The Dispatch from Moline, Illinois • 15

1983 19 Connors feeling 'special9 THE DAILY DISPATCH, Moline, Illinois Jr A. V- NEW YORK (UPI) The fifth time round, the feeling isn't quite the tame. Jimmy Connor always will treasure the Job he did Sunday, wearing down Ivan Lendl and then running away from him to capture the U.S. Open Tennis Championship for the fifth time. But at 31, the feeling admittedly isn't the same as when he won his first Open crown at the age of 22 In 1974.

On the other hand, there's something special about repeating as champion. "If I never have another chance, I had the chance this time and took advantage of it," Connors said after beating Lendl, "Last year, I came off winning Wimbledon and I was on a roll," Connors said of his 1982 campaign when he won both Wimbledon and the Open. "This year, I told myself and everybody else here, if I could have half the year I had last year and this is the half "IT'S NOT SWEETER in a way, but it's the first time I've won two in a row. I had chances to win two in a row, but I let them pass by. I just wanted to do it one more time.

If I ever had the chance to come back here and win it again, I'd appreciate it. But if I don't, I did it one more time and that was enough." Connors had more to concern himself about than the imposing appearance of Lendl and the Chechoslovakian player's overwhelming service and forehand. A toe he sprained during Saturday's semifinal victory over Bill Scanlon had him limping at times, and Connors had to take an unscheduled break after the seventh game of the second 'set because of stomach problems. But Connors also had a big mental advantage, having won six Grand Slam titles prior to Sunday while Lendl had none. And while Connors was able to shrug off a host of opportunities he let slip by, Lendl let his mind dwell on one aggravating error.

Lendl was serving at 5-4 in the third set when he gave Connors a life by double faulting on set point. Connors not only completed the break, he didn't allow Lendl to win another game. "I SAID, 'WELL, if he's going to do that, he's going to give me a Connors said. "I started getting In there and Jumping on my returns more. I hit them more solid and started doing something with them Instead of playing him back.

"I won that game and my spirits lifted about SO to 60 percent and I think his dropped a little at that point. He played a pretty awful game to lose the set." Lendl admitted that the double fault cost him a lot more than a point. "I think I was tough enough," he said. "If you keep doing mistakes like that, it doesn't matter how good you are or how, tough you are. You're never going to win." "I don't think he was choking," Connors said.

"He's a little bit lax In the final because he's never won one. I don't think choking is the right word. I think he's thinking about It and wondering when It's going to happen." It was the second year in a row Connors beat Lendl in the final, and it also marked his 100th tournament success in singles competition. With the 120,000 first prize, the 31-year-old left-hander also became the first man to go over $5 million In career earnings. Jimmy Connors shouts with Joy Sunday after winning a crucial point against Ivan Lendl during their championship match at the U.S.

Open tennis championship. Connors won his second consecutive title, defeating Lendl 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0. IVAN LENDL by double fault Panthers, Maroons lead net contenders Lye's comeback wins PGA tourney (fl I r' jl i fj SUTTON, Mass. (UPI) The bottle of Mumm's champagne has been in Trlnl Lye's house in San Francisco for six years and she was wondering if she'd ever get to pop the cork. So was her son, Mark, who had given it to her.

Only a PGA victory stood between the Lyes and some bubbly, but Mark was in his seventh year on the Tour and still without a win. When victory finally came Sunday, Lye rushed to the telephone to call his mother. No one was home. "That doesn't matter. We'll drink it together and we'll enjoy it together.

It has been a long, long time," he said. Lye ended his six-year victory drought Sunday with a sensational come-from-behind triumph in a $350,000 PGA tournament known as the Bank of Boston Classic. Starting the final round eight shots off the lead, he fired a sizzling 64 to capture the $63,000 first prize by one shot over John Mahaffey, Jim Thorpe and Sammy Rachels. "SOMETIMES IT SEEMS as if winning is out of reach. You always start to feel like another face in the crowd.

It's not that you're not good enough, you just don't rise to it," Lye said. Lye benefited from a start one hour before the third-round leaders and didn't take the lead until his eighth and final bir die on the 18th hole. He then paced ner-: vously in the locker room as Mahaffey and Thorpe each missed three-foot birdie putts. A diabetic, Lye drank cola In the locker room and munched on fruit. He covered himself with a cold towel.

He went out to the practice tee to hit some balls anticipating the playoff that never came. "Nothing bothered me out there and that's really unusual for me. I usually jump out of my overshoes, I'm so Jittery," he said. "I've knocked on the door for so long, I was playing scared and it was no fun. I'd think I'd fail." Lye played aggressively, feeling he had little to lose.

