The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 13

The Indianapolis Star MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 1990 ArtsEntertainment 6, 7 Sports 'Vs Robin Miller Faldo's visit part business, some practice David Leadbetter, the Orlando, based British Instructor whose work with Faldo has produced the planet's finest player. A turn of the ball and Faldo would be gunning this week for the Grand Slam, a sweep of golf's four major championships In a single year. Faldo blrdied three of the last six holes, then beat Raymond Floyd in a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. He had a 20-foot putt on the final hole of the U.S. Open that would have put him In a playoff with Hale Irwin and Mike Donald.

Whose odds would you have liked? "With a foot to go, I said to myself, 'You've done I thought I'd made it," said Faldo. "Then it Just dove off." Faldo's putt caught the right edge of the cup and lipped out. Right then the resolve that would carry him to rounds of 67-65-67-71 and the British Open Championship began to harden. But for a putt that spun out, Faldo might have arrived at Shoal Creek on destiny's doorstep. "We all know It (the Grand Slam) Is possible but nobody's done it," said Faldo.

"That shows how tough It is. It's as simple as that." The focus Sunday was on fun and Wolf Run. Faldo paused walking off the ninth green and kicked the foot-long tangle of rough rimming a pot bunker. "The would like this," said Faldo. "The USGA would love it." Of course, golf's governing bodies on both sides of the Atlantic, the Royal Ancient and United States Golf Association, had nothing to do with setting the course up.

Still, Wolf Run yielded nothing readily. Its greens were softened by Saturday's heavy rain but the putting surfaces were mowed to a slip-See FALDO Page 2 By PHIL RICHARDS STAR STAFF WRITER Zionsville, Ind. Anyone looking for a favorite for this week's PGA Championship could have found him Sunday afternoon at Wolf Run Golf Club. Masters and British Open champion Nick Faldo stopped by long enough to see the sights and shoot a "friendly" 69 between yawns. All things considered, it was a "lights-out" effort.

"It's 2 In the morning for me," Faldo said after half-heartedly three-putting the 16th hole. "And I feel It." Faldo hopped the Concorde Sunday morning in London. By the time he arrived at Wolf Run, he had been traveling 1 1 hours. The visit was a detour en route to Shoal Creek Country Club near Birmingham, site of the PGA Championship. Faldo came not so much to play Wolf Run as to see It.

Steve Smyers is the golf course architect who designed the course. Sunday he was Faldo's playing partner. Sometime soon he probably will be his business partner. "Steve's a perfectionist. I'm a perfectionist," said Faldo.

"He doesn't want a huge workload; he wants to do four or five courses a year and do them right. That's what I want. If I'm Involved, they've got to be great courses, fantastic courses." Faldo puts Woir Run In that category. He and Smyers are considering a design partnership: Smyers would serve as architect, Faldo as player consultant. Faldo has Nick Faldo Signature Courses under construction In Japan and Thailand and others "In the works" at home In Britain.

Smyers works In the United States and Australia. Ills next course will be his 13th. The two were introduced five years ago by a mutual friend, I 1' f'-, -m- i'l I rS'" I asw r- 4. I Nick Faldo made a detour to Wolf Run Golf Club Sunday on his Al Jr. tops record, Michigan field Big Red's machine was hard to stop WHILE INDIANA Universi-i ii.j ii- iy ians are anticipating four years of Baileyball, Thomas "Red" Taylor lust finished an astounding run with Damon Bailey that left him with five national championships, 73 victories and some incredible memo ries.

Taylor, a 55-year-old basket ball Junkie who's been coaching AAU teams at Municipal Gardens since 1975, returned to Indianapolis Sunday evening from St. Petersburg, after Da mon, Eric Montross and some other Indiana talent captured the AAUJunior Olympics 19-and-under title. Municipal Gardens' 89-77 victory over Team Florida was a record fifth AAU crown for Taylor's teams and it ended an era that began seven years ago with a local nucleus that just kept getting better. In 1983, Taylor's 11-and-un-der AAU squad sported Elliot Hatcher, Steve Mozingo, Troy Terrill and Kyle Kenworthy. After tryouts.

Red had the good sense to move a 1 0-year-old kid from Bedford up to the 1 1 -year-olds. Later that summer, Taylor's team won the national crown and Bailey was named national MVP. "They usually had a selection committee to select the MVP, but it was so obvious Damon was the best they didn't even vote," recalled Red. There was no 12-and-under tourney in 1984. but in 1985 Taylor picked up Montross and Alan Henderson to Join Bailey Company on the 13-and-under team.

Again, Muny Gardens claimed the title and, again, Bailey was the national MVP for his age group. In 1986, Taylor's troops won it all in the 14-and-under competition and Damon was MVP. In '87, Muny Gardens ruled the 1 5-year-olds and, surprise, Bailey was MVP. This past week, Taylor suited up Bailey, Lawrence North's Montross, Ritter's Hatcher, Bre-beuf's Henderson, Franklin Central's Mozingo, Lebanon's Terrill, Cathedral's Ryan Greenwood, Tipton's Matt Wad-dell, Pike's LaSalle Thompson, Anderson Highland's Line Darner and Joe and Jon Ross from Northfield. "We played some tough competition, but we went 8-0," said Taylor, a vice president at Ivy Tech who takes his vacations to go to the national tourneys.

