Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 25

3 SCOREBOARD iRD 2 )LS-4(U 5-16 -S HIGH SCHOOLS- CLASSIFIED THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SATURDAY, APRIL 1 1 1 992 RICK Woosy, Parry lead way fj CLEVELAND DGGC leaders Second-round scores Mike Donald 68-62130 Bob Eastwood 67-65132 Steve Lowery 66-66132 Dave Rummells Greg Powers 66-67133 Greg Ladehoff 69-64133 I WIUIMIIIOl Ian Woosnam and Craig Parry are at 135 in the Masters. I lg I The Associated Press strength of a confidence-restoring return of the putting touch that has been missing for about six months. Parry's errant tee shot on the par-5 15th came to rest in a large, green plastic bag marked "TRASH" right of the fairway. The ball was located inside a not-quite-empty drink cup. Parry pulled out the ball, shook it off and played on without penalty, eventually dropping a 6-foot putt that took him to the lead.

Fred Couples shot a 67 and is third at 136. Ray Floyd shot 68 and is at 137. Woosnam finds concentration, 3C AUGUSTA, Ga. Ian Woosnam located his long-lost putting touch and Craig Parry found a birdie in a trash bag Friday as the lush green acres of Augusta National once again became a foreign playground. Woosnam, the defending champion, and Parry, an Australian, each shot 6-under-par 66 and shared a one-shot lead at 9-under 135 at the halfway point of the Masters.

Woosnam took his piece of the lead on the The Associated Press Ian Woosnam reacts to a failed birdie putt. Donald deposits cool 62 Mike Donald ties the HCC course record, leads DGGC with a 130 total. an i a 1 1 aT uau Bm II 4 V'-f? jstu A-' Mlchele Stapleton The Clarion-Ledger The Generals' Rusty Harris stretches to get back to first base to beat the throw to the Drillers' Rusty Greer at Smith-Wills Stadium. Jl Give Donald credit: Many envy his luck, be it good or bad HATTIESBURG Mike Donald shot a tournament-record-tying 62 here Friday in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. The cheers you heard were from Augusta National, the Hat- iiesburg Country Club and anywhere else tour-1 jng pros play golf.

Human nature being what it is, it's hard not pull for Donald. Sympathy is a powerful motion. Donald, who leads by a shot entering the Classic's third round today, has won more than $1.6 million in his 12-plus years on tour. Grant- that doesn't exactly qualify as a sob story. Still, you ask the average golf fan what they re-; member about Donald and they'll most likely recall two tournaments: The 1990 Masters.

Donald led with an pening64, then went down the toilet literal-; ly. He shot a second-round 82, which included a Shot so far off line his ball went into the sewer on the 18th hole. Later that summer, the U.S. Open. Remember Hale Irwin's miracle 60-foot putt and his high-fivingjog around the 18th green at Me-dinah? Donald was the other guy, the victim.

Irwin's putt tied him with Donald and forced an 18-hole Monday playoff. Irwin won the tension-filled playoff with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 19th hole. Afterward, Irwin sobbed partly Jrpm joy and partly, he said, because he felt so -Badly for Mike Donald. Not often does golf provide us with such drama. I am reminded of an old Peanuts comic strip, in which Lucy or Linus or someone was describing the winners' celebration after a closely-contested championship game.

They went on and on about the celebration. "It was just wonderful," they said. The next frame showed a pensive Charlie Brown. "I wonder how the other team felt," Charlie Brown said. Mike Donald knows.

Times are tough for Iron Mike i Donald has lost two playoffs in his career. One was to Irwin and the other was to Jim Booros in the 1989 Deposit Guaranty. In fact, Donald has won nearly $40,000 here in nine previous Classics. Few pros have played here more often than Donald, but the same can be said for many tournaments. That's another reason for his popularity among those who follow the tour.

I Donald is the tour's version of a workaholic. If golf was like school, Donald would get the medal for most perfect attendance. One year, he played in 38 official tour events and two unofficial tournaments. Too much of a grind? "I just like to play," he said. "I enjoy playing." He probably has played in more tournaments and made more cuts than any other player over the past decade.

But the last 15 months, he'll admit, have been tough. Just when he appeared on the verge of stardom, he faltered. Donald finished 142nd on the earnings list last year, his worst finish since 1980, his rookie year. As a result, he depends on much-in-demand sponsors' exemptions for entry into most tournaments these days. "I have gotten to be a much better typer and letter writer this year," Donald said, referring to the many letters he writes seeking exemptions.