His 64 was the low round of the tournament and it enabled him to climb over 14 colleagues in the best come-from-behind effort this year on the PGA tour. MAHAFFEY BEGAN the round with a three-shot lead over Joe Inman and Fuzzy Zoeller. Mahaffey couldn't make a birdie and finished with a 73. Zoeller had a 71. Inman also had a 73.

In contrast to Lye's sterling finish, leading moneywinner Hal Sutton ballooned to an 81 in a round which included three double bogeys and a triple bogey. It was the worst round of the year for Sutton, the leading candidate for Player of the Year. last year. Sophomore Kami Hanlin and senior Dee Honert also rank in East Moline's top six. "We're very deep," Wesselmann said.

"Our No. 8 can be as good as our No. 2 or 3 if she's on." Wesselmann credited her team's success (the Panthers beat Galesburg, 8-1, last week) to experience as well as depth. "Our girls have two summers of tournaments every weekend. That really helps." Carolyn Gersteln, first-year coach at Rock Island, said her girls also have good tourney experience.

"Most of them play all year," Gersteln said. "Our top six players are very steady. We should have a good team this season." Rock Island has senior Kristl Fackel at No. 1 and sophomore Shelley Showalter at No. 2.

Seniors Vickl Strieter and Sue Iversen, Junior Lisa Hoffman and freshman Sonja Motz compose the rest of the top six. "We're 3-0 so far," Gersteln said. "We. beat Macomb, Galesburg and Alleman. I'm looking for a good year." ALLE MAN'S PIONEERS EXPECT a better tennis year thanks to an older team than they usually put on the courts.

"In our first meet, we looked strong (in a loss) against Rock Island," said Pioneer coach Theresa Requet. "I'm looking for good things, especially from our No. 1, Leslie Diets." Diets, a freshman, was No. 1 in the Rock Island summer tournament In her age group. Junior Denise Ceurvorst, seniors Andrea Martel, Mary RosaGastaldo and Amy Fuller and junior Cindy Meers make up the rest of the Pioneers' squad.

In Geneseo, where girls' tennis is in only its fourth year as a competitive sport, this season is likely to be a building year, according to Coach Henry Weber. "Our girls are involved In so many different sports that they don't have a chance to concentrate on tennis during the summer," Weber said. "But they're a nice group of girls." Kristl Nicklaus, a senior, heads the Maple Leafs. Senior Robyn Gramllng, sophomore Sue Honzel, senior Kris Dahl-quist, junior Michelle Eaker and senior Angle Herrmann make up the rest of the squad. Despite the probable dominance of the Maroons and Panthers, the other teams the Rocks, the Pioneers and the Leafs have some outstanding players.

"All the No. Is are good," Wesselman said. "This should be a good, competitive year." By MARY SHANE Oltp.tch Sporftwrlttr If it's autumn, this must be foot-i cross country and volleyball and swimming and tennis. While gridiron action tends to dominate sports news In the fall, other high school sports are beginning their seasons as well. In tennis, autumn is the girls' time of year.

And this season, the year Is likely to belong to East Moline and Moline. Both schools sent players to state competition in 1982; both have experience and strength; both will contend for the Western Big 6 title. "I think you'd have to say we're the two teams to beat," conceded Moline coach Sue Lillig. "It's been that way for a number of years." East Moline coach Sue Wesselmann concurred. "We Lave depth and experience," she said.

"We're competition-ready. We'll be very close in talent to Moline. We'll have to play well to beat each other." IN THE TEAMS' first matchup this season, East Moline's Panthers played very well they defeated Moline's Maroons, 6-3. "Dual meets really aren't that important," Lillig said. "It's what you do at conference that counts.

We started the same way last year we lost our first two duals and then went on to win the conference." Moline's conference hopes this season will rest with two seniors and four Juniors, led by Junior Colleen O'Connor and senior Dana Ford. O'Connor-Ford ranked as the No. 1 doubles team in the loop last year; they also finished in the Top 20 at the state meet. "Everyone will be looking out for them this year," Lillig said. Joining O'Connor and Ford are Maroons Alicia Laurie Black, Nancy Campbell and Chris Johnson.

Lillig also said she has a strong sophomore and freshman contingent. The latter is a new experience for Lillig and other Moline coaches; freshman are attending the high school for the first time this year. EAST MOLINE'S WESSELMANN also has strength among underclassmen, with 17 freshmen and sophomores out this season. But the Panthers' main strength comes from their No. 1 and 2 players, Junior Betsy Dalton and senior Trish Zmuda.