"Saturday night, in the final game, we started Damon, at 6-3, at point guard, Alan, at 6-9, as our two guard, 6-10 Joe Ross and 6-9 Jon Ross at forwards and 7-0 Eric at center. It's the biggest lineup I've ever had. "Eric was great and got MVP, while Damon and Elliot were named Ail-Americans with Eric and Alan was honorable mention. We cleaned up." With Bailey and most of that team headed for college, Taylor knows he'll not likely see this kind of success again. "In the 74 games of national competition Damon played in, we won 73," said Taylor, who's racked up eight gold and six silver medals in AAU wars.

"The chemistry with this bunch has been unreal and I know over the years we beat some teams we shouldn't have. "It was a neat perspective for me to watch Damon's maturity, physically and mentally, and it was a pleasure to see his progress. You don't run into many human beings like Damon Bailey." Taylor helped his son, Rob, coach the 17-and-under Muny Gardens team in Arkansas be fore heading for Florida. Follow ing the awards ceremony Saturday night, the Taylors drove straight through so they can be at work today. Red was asked why he never tried coaching for a living.

"I've had a few offers, but to be honest it doesn't pay any money and, this way, I've got the best of both worlds. I've been lucky because I've always had such great kids. "And when you've got the basketball fever, it's a great life." SCORES AMERICAN LEAGUE Chicago 6 Milwaukee 1 Detroit 7 Boston 2 New York 5 Cleveland 3 Oakland 4 California 1 Seattle 4 Minnesota 0 Toronto 6 Texas 4 Kansas City at Baltimore, rain NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia 8 Pittsburgh 8 Cincinnati 6 San Diego 2 Chicago 3 Montreal 1 St. Louis 8 New York 3 Houston 6 Atlanta 2 Los Angeles 12 San Francisco 8 AAA ALLIANCE Rochester 2 Indians 1 LolaChevy, the yellow also came blown engine on Jon Beekhuls' car. car picked up Rahal and kept him catching up to Unser, who then made stop.

going, 'Yellow, to my crew thought this was going to help me," said. "But there was oil on the first I almost lost it. We did a big tank-slapper and the car went this way and that with his last stop out of the way nearly a lap down, cruised to the flag. Bobby must have felt disgust and while for It to sink In," Unser said. we were going around, I thought the years I tried to win this race all the years I tried to win a 500." See CART Page 5 a 126-104 lead over Michael Andretti, who failed to finish.

Unser earned SI 72,684. "I feel very lucky and fortunate to have won the race, but I don't think it was fast enough. We could have done better," Unser said. The key to Unser's victory In the accident-free race came In the final laps during his battle with Rahal. The teammates swapped the lead sometimes on the same lap in the final 100 laps and appeared to be heading toward one of the most-exciting finishes ever.

Rahal moved ahead on Lap 216 and built a two-second advantage by Lap 234 when he dashed in for his final fuel stop. Unser remained on the track and put Rahal a lap down as they crossed the finish line on Lap 240. Unfortunately for the driver of the By RICK SHAFFER STAR STAFF WRITER' Brooklyn, Mich. Sunday's Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway had an incredible look: It was incredibly fast, safe and nice for Al Unser Jr. Unser piloted the Valvoline LolaChevrolet to a 25.459-second victory over Galles-Kraco teammate Bobby Rahal before a crowd of 55,000 in the fastest 500-mile race ever.

Unser's winning average speed of 189.727 miles per hour eclipsed the previous record of 186.288 set by Bill Elliott in NASCAR's 1986 Talledega 500. The 28-year-old native of Albuquerque, N.M., scored his first-ever 500-mile win in a race highlighted by a lot of side-by-side racing. The win solidified Unser's lead in the CARTPPG point standings, where he holds A STAR STAFF PHOTO KELLY WILKINSON way to the PGA Championship. I The United States women's -A -'J a J-i HT "7 Ij I STPKraco out for a The pace from his final "I was and I Unser turn and way." Unser, and Rahal checkered "I knew it took a "When about all and the Wmen cagers win; icers lose shootout i i. Ls 'X rfsA r- y-ty mi t.

mrr? 1 ASSOCIATED PRESS Seattle The Goodwill Games came to an end Sunday perhaps for all time. It was a discouraging finale for a U.S. hockey team that came so close to resurrecting the "Miracle on Ice," but it was Just the beginning for four gold-medal American fighters. For U.S. women's basketball, meanwhile, it was just another championship for a team that might go on forever.

The U.S. hockey team lost 4-3 In a shootout to the Soviets, who brought their national team to the Goodwill Games. The Americans led 3-2 until Valeri Ka-mensky tied the score for the Soviet Union with 21 seconds to play. A scoreless 10-minute overtime forced the shootout. "We gave everything we had left in us.

Of course we're disappointed to come that close and not win," U.S. player David Emma said. Two more American boxers world champion Eric Griffin and 17-year-old Oscar de la Hoya won gold medals Sun- day. "It's not tnat I'm bragging or GOODWILL GAMES trying to show off, but I am unbeatable," Griffin said. And the U.S.

women beat the Soviets for the second time in the games, 82-70, stretching their winning streak in major international tournaments to 41. They have not lost a basketball game at a meet like this since they beat the Soviets for the gold in the first Goodwill Games In 1986 at Moscow. It could well be their last Goodwill gold. With the games in financial trouble and their major sponsor. Ted Turner's TBS cable network, mulling its future affiliation, the Goodwill Games could become just another white elephant of sports like the United States Football League or World Team Tennis.

Turner has predicted the games would "grow In stature and at some point break even," and Soviet sports minister Nikolai Rusak says his country would like to have the games In Moscow and Leningrad in 1994. But. with Turner expected to lose as much as $26 million on See GOUWlLL Page 3 iccnriiTcn ddccc Dencn aunng me nnw seconas basketball team leps from tne.