And his game is coming around, too. "I'm actually playing a lot better now than I have at times when I was winning a lot of money," he said. Missed 5-footer means no credit His familiarity with the Hattiesburg Country Club helps Donald here. He says Hale Irwin told him years ago that among the most important lessons on tour is to learn not to make the same mistakes. After seven birdies, an eagle and nine pars, Donald came to the par-4 ninth hole (his 18th) needing only to par for the tournament record.

His drive was perfect, but his 4-iron approach was short of the green. He missed a 5-footer for a par. A 61 would have earned him $5,000 in Hilton credit. The 62 was worth only the one-shot lead. "The Hilton dollars would have been nice," Donald said.

But on a list of Mike Donald disappointments, this one doesn't make the cut. Generals at home Today: Tulsa (Romero 0-0) at Jackson (August 0-0), 7 p.m., JDS-AM, 620, Van-Trow OldsmobileWLBT-TV fireworks show. Sunday: Tulsa at Jackson, 2:30 p.m., Houston Astros Cap Day. By Rusty Hampton Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer HATTIESBURG A little local knowledge can go a long way in a golf tournament, especially when it's combined with Tour toughness. Mike Donald used a bit of both Friday to tie the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic single-round record of 8-under-par 62 to take a two-shot lead at Hattiesburg Country Club.

Donald's 36-hole total of 10-un-der 130 is two shots better than Steve Lowery and Bob Eastwood. Lowery shot 66 Friday; Eastwood shot 65. Three players are grouped at 133, four at 134 and nine at 135. Of the three first-round leaders, only Greg Twiggs broke par Friday. He shot 69 and is in the group at 134.

Jeff Barlow of Jackson bogeyed his first three holes, shot 72 and is at 137. Mark Carnevale (71) is at 136. Eighty players made the cut of even-par 140. Among them is Tupelo Country Club pro Steve Ridge (66-70136), Eagle Ridge Golf Club pro Anthony Price (69-71 140) and former Mississippi State player Mitch Adcock (70-70140). Donald might be the most well-known player in the tournament locally and nationally.

He has career earnings of $1.6 million, led the Masters after the first round in 1990, and lost a playoff to Hale Irwin in the 1990 U.S. Open. This is his 10th time to play here. He finished second in 1989. "Having played here a lot I've learned some things that help," said Donald, who missed the tournament record when he bogeyed his last hole, No.

9. "There's a lot of places that you don't realize how bad they are until you hit it there. "I know what to stay away from, but you've still got to hit the shots and make the putts." Donald did plenty of both: He started on No. 10 and birdied 10, 11, 13 and 14, then eagled 17 to turn in 6-under 29. He missed birdie putts of 8 feet on No.

1 and 5 feet on No. 2, then tapped in for birdie on the par-5 third. He birdied No. 6 with a twisting it probably broke 6 feet 20-footer, then birdied No. 8 by following one of his worst shots of the day with one of his best.

After chunking a wedge second shot into the 345-yard par-4 hole, Donald holed out a 75-foot uphill putt from off the green. "I made the luckiest birdie of all time on No. 8," Donald said, smiling. "So I guess they all even out." Donald and Eastwood are the last group off today at 1 p.m. "I've still got to keep going," Donald said.

"Ten-under won't win it, but leading is where you want to be." Lowery, who will play with Dave Rummells in the twosome ahead of Donald, said the chase is on. "Mike's a great player, but he's also got to go out and do it," Lowery said. "Nobody's going to lay down out here. I think it's going to be a shootout." Lowery earns honesty award, 3C Tulsa spoils Jackson's season opener with a 3-2 decision in 10 innings. By David Cummings Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Everything the Jackson Generals wanted in their opener they got except the win.

Tulsa wrecked the Generals' home debut with a 3-2 extra-inning victory in front of 3,684 fans at renovated Smith-Wills Stadium. "I thought it was a well-played ballgame by both teams," Jackson manager Rick Sweet said. "We played well and that was encouraging." In a game dominated by pitching, it was ironic the winning run scored on a wild pitch. Tulsa's Luke Sable scored from third base on Steve LaRose's wild pitch in the dirt in the top of the 10th inning. "It looked like a breaking ball that got in the dirt," Sable said.

"I took a lead and when I looked up the ball was going to the backstop. I had to be careful because it (the ball) could have hit the wall and come back to the catcher. But fortunately it didn't." Hulse, who scored two of Tulsa's three runs, doubled off the left-field wall to get into scoring position. The Generals came back to tie the game 2-2 with runs in the sixth and seventh. Tulsa right fielder Kevin Belcher gave the Generals some help in the sixth.