Dalton and Zmuda, along with No. 3 and 4 players, senior Beth Kipp and Junior Kim Smith, went to the state meet Getting down on her knees, Joanne Carner watches a 30-foot birdie putt roll toward the hole Sunday during the final round of the Portland Ping Golf Tournament. Carner won the LPGA event. Spouse helps Carner AN INVITATION TO YOU FROM MUELLER-BAHNSEN TO ATTEND A FREE Montcomerv who nrlnr tn knt KITCHEN 11 0 PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) JoAnne Carner, who defeated Charlotte Montgomery on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday to win the $150,000 LPGA Portland Ping Golf Championship, says her come-from-behlnd victory was engineered In a hotel room.

"My putting was off and Don earner's husband) told me It must be the grip," said Carner. "I was not stroking (putts) smoothly. So I practiced in our hotel room this morning and relaxed my grip." It paid dividends. Carner, an LPGA Hall of Fame member and the all-time money-winner on the LPGA Tour with nearly $1.4 million in career earnings, rallied from four shots behind Montgomery to win the 54-hole tournament and collect $22,500 In prize money. "Don was up all night trying to figure it out," Carner said.

"I Just went to sleep like I always do, but he stayed up worrying about it. When I woke up, he told me I should try changing my grip." CARNER SANK a 30-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, while Montgomery missed an 18-foot birdie putt that would have tied the match. earned about $12,000 in her three-year winless professional career, won $14,700 for her second-place finish, Sharon Barrett and Alice Miller finished in a tie for third at 2-under-par 214. Carner and Montgomery finished the 54 holes of regulation play at 4-under-par 212. Montgomery started the day as the tournament leader with a two-round total of 6-under-par 138.

Carner had a 4-under-par score of 142 through 36 holes. Montgomery had a one-stroke lead over Carner with two holes to play, but bogeyed the 17th hole, which Carner parred to pull into a tie for the lead. Montgomery then parred the 18th hole, earner's 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation play was about two Inches short, forcing a playoff. Carner, who has won 38 tournaments In her 13-year professional career, said she was trying for a par on the putt that won the match. "ANYTIME YOU'RE farther than 15 feet from the hole, you're trying to lag the putt up there to get a good shot at par," the Palm Beach, Fla.

resident said. "I lagged pretty well." CABINET EXPERTISE FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELF INSTALLATION Highlights Bee star week's best Split end J.F. Green of St. Ambrose has been named the NAIA District 15 offensive football player of the week, district officials announced Sunday. Green, a 6-1, 180-pound senior from Bettendorf was honored for his two touchdowns and five catches for 77 yards in the Bees 35-0 win over Upper Iowa Saturday.

emtio Appleton Midwest champ APPLETON, Wis. (UPI) Dave Kinsel's run-scoring double In the fifth inning gave Appleton a 4-3 win over Springfield and the Midwest League baseball championship. Rich DeVincenzo was the winning pitcher in Sunday's championship final and Al Jones notched the save. Kinsel scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning Saturday to give Appleton an 8-7 win. The Foxes, who compiled the league's best regular season record at 87-50, won the best-of-five championship series three games to one.

Irish pound Cedar Rapids CEDAR RAPIDS The Irish Ruby team of the Quad-Cities beat Cedar Rapids 60-11 Sunday. Greg Moroni led the scoring with 16 points. Cecil Youngblood and Rocco Carbone each added 12, while Dave Watklns, Enyo DeWlth, Neal Ealy, Dave Disen-bacher, Kevin Frolich and Dave Watklns added four. You're lucky, because you may qualify for savings on your Auto Insurance. Farmers figures show-that the best drivers are men and women between 30 and 60, so they deserve a break on insurance costs, Look into it today.

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 17 A.M. REFRESHMENTS FOR RESERVATION CALL 764-8365 MUELLER-BAHNSEN LUMBER COMPANY Airport Corners Moline, IL Matje dusts foes MOUNT JOY Chris Matje of Davenport won the Duster 100 kart race at Fun Acres Sunday. In other kart races Sunday at the track, East Moline's Jamie Needham won the rookie class, East Moline's Troy Foltz took the Junior class, Davenport's Jeff Johnson won the novice class and Dan Newman won the stock light class. CO Digger to Ambrose Richard "Digger" Phelps, head basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame, will be the featured speaker at dedication ceremonies for the new St.

Ambrose College physical education center in Davenport. Although the $3 million center has been in use for much of the summer, the official dedication will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 30. The ceremonies will be open to the public at no charge.

LIFETIME SERVICE GUARANTEE Alleman changes meeting The Alleman Booster Club will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Alleman cafeteria. Game films of the Alleman win over Assumption will be shown. Originally, the meeting was slated for Tuesday. I 1900 42nd East Moline.