The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 57

SPORT 56 The Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday, June 20, 1995 Indoor scrapped. ydmey suffers a body Mow as Quayle lashes NZRL on citing ments, so the players can play in two good-level events, plus other events around them, in developing areas such as Asia. "By eliminating us, tournaments around us suffer. If the ATP Tour is to be global it needs to address that problem. "But if it isn't going to recognise those areas, it ill be a contest between Europe and North America, who have got the money and we will be in a poker game we can't afford." The first Australian Indoor championship as played in 1973, with Laver defeating Newcombe in the final at the Hordern Pavilion, the event's home for 10 years.

The inaugural Indoor marked the introduction of the sale of corporate boxes in Australian sport. down a slippery pole" in the market for international sports events, because of its inability to compete with the financial giants in Europe and North America. Australia's remaining major tennis tournaments are the Australian Open and the NSW Open (to be renamed the Peters International). The men's ATP Tour event formerly held in Brisbane was sold off last year, and the future of the struggling Australian hardcourt championship in Adelaide will be decided this month. "We've got the biggest prize in the Olympic Games but it's going to be a continuing problem for Australian sport holding down the big events, because of the earning capacity of professional athletes these days," Lovett said.

The death knell for the Austra lian Indoor sounded three years ago when the ATP Tour relegated it from its elite position as a single-week championship series tournament, to a middle-rung, double-up week championship series event The nine single-week championship series tournaments known as the Super Nine are guaranteed seven of the world's top 10. The double-up week events are designated but not guaranteed three top-10 players. Since 1992 Lovett has been forced to offer huge amounts of appearance money to lure the leading players to Sydney and maintain the Indoor's status as one of the world's best tournaments. However, television coverage of the event has decreased, with a corresponding slump in tennis ordination Agency. Lovett's decision to cancel the Indoor tournament has stunned the controlling body of men's professional tennis, the ATP Tour.

A Tour spokesman said the organisation would be urgently seeking ways to rescue the Indoor and that its priority was to keep the tournament in Sydney. But Lovett believes it is unlikely that the event can be saved. The most likely outcome was that it would be sold off to either Europe or Asia, he said. Lovett said the loss of the Indoor whose honour roll includes Rod Laver, John New-combe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg is disastrous for sport in Sydney. He said Australia was "slipping Battler Pavin would do justice to the tournament it's a big blow for Australian Lovett, along with Tennis Australia, had been aware of the Indoor's problems for 12 months.

However, TA's resources were unable to stretch to a subsidy offer, he said. Lovett, an ATP Tour board member, said he had never been happy with the organisation's decision to dump both the Indoor and the following week's Tokyo event from the single-week championship series. "I understand the board had to consider the global picture when making those decisions and if it meant taking out Sydney and Tokyo, that's tough," he said. "But I argued that there was a need to support these tourna yWyyyyyyyW. A ends 11C (UlTOTULfflr in a major way or OS ratings, which has affected the tournament's ability to attract sponsorship.

An additional factor has been the drop in value of the Australian dollar compared with the US currency. The bottom line, according to Lovett, was that the Indoor became "economically The ATP Tour's player designations for this year's event, planned for October 2-8, were Australia's Pat Rafter, the Netherlands' Richard Krajicek and American Richey Reneberg. The Seven Network promised coverage for only the semi-finals and finals. The Indoor has struggled financially since being relegated from the Super Nine and Lovett said he could "no longer promise a strong field to the public and to our corporate supporters which Bill! llliiSlilll iyfiy It illl Vy 6 yyv iiiiii 'ySf fa yyyyypy- i' Us Open, leaping Scores At Shinnecock Hills Golf dub (US unless noted 280 Corey Pavin 72 69 71 68. 2S2 Greg Norman (Australia) 68 67 74 73.

