The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 21

"31 '--V w-wo A Sports The Indianapolis Star MONDAY, JUNE 16, 1986 Business 28, 29 Obituaries 30 Classified 31-38 PAGE 21 win Ray shines brightest for U.So Open Floyd breaks logjam, edges Beck, Wadkihs by two shots "That set me up for the finale," he said. That also made Floyd the last of six golfers to have the lead outright. But unlike those before him, he never let go of It. "You could see it in his eyes," said Payne Stewart, his playing partner and one of the primary challengers. "He was focused totally on what he was doing." "1 could tell it when he passed me between the 10th green and the 11th tee," said Floyd's wife Maria.

"He looked at me but didn't even see me. His eyes were glazed. That's when I knew he had his act together. When he gets that way. he's like a horse with blinders on." In the meantime, the others fell by the fairwayside.

Twice on the breezy, sunny afternoon, there were eight-way ties for first as 10 of the game's finest shotmakers jockeyed for position. In addition to Floyd, third-round leader Greg Norman, Stewart. Hal Sutton. Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Mark McCumber, Bob Tway, Lanny Wadkins and Chip Beck had at 'lliML' i fe mm i if 'jr tiff iw 1 A- UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL Lanny Wadkins tied for 2nd U.S. Open leader cards Pat out 454 344-35 Floyd out 434 354 344-34 Wadkins out .424 453 344-34 Beck out 1...434 365 244-C5 Trevino out ......335 445 345-36 Sutton out 334 545 343-34 Par in 434 444 534-35-70280 Floyd in ..424 344 434-32-66280 Wadkins in ...424 433 434-31-65281 Beck in 323 343 534-30-65281 Trevino in 434 454 434-35-71281 Sutton in 435 445 534-37-71282 Mark Calcavecchi: from cad-.

die to contender, Page 22 Raymond Floyd left standing. It never did get to him. "I was totally under control," he said. "I never had a fast swing, I was walking the right pace everything was in sync. I never let anything bother me and I stuck to my game plan." Which was to play Shinnecock carefully, conservatively, to give it the respect it proved it deserved this week.

After all, Floyd's final total of 1-under-par 279 was the only sub-par aggregate. "You can't attack this course," he said. "An offensive shot can be a double bogey." He had one birdie going out, made three more heading to the clubhouse and had the saving putts every time he missed a green. The key to his round, he agreed, was a 20-foot par-saving putt at the par4 12th, which he immediately followed with a birdie at the 13th when he laced a 6-iron approach to within 4 feet. By BILL BENNER STAR STAFF WRITER Southampton, N.Y.

The traffic jam U.S. Open officials feared all week finally developed Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. However. It was on the lea-derboards. and not on the highway.

But in the end, it was- 43-year-old Raymond Floyd who broke through the pack, showed his tailights to the field and sped away with the 86th U.S. Open championship, leaving the pretenders and contenders in his dust. Firing a flawless, bogeyless final-round 4-under-par 66. Floyd swept past no fewer than nine other golfers who held at least a piece the lead and carted away a two-stroke victory. It was the 20th tournament victory of Floyd's 23-year professional career and his fourth major championship.

Floyd captured the PGA in 1969 and 82, and the Masters in 1976. Floydknown as a frontrun-ner, came from off the pace to win this tournament and become the oldest winner of the national championship; He will be 44 in September. i came from behind to win against a group of fellas who are all quality players," said Floyd. "To shoot the kind of round I did on a golf course that has the character of this one well, I couldn't be more proud of myself." Ironically, Floyd's victory came just a week after he had gone into the final round of the Westchester Classic In a tie for the lead, only to shoot an uncharacteristic final-round 77. "I mentally blew up," Floyd E.dmitted.

"I played like a rookie. And the internal conversation I had with myself was pretty stern. It's one thing to play well and lose, but I hate to blow but. "I've always prided myself on being able to handle the pres- sure and control myself mentally when I had a chance to win the golf tournament." And that's precisely what he did Sunday, Sooner or later, Shinnecock. a course of unrelenting difficulty, brought the challengers to their knees until there was only ASSOCIATED PRESS Ray Floyd sends a little bit of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club with UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL this approach to the 15th hole.

Mario gets gift, title from Michael Elliott nips Gant to win Miller 400 least a share of the lead. Beck and Wadkins can be exempted, however, from those who couldn't hold onto it. Going out ahead of the final twosomes, both Beck and Wadkins tied the course record of 65 (set earlier in the day by Mark Calcavecchia). although Beck did miss a 4-foot-er at the 18th that would have given a 64. As it was, they finished tied for second at 1-over 281.

Trevino and Sutton were next at 282. Three bogeys between the 6th and 14th holes did in the Merry Mex, while Sutton bo-geyed 12 and 15 down the stretch. Stewart birdied the 11th and 12th holes to take the lead by himself, but followed that with bogeys on four of his last six holes. He finished at 283. tied with Ben Crenshaw, who had a charge of four straight birdies starting No.

3, but fell out of it with three bogeys in his last seven holes. McCumber and Tway still had a chance until each double-bo-geyed the par-5 16th. And what about Norman, who had threatened to make it See U.S. OPEN Page 22 with three laps to go." revealed Michael, "and I was praying we could make it." On the white flag lap. Mario and Junior had sliced their deficit to three seconds but it still looked like Michael's race as he headed towards the last corner.

But coming off that last turn. Michael's motor stumbled and it proved to be fatal. "I looked in my mirrors and I saw him coming about halfway down the straightaway," admit--ted Michael. "I just Jammed it into fourth gear and held on. Really.