Belcher committed a three-base error on Rusty Harris' fly ball. One batter later, Harris scored on Tony Eusebio's ground out to second to cut Tulsa's lead to 2-1. The action got heated after that as a brawl almost erupted in the seventh. Harris and Tulsa shortstop Chris Colon got tangled up at second after Colon's succesful steal. After the umpire called Colon safe, Harris pulled Colon's leg away from the bag.

Colon objected to Harris grabbing him and shoved Harris in the chest. The two squared off and Colon punched Harris in the left jaw. Both benches cleared before the umpires and coaches ended the affair. Colon was ejected while Harris was allowed to stay in the game. The melee seemed to fire up the Generals, however.

They tied the game 2-2 in the bottom half of the inning. Sweet said it was a tough play to lose on. "It always hurts to lose and it's especially tough to lose on a wild pitch," Sweet said. Tulsa took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and extended it to 2-0 in the sixth inning when the Drillers chased Jackson starter Matt Rambo. Rambo went 523 innings, giving up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts.

After staking Tulsa to the lead in the first inning, Rambo settled down with three straight 1-2-3 innings. He struck out at least one batter in every inning except the sixth, when David Hulse scored on a sacrifice fly by former Mississippi State player Jon Shave. USM's Bower stresses simplicity Today's Black and Gold game will give young Eagles a chance to spread their wings. USM Black and Gold game When: Today, 1 p.m. Where: Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg Tickets: $10, includes admission to 3 p.m.

baseball game vs. UNC Charlotte By Robert Wilson Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer "We'll go 12 minutes for the first and second quarters," Bower said. "In the second half, we'll let the clock run except for change of possession and penalties. We don't have enough depth to go a full game." The Black squad will feature three of the team's four returning starters quarterback Tommy Waters, wide receiver Greg Reed and defensive end James Singleton. The Gold carries the other returning starter tight end Marcus Pope.

Eric Estes, who quit football a year ago after a concussion, will punt during the first half and join the baseball team for its 3 p.m. game against North Carolina Charlotte. Estes rejoined the team as a punter this spring. Southern Mississippi coach Jeff Bower wants his Golden Eagles to "let loose" in today's Black and Gold spring football game. The contest starts at 1 p.m.

in Roberts Stadium at Hattiesburg. "We've got a lot of young kids, and we don't want to confuse them," Bower said. "We've taught them a lot on both sides of the ball this spring. But we've simplified things for this game. I want them to turn themselves loose, eliminate confusion and concentrate on effort and intensity." Bower said today's game will be like a regular-season game with a few exceptions.

There will be no kickoffs, and the quarters will be shorter. BY THE NUMBERS BEST BET TV TODAY THE HOT CORNER Hattiesburg native Charlie Hayes had a big night for his new team Friday night. Hayes drove in three runs with three hits, leading Melido Perez and the unbeaten New York Yankees past the winless Detroit Tigers 7-3 Friday ninht at netrnit Mnl Hall hnmemrl anri Third-round coverage of the Masters golf championship begins at 2:30 p.m. on CBS. Warm up with two hours of Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m.

on WJTV (Ch. 12) in Jackson and WHLT (Ch. 22) in Pirates 3 Phillies 2 Braves 5 Giants 3 Reds 8 Astros 5 Padres 8 Dodgers 3 National Basketball Association Celtics 109 Bucks 100 Knicks 115 76ers99 Nets 110 Cavaliers 86 Heat 108 Bullets 93 Pistons 125.. Hornets 106 Bulls 108 Pacers 96 Blazers 1 13 Sonics 106 Walter Payton, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, is enjoying speed in a different venue. Payton, a Columbia native, will drive a Chevrolet Camaro today on the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.) course in the Sports Car Club of America's first race in the Trans-Am series.

Last year, he took part in the SCCA-sanctioned Oldsmobile Pro Series, with his best finish a sixth place. Payton began racing three months after retiring from football in 1988, at a Toyota Grand Prix celebrity event. He is the only black driver currently racing the SCCA Trans-Am series. drove in two runs as the Yanks im- Hayes proved to 3-0. Detroit is 0-4.

The Yankees added three runs in the ninth on an RBI single by Danny Tartabull and a two-run single by Hayes. 5C State Colleges USM 16 UNC Charlotte 5 Millsaps 16 Rhodes 4 American League Blue Jays 4 Orioles 3 Twins 7 Rangers 1 Yankees 7 Tigers 3 Mariners 9 Royals 3 Brewers 5 Angels 4 Athletics 6 White Sox 5 National League Cardinals 2 Cubs 1 Expos 4 MetsO -JIIHI'H- The first strike in National Hockey League history ended early today when owners and players came to an agreement in principle on a new contract. 2C George Foreman goes for his 71st career boxing victory against Alex Stewart at 8:30 p.m. on HBO. Complete listings, 2C i '1.