283 Tom Lehman 70 72 67 74. 284 Neai Lancaster 70 72 77 65. Jeff Maggert 69 72 77 66, Bill Glassori 69 70 76 69. Jay Haas 70 73 72 69, Davis Love 72 68 73 71, Phil Mickefcon 68 70 72 74 285 Frank Nobilo (NZ) 72 72 70 71 Vay Singh (Fiji) 70 71 72 72, Bob Tway 69 69 72 75. 286 Mark McCumber 70 71 77 68, Duffy Waldorf 72 70 75 69.

Brad Bryant 71 75 70 70, Jeff Sfuman 72 69 74 71. Mark Roe UK) 71 69 74 72, Lee Janzen 70 72 72 72. Nick Price (2m) 66 73 73 74, Steve Strieker 71 70 71 74. 287 Fuzzy ZoeDer 69 74 76 68. Payne Stewart 74 71 73 69.

Brett Ogle (Australia) 71 75 72 69, Pete Jordan 74 71 71 71, Billy Andrade 7269 74 72. Scott Verpfank 7269 71 75, Ian Woosnam (UK) 72 71 69 75. 288 Miguel Angel Jimenez Spn 72 72 75 69. Hulbert 74 72 72 70 Jumbo Ozakl (Jpn) 69 68 80 71, Scott Simpson 67 75 74 72. David Duval 70 73 73 72, Jose Maria Oiazabal (Spn) 73 70 72 73, Gary Hallberg 70 76 69 73.

Colin Montgomery UK) 71 74 1 75 68. FuB scores, Page 54. Tennis HEATHER SMITH Sydney tennis lost its most prestigious tournament yesterday when the 22-year-old Australian Indoor was cancelled. Tournament director and co-founder Graham Lovett said yesterday that insufficient free-to-ai. TV support and the increasing difficulties of attracting a top field had doomed it.

The cancellation comes only days after last Wednesday's revelation that the Sydney 2000 Olympic tennis events might be moved to Melbourne because the budget for the tennis venue at Homebush had been significantly downgraded by the Olympic Co Gainsford keeps the worlds in her sights ATHLETICS DI ISBLRG. Germany, Monday: Melinda Gainsford continued her solid European season form here yesterday, winning the 100m. Fellow-Australian Nicole Bocg-man came second in the long jump. The meeting was marked by another shock loss for British hurdler Colin Jackson, while Czech pole vaulter Daniela Bar-tova bettered her world record. Gainsford, who opened her European campaign with two second placings to Jamaican sprint star Merlcne Ottey.

yesterday clocked 11.30s to beat Germans Melanic Paschke (11.32) and Silke Knoll (11.61). The Australian 100m and 200m sprint champion was clocked at 11.15s last week at Nuremburg, the second-fastest time by an Australian woman, and this win confirmed she is on track for a big performance at the August world championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Boegman was second behind Drechsler, leaping 6.63m to the German's 6.76m, while Drechsler's compatriot Claudia Gerhardt was third with 6.43. Bartova cleared 4.12m, bettering her previous record of 4.10 set on May 20. Germany's Florian Schwar-thoff, second at the European championships, equalled his per- I' wif i-SCV mmmmmmm Colin Jackson second hurdles defeat in a week.

sonal best time of 13.13s in the men's 1 1 0m hurdles to beat world champion Jackson for the second time in four days. Olympic champion Mark McKoy as second in 13.21 ahead of Jackson, who was battling a cold and could muster oniv 13.29. But world record-holder Jackson sounded an optimistic note. "Very soon I will be the same old me," he said. Jackson suffered a surprise reverse against an all-German field in Nuremberg on Thursday when he was pushed into third place by Schwarthoff and Mike Fenner.

In Moscow, Russia's Olga Kuzenkova set a world record of 68.16m for the women's hammer. She passed her own world record of 68.14m, set on June 5, also in Moscow. The women's hammer event will be introduced in the next European championships in 1998. In Sacramento. California, Michael Johnson clocked a wind-assisted 19.83s in the men's 200m to complete a great double at the US championships yesterday.