I was just hoping we could both hold on and finish 1-2." Mario, who started seventh and only led the final few feet, was driving for all he was worth at the end. "I couldn't go any faster and I had just enough." he exclaimed. "But I could not have caught him under equal terms." Unser, who dogged Mario the final third of the race, was asked if he thought he had a chance to pull it out? "No. the only way I was going to get by Mario was if he made a mistake and he doesn't make mistakes." replied Junior. Even though Michael dominated the race, leading 87 laps, he found himself behind Danny Sullivan after both drivers pitted for the second (and final) time on Lap 69.

Sullivan, struggling" the past two races, was holding off Andretti from Laps 69-81 before they tangled while exiting Turn 6. Andretti, trying to pass in a place that just didn't have enough room, hit Sullivan and sent the 1985 Indy winner smashing into the guard rail. "After watching the tape all I can say is that the picture pretty well tells the story," said Sulli- See CART Page 22 III. II. JUMIIllll.lll ,11.

I it By BOB WALTERS STAR STAFF WRITER Cambridge Junction, Mich. Bill Elliott made the right move at the right time In the only spot available Sunday to win the Miller American 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Elliott slipped inside of leader Harry Gant coming out of Turn 4 on Lap 196 of the 200-lap race, stayed ahead by his front bumper on the main straightaway, and went on to his first NASCAR win this year by two car lengths. Gant finished second, followed by Geoff Bodine, Buddy Baker and Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt.

Bobby Hillln. Rick Wilson, Joe Ruttman and Ricky Rudd rounded out the top 10. all finishing on the lead lap. At the end of the race 27 of the 41 starters were still running. It was Elliott's third straight win at MIS, and his fourth in his last five starts here.

He had also won the pole in each of his previous four MIS NASCAR races. Last year, Elliott won 1 1 Winston Cup races and cashed the Winston Million bonus check for winning three of the Big Four events (he won the Daytona 500, Winston 500 and Southern 500, and finished 18th in the Coca Cola 600). But this was his first Winston Cup win in his last 15 starts. "It's been kind of a dry season and it really feels good to be back." Elliott said of his visit to the MIS Victory Circle. For the final 56 laps of the race.

Gant led 27 and Elliott led 28, with Bodine leading under the yellow on Lap 175. Elliott got his first lead on Lap 150 and held it until Lap 171. He led again on Lap 188 when the green dropped after a five-lap yellow for a five-car accident. wreck, spectacular but harmless except for some bent By ROBIN MILLER STAR ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Portland. Ore.

Most sons gave their dads something simple. On Sunday for Father's Day a card some golf balls, maybe a sweater. But Michael An-di 'tti presented Mario Andretti witn a gift you can't find in any department store. Young Andretti gave his famous father a dramatic, last-gasp victory in the CART Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway. The 46-year-old legend overcame his talented, but faltering 23-year-old son right at the checkered flag to win the closest Indy-car race ever contested.

Officially, the margin of victory was .07 of a second. That amounted to a couple of feet at 1 80 miles per hour. But it was so close. CART officials yelled to starter Nick Fornoro, "Call it Nick." and Fornoro responded. "No.

5." "My crew told me I had won over the radio but when I came around everybody was clapping for him (Mario)." stated Michael, whose certain win was taken away by fuel pickup problems in the KracoSTPLean Machine March 86C. "1 had the momentum, it was close but I knew I had him," declared Mario, whose last victory in the NewmanHaas Lola came here a year ago. "I feel sorry for Michael, but you know it Is Father's Day." With 10 laps remaining in the 104-lap chase aroud the 1.9-mile road course, Michael appeared safely headed for his second straight triumph. He owned an 8.8-second advantage on his dad and Al Unser who wound up a close third in the Domino's Pizza Lola T86-00. He still held a 6-second spread on Lap 102 but things began happening at that point.

"My car started- sputtering metal and flat tires, began when -Rudd got loose and hit the outside wall in Turn 4. The chain reaction of drivers trying to avoid Rudd collected Chet Fillip. Rusty Wallace. Neil Bonnett and Eddie Bierschwale. All five cars went on to finish the race.

On the restart. Gant held off A charge from Bodine on Lap 188 and then re-took the lead from Elliott on lap 189. Elliott had plenty on his mind when he made his move with four laps remaining. "Harry was getting through Turns 1 and 2 real well but was having problems down in 3 and 4." Elliott said. "I got a good run at him in 4 that one time and he went a little high so I slipped down low to pass him." Gant and Elliott were alone in front of the pack but were clos- ing in on Rudd.

That made Elliott's timing critical. "I wanted to get him early because we were coming up on some other Elliott said. "I knew if we caught up with them he'd be able to draft and then there'd be no way I was going to pass him. I had to get by him while we had the track to ourselves." Elliott also wanted to make sure he could get by Gant cleanly. "I didn't want to race side by side because that, would slow both of us down and allow the others to catch up." Elliott said.

The strategy worked. Elliott took the lead, drafted Rudd to keep Gant at bay, and put his CoorsMelling Thunderbird in the Winners Circle. Richard Petty, who started his milestone 1.000th NASCAR race and his 437th in a row. finished 13th after losing a hard-luck lap early when the yellow flag dropped shortly after he left the pits. Petty's presence helped MIS pack in Its largest crowd evcy desplte morning rains.

Promot- ti fturi -ii Bill Elliott gets a winner's kiss from his 8-year-old daughter Starr after taking the Miller American 400. ers said more than 80.000 at- Yarborough went out due to a tended. wreck. An MIS record 42 laps' were Petty was taken off the lead run under eight yellow flags, al- lao when he pitted on Lap 45 though surprisingly only Cale See NASCAR Page 22 ri i ir i ii i1! -mrir-.