on TV and en rieht to sleep." he says. pnrt No wonder, was a uarL, game a sure cure for any Open leader's insomnia.

The time passes. Chen is chain But it was Banks' world record, the first in the three-year-old Indiana University Stadium at IUPUI, that electrified the crowd of 9,631, the largest of the meet. Banks' feat, on his second jump, eclipsed the previous world mark of 58 8V4 Brazil's Joao Oliveira established in Mexico City 10 years ago. Banks held the previous U.S. record of 57 7', set in 1981.

Banks won this title three years in a row, starting in 1981. also winning it in 1983. here at 56 VA. Banks was also a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team but did not place among the top six at Los Angeles.

Spivey, also tops in the U.S. Trials and fifth in the Olympic 1,500 last year, was the early leader, but it was a three man race to the finish with American record holder Steve Scott second in 3:39.61 and Wisconsin's Tim Hacker third in 3:39.63. "I kept the lead because nobody else wanted it," said Spivey, who is affiliate relations and Network Indiana manager for the Indiana Pacers. "When Scott made a move off the last curve, I had to concentrate on my race. It was a hard last 30 meters." Sprinters Kirk Baptiste and Ja maican two time Olympic bronze medalist Merlcne Ottey Page became double winners in this 110th Track and Field Nationals, both sweeping the 100 and 200.

Both won their respective 100s Saturday night. Sunday night, Bap tiste, the NCAA champion from Houston and Olympic silver medal ist. took the 200 in 20.11 while Ottey smoking, too, and reading a news-naner. Some sav the only reason he is leading is because he hasn't realized the magnitude ol whai ne is doing. But as he stares at a 10-inrh rnlnr Dicture of himself and a headline that shouts, CHEN 2 STROKES UP ON NORTH, you can't help but believe he's getting I hp idea 2 spot, had the lead for four laps before Bobby Rahal passed him and took the lead for 22 laps.

However, Rahal also left the race after 53 laps with an oil problem. Rahal's problems allowed Unser to retake the lead. Andretti was 14.5 seconds behind Unser when the two made their last pit stops. But Andretti's pit crew was able to record an 18 second pit stop and he trailed by just 4.3 seconds when he returned for the 75th lap. "It played a key role," Andretti said of the quick stop, "because it put me right within sight of Al." Andretti said he also made some adjust ments during the stop that gave him more speed at the finish.

He declined to elaborate. Andretti took advantage of the short straightaway on the winding 1.915 mile course at Portland International Raceway to pull ahead for good on the 85th lap. The race, sponsored by Stroh's beer and the G.I. Joe's retail chain, has a $480,000 purse, with about $50,000 going to the winner. Most of the 28 cars in the race failed to finish as the track and the heat took their toll.

third of the race. He also had to slow down to conserve fuel after taking an early second pit stop. "I was expecting him to go by me," the 22 year-old Unser said of Andretti. "It was just a matter of time." Andretti finished 24.8 seconds ahead of Unser. Both were driving Cosworth powered Lola 900s.

Two-time world driving champion Emerson Fittipaldi was third, 60.8 seconds behind the winner, in a March 85C. Andretti, whose worst finish this year was second place in the Indianapolis 500. won even though he wasn't on the pole for the first time in nine CART road races. The triumph also came 30 years to the day from the time Andretti sailed past the Statue of Liberty as his family immigrated from Italy. Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan held the pole position Sunday and bolted into a big early lead, but left the race after just six laps of the 104 lap race.

A steering malfunction was to blame, he said. Unser. who started beside Sullivan in the No. ASSOCIATED PRESS Portland. Ore.

Mario Andretti says his 45th Indy Car victory tasted just as good as his first. "They're all sweet. Anyone who is fortunate enough to do this will tell you the same thing." Andretti said after he won the Portland 200 Sunday for his third triumph in four Championship Auto Racing Team events this year. "There's no feeling like it," he said. "This is the only thing that keeps us going." The 45 year old racing veteran from Nazareth, passed defending champion Al Unser Jr.

about 20 miles from the finish and pulled away for his 17th career Indy Car road course victory, an all time record. Andretti still is 22 victories behind A.J. Foyt's all time mark of 67 Indy car triumphs. "Let's take it one race at a time." he said when asked about the record. "Right at the moment, it's kind of far away.

But we keep counting." Unser was dissatisfied with the speed he got from the tires placed on his vehicle for the final li is now 1 lo. Chen leaves for the practice lee. security guards at his flunks, shielding him from an inquisitive press that is bothering him with such ouesuons, now uiu von sleen?" Andv Nnrlh. his streicnine exer finished, finally rises from the bench, shoulders his golf bag and walks out of the locker room. Alnnn And into the record books.