Mike Powell and Carl Lewis also made the L'S team for the world championships, with wind-assisted long jumps. Johnson, who had won the 400m on Friday in the fourth-fastest time ever of 43.66s, roared around the curve to win the 200m by more than three metres. He will now attempt to become the first man ever to win the two events at the same world championships. Johnson won the world 200m title in 1991 and the 400 crown in 1993. Powell won the long jump on his first attempt, sailing a wind-assisted 8.55m.

Lewis soared 8.45m on his third attempt as the wind gusted to six metres per second. Lewis and Powell have each won the world title twice. Kareem Streete-Thompson leaped a wind-assisted 8.36m to secure the final spot. World champion Gail Devers won the women's 100m hurdles in 12.77s and 100m winner Gwen Torrence completed a sprint double by winning the 200m in a wind-assisted 22.03 seconds. Regina Jacobs claimed the women's title with the fastest time in the world this season of 4mins 5.18s.

League STEVE MASC0RD Australian Rugby League chief executive John Quayle last night described the New Zealand Rugby League's failure to cite its players for incidents in Friday's torrid Test against France as Elbowing incidents involving second-rower Stephen Kearney and fullback Matthew Ridge were two of the clashes which have been highlighted on New Zealand television since the 16-16 draw at Palmerston North Showgrounds. Neither country has taken action. "I think NZRL president Graham Carden would be better off addressing some disgraceful things that happened last Friday than trying to tell us which players to pick for the World Cup," Quayle said. "The fact he could stand by and not act is an indication of how much he knows about the game. "His lack of action after a Test match like that shows what authority he really has." The New Zealand squad arrived in Brisbane yesterday for Friday night's first Test at Suncorp Stadium, with coach Frank Endacott to name his starting side tomorrow.

Ridge was penalised for an apparent elbow to the head of French captain Patrick Entat in the opening minutes of Friday's Test Kearney was sent to the sin bin in the dying minutes for a hit on second-rower Didier Cabestany. Meanwhile, Quayle said he was sceptical of suggestions by Super League chief John Ribot yesterday that a breakaway team would be included in the World Cup. "The draw is already made we are opening the tournament at Wembley against Britain," Quayle said. "What is going to happen? Twenty-six players run out for us?" Super League officials said they were taken aback by an ARL media release issued yesterday, which "challenged New Zealand and England to throw selection of their World Cup sides open to all Arthurson said in the release the Super League countries had banned ARL-contracted players from their international teams. But Super League spokesman Trevor McKewan said this was not true, with New Zealand agreeing to consider all players indefinitely and England almost certain to pick a full strength World Cup side.

Sydney Tigers may rest Tim Brasher from Saturday night's clash with North Queensland at Suncorp Stadium. Brasher lines up for Australia on Friday night and coach Wayne Pearce said: "It's going to be a tall order, getting him up the next night I might put Tony Price on standby." Sydney City chief executive Bernie Gurr said last night the Roosters would not release Queensland halfback Adrian Lam in any circumstances at the end of this year. Illawarra's former NSW half John Simon is to join the club. "Adrian is just too good a player; he's not going anywhere," Gurr said. "He can play half or five-eighth, John Simon can play half, five-eighth, lock.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see them both in the same starting line-up." Canberra centre Ruben Wiki had plaster removed from his hand yesterday, and may be available for Saturday's game against Sydney City at the Sydney Football Stadrum, and the second and third Tests. Western Suburbs coach Tom Raudonikis last night made one change to his side for Sunday's clash with Auckland to facilitate the return of Jim Serdaris from representative duty. WESTS: Andrew Leeds: Paul Smith. Ken McGuinness. Paul Bell.

Darren Willis: Andrew Willis. Steve Georgallis: Paul Langmack (O. Mark Horo. Jim Serdaris. Brent Stuart.

