Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 27

FprMPIl Yevgeny Kafelnikov, left, dispatched Michael Such, nBCM (74)' 75' 7-6 (74)' for the French OP title and then II PllN sent his racket into the crowd to celebrate. Page 2D. TIGERS TRIPPED Detroit's winning streak is over after two games with Sunday's 3-2 loss to the New Yorx Yankees. Page 5D. Section Soccer, Page 2 NHL, Page 8 Scoreboard, Page 9 Jfetroit 4frce Stress Monday, June 10, 1996 rr i Open and shut: Here's your last-minute guide if Michael Andretti, in the black car, makes his move, passing teammate Christian Fittipaldi on the 66th lap.

Fittipaldi, who finished second, had led for 64 laps. i 1 ssSS DAVID P. GILKEYDetroit Free Press The U.S. Open golf championship arrives today at Oakland Hills Country Club after an 11-year absence. What's all the ballyhoo about? Who plays? Who can watch? Why would anyone want to? To help fill in the uninformed, Free Press golf writer Jack Say lor plays 20 Questions with the Open-.

No. 1: Where can I get a ticket for the Open? You can't. Tournament tickets are sold out. But tickets are available for practice rounds today, Tuesday and Wednesday at $25 a pop. They can be purchased cash only at the gate.

Oakland Hills is on Maple Road between Telegraph and Lahser in Bloomfield Hills. No. 2: Are practice rounds worth watching? Sure. Play is less structured and you can get closer to the players, who are less uptight. Many will carry on conversations with fans between shots and holes.

Many fans prefer practice rounds over tournament rounds because the course is less crowded. No. 3: Is it worth going today? Yes. Not all the players will be on hand, but because the Open is a major championship, most of the those who skipped the Buick Classic (or missed the cut) will be in early to work on their games. No.

4: I've heard the traffic will be a nightmare. Where do I park? The safest and cheapest deal is to Please see U.S. OPEN, Page 8D Make way yp TiT Tl "fTh TT Tl (f Tl STl (P "3 a 0 Michelle McGann has 90,000 reasons to celebrate at the Oldsmobile Classic. That's how much money she won by sinking a birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Sweden's Liselotte Neumann. i fmJ i ALAN R.

KAMUDADetrolt Free Press By mastering 18th hole, McGami wins Olds playoff ing in here," said McGann, a 5-foot- 11, long-hitting 26-year-old Florid-ian, who dug nine birdies out of the soggy, muddy turf at Walnut Hills Country Club. "It must be the power of the mind. Two of McCann's birdies came at the 364-yard, par-four 18th hole, the "-if tr' iir-'-w t. iiiiiiniiMiia---' ttn-T nr- '--irt inir JUUAN H. GONZALEZDetrott Free Press Michael Andretti, who won for the third time this season and for the second time in Detroit, is all smiles after Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix.

first a 25-foot bender that tied Neumann at 16-under 272. Because of course conditions, LPGA officials decided the golfers would keep playing the 18th hole until a winner emerged. They parred it twice, but Neumann scuffed her six-iron approach the third time around and pitched to 20 feet. Her Please see OLDS CLASSIC, Page 8D Two Fittipaldis going opposite directions Andretti stays hot on wet track for Detroit win BYJACKSAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer EAST LANSING Michelle McGann started the Oldsmobile Classic with a new driver and a new attitude, and parlayed them into her first victory of the season in the wildest finish in the LPGA tournament's five-year history. McGann came out of the pack Sunday with a final-round 65 and outlasted a sizzling stretch run of 10 birdie-happy players to catch Liselotte Neumann.

She then edged Neumann, who also shot a seven-under 65, to win the tournament on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff. "I had a good feeling about com- Bulls doze Sonics, 1 win away, 108-86 By Steve kornacki Free Press Sports Writer SEATTLE Attempting to show up Michael Jordan is a definite no-no like arguing with a