Cinaco Mescia. Glenn Grief. Res: Kyle White. Bill Dunn. Justin Dooley (one to be omitted).

three years and now I'm reaping the benefits of it." The league's master shot-blocker he averages a tremendous 4.2 per game believes New Zealand will be more competitive than the Boomers other 1995 opponents, South Korea and the US college side Missouri. "But we're all pretty confident," he said. Australian women's coach Tom Maher plans to use tonight's match as an exercise in the application of the Opals' current theme, "relentless As the Opals are in no danger of losing to their much-weaker opponents, he wants his side to gain some positives from the series as a preliminary to the 1996 Olympics. This is the first time the Australian women's team has contested Oceania qualifying matches for a major championship. Previously, the Opals, who failed to qualify for the 1992 Games, were forced to play at a cut-throat pre-Olympic tournament "Frankly, we could beat this team NZ by 40 points and play poorly," Maher said.

MmiyyyyWm y. y. yyyy yy. end. For that, he shot a total of 282, two over par, and got his seventh runner-up finish in a major championship.

On six of those occasions he led going into the final round. "I never cry over spilt milk," the Australian said. "I gave it my best shot I didn't get the job done by making only one birdie in 36 holes. "It was a tough day. Obviously, I didn't get the job done.

Obviously, I didn't win." The cliches were inarguable. Norman kept grinding, he just wasn't able to hold on. Or hole out With the wind whipping up off the Atlantic, par had become a very good score, and that's exactly where Norman stood after a miracle par-save at the 1 1th hole, where he bumped a chip shot from behind the green into the bank and stopped it 90cm from the hole. At that point he led the Open by one stroke over Pavin and Bob Tway and by two from Davis Love III and Tom Lehman, who had shared the overnight lead. But Norman ran out of par saves at the 12th and 13th, and Shinnecock turned into Pavin's Place.

More often than not, par-savers are Open winners. Norman missed the green at the 12th and his chip stopped 2.4m away. He missed it Bogey. That briefly created a four-way tie, with Norman, Tway, Pavin and Lehman all at one over, but that was about to change because, moments later, Pavin lined up a 3.6m putt for birdie at the 15th. He made it Birdie.

The lead was his, and he never relinquished it Norman bogeyed the 13th as well, pulling his tee shot into the rough, chopping out, chipping on and missing a 4.5m attempt He would pull within one stroke later with his lone birdie of the weekend at the 15th, but his tournament was over. "I hit two good putts, but they didn't go in," American hero triumphant US Open winner Corey Pavin Lancaster bombs back nine ill 1 forward to playing Shinnecock's tough back nine after bogeys at the eighth and ninth. "Oh well, let's go shoot 42 on this nine and get it over with," he thought as he made the turn. Instead, he made history. He made four consecutive birdies from the 1 1th with putts of 2.5m, 12m, 20m and 7.5m.

He followed a par on the 15th with two more birdies. He hit a wedge to 30cm at the par-five 16th and then drained a 9m putt at the par-three 17th. Lancaster knew he had a chance to match the course 1 mm US OPEN LARRY D0RMAN SOUTHAMPTON, New York, Monday: It was by far the biggest shot of the little man's life, 190 metres of carry over hill and heather and heartbreak to the front of the green, to win the US Open. Corey Pavin had come a long way for this. For too many years now he had endured the left-handed compliment best player never to have won a major championship.

Now, at the age of 35, was the time to lose it forever and to take his place among the giants of the game. With a Great White Shark in his wake and a distant 18th green in his sights, Pavin drew back his 4-wood at Shinnecock Hills yesterday and hit one of the greatest pressure shots in the championship's 100-year history. It landed just short of the slippery, sloping green and ran up towards the hole. On the fairway, Pavin broke into a run. He heard the roars from around the green: "Corey! Corey! Corey!" When he saw his ball stop, 1.5 metres away, he raised his arms in triumph.

"It's the most pressure Tve ever felt on a golf course," he said. "I just tried to gather myself and make a good swing. I was trying to hit a low draw, and I knew Td hit a good shot I knew it would get pretty close." Two putts for par and the Open was his. Two putts for a final-round 68 and a par total of 280 the first time a total that high has won the Open since Hale Irwin in 1979. There would be no further question.

There could be no-one more certain to two-putt in these circumstances than Corey Pavin. He missed the first and tapped in the second. "I'm very excited to have that monkey off my back," he said. "For 12 years I've been trying to win a major. I've had opportunities and didn't do it.

To have won the national Open is a thrill beyond words." For Greg Norman, who shot 73 and finished second in yet another major, this was another bitter loss. He had not made any putts all day, beginning with the 1.5m for par that horseshoed out on him at the second hole and ending with a 3m putt he needed to save par at the 17th to stay a stroke behind Pavin. Norman birdied just one hole all day, his only birdie all week- Sampras LONDON, Monday: Perfection is admirable but boring. American Pete Sampras and Frenchman Guy Forget strove for it in the Queen's tournament final yesterday, and in so doing achieved a result as technically precise as all the aircraft landings and take-offs at Heathrow. Each point, like each touchdown and take-off, was a masterpiece of perfectly applied skill, and could be applauded as such.

When he served, Sampras could take aim at the sideline on the edge of the service box and hit it The result was a puff of chalk, like a small explosion, and then a pale green patch to mark the passage of the ball as it spun and jumped out of Forget's reach. Another ace. Twenty-one from Sampras, 15 for Forget. But two opposing forces practising the same art almost as well as it can be applied is not the same as a contest Sampras won the 32nd title of his career 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (8-6). On the scoreboard, at least, it was a near-replica of his defeat by countryman Todd Martin in last year's final.

In 12 service games by Sampras, Forget could win only 10 points. Sampras could take only 16 from his opponent In only two games as he able to win more he said. "The momentum For the other chasers, it ended earlier. Lehman double-bojzeyed the 16th and finished solo third at 283. Tway bogeyed the 14th and 16th and slid to a 40 on the back and a total of five over par.

Love could not make a putt coming down the stretch and finally succumbed with a double bogey at the last for a 71 and a 284 totaL It was all Pavin's now. This is a man with a reputation for tenacity, for opportunism, for gritti-ness. Some sportswriters still refer to him as the "Gritty Little He is listed at 5ft 9in (1.73m) in the PGA Tour Guide but is probably 5cm shorter and weighs no more than 68kg. On this big, brawling golf course, he closed out the deal with a solid 1.5m par putt at the tough 1 7th hole and the US Open shot of the decade at the 18th. America now has a national golf champion who embodies the mettle that built the country.

He had come close before. He finished third in the 1993 US Masters, fourth in the 1993 British Open and second in last year's US PGA Championship. There were those who were beginning to wonder if the small man with the big heart had enough game to win a major. The answer has come: he has more than enough game. Just like Tom Kite in 1992 at Pebble Beach, Pavin chose the US Open to make his biggest statement.

He now has 13 career victories, but none as sweet as this. "I was tired of those questions," he said. "I was trying my hardest and doing my best But I had faith it would happen and finally it did." And when it did, it happened on the largest stage of all. The Gritty Little Bruin brought all the big boys to their knees. The New York Times immediately and lethally when a first serve strayed into his hitting zone, to lob high enough to beat a 1.95m opponent at the net, and accurately enough to land it inside the baseline.

That was Sampras the crowd-pleaser. "I was definitely living nine lives in the first match," he said. To witness him hold Forget at bay on serve while struggling to make inroads against his opponent's delivery and then accelerate away from him in the first tie break with two aces to close out the set; to watch him hold his composure after two match points got away from him in the second tie breaker before he took the third, was to view Sampras the pro. For that, and the way the match was played, he made no apologies. "As big as we serve and as well as we are serving, you aren't going to see a lot of rallies," he said.

Forget, who beat Boris Becker in three sets in his semi-final to cap a comeback from a ranking of a year ago following a long lay-off because of knee surgery, believes the English public is more tolerant than other tennis-goers of such abbreviated points. "Here in England they don't seem to be as disappointed," he said. "In Fance or America they Wm at the 18th. Photo by reuters for record 29 record of 65 if he parred the 18th. After hitting a perfect drive, he hit a five iron long and left, into the rough.

He then hit "the greatest pitch shot of my life" to 1m from the hole. "I can't tell you how nervous I was," he said. But he deftly rolled the ball in for his record 29 and record-tying 65. That wasn't good enough for caddie Kenny Doige, though. "I just made the greatest four of my life on the last hole and he said, 'Man, I was hoping you made three'.

It is never good enough." at the bit for a chance to crush the Kiwis and earn a place on the national team next September. The 209cm Dorge hasn't been considered for Boomers sides since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Only months after returning from Spain, he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg and spent close to six months away from the National Basketball League recuperating. Dorge and his club, South East Melbourne Magic, suffered a second debilitating blow last year when his repaired anterior cruciate again gave way. It meant another reconstruction and five months out of basketball, which ruled him out of the Boomers' campaign at the world championships in Canada.

"I honestly had thoughts of, 'Will I make it back after the second one. I wondered how I would play if I did make it back," he said. "It turned out I did go through those motions initially, but I was able to stay fit through the off-season and actually have a pre-season for the first in on the spot for Wimbledon Little comfort for Kiwis in Olympic qualifiers SOUTHAMPTON, New York, Monday: Neal Lancaster, playing in his first L'S Open, set a championship record of 29 for nine holes yesterday as he equalled the Shinnecock Hills course record of 65. After touring the front nine in an unremarkable one-over 36, he made six birdies coming home to become the first player to break 30 for nine holes in a L'S Open. "I didn't know it was an Open record until after I finished," said Lancaster, 32, who has won once in five years on the L'S PGA Tour.

He admitted he was not looking would be tired of aces and guys not being able to return." In London they learn to cherish rallies when they see them. In this case the best was seven shots, seven games into the match. It ended with Sampras sprawled in the corner behind the baseline after retrieving a passing shot from Forget who, in turn, pushed his opponent's reply out. Competitively, if not technically, that was as good as it got. If Sampras does win a third consecutive Wimbledon title, he will look back on the past week, and especially yesterday, fondly.

Not only was it his first Queen's title, but also he received invaluable grass-court match practice in the course of nine hours. It began with five sets of singles and ended with three sets of doubles with Martin against Australians Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. The Woodies were gracious enough to give Sampras a decent workout. The two Americans won the match 12-10 in the third. Becker would envy Sampras his match preparation and his fitness.

The world No 3 flew back to Munich yesterday for further treatment of his troublesome right calf. BASKETBALL HEATHER SMITH The itinerary says it all. Accommodation in Terrigal for the Australian Boomers and Opals: Country Comfort Inn. The New Zealand men's and women's teams: Backpackers Lodge. It is a succinct illustration of the difference between Australia and New Zealand, who meet in the Oceania Olympic qualifying series starting tonight at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Tomorrow the teams travel to Terrigal for the second BoomersOpals double-header, at the Gosford City Sports Centre. The two Australian sides are destined to qualify easily for next year's Atlanta Olympics, in spite of the New Zealand men's side being described as "competitive" by Boomers centre John Dorge. It has been three painful years since the talented centre last represented Australia at a major championship and he is straining GERARD WRIGHT TENNIS than one point once in the first set when Forget double-faulted; another in the second when he guessed right in his movement and swung early and well at a serve. The rest of the match was as enthralling as target practice. For Sampras, it was a stark contrast to his earlier endeavours against unseeded German Marc Goellner, who held but could not convert three match points against a grass-court maestro struggling to find the right tune.

The difference between what was good for Pete and what was good for the crowd could not have been more obvious. To draw level with Goellner after twice dropping serve in the first set, Sampras had to draw on all his competitive mettle to run down repeated drop shots and retura'them for wdnners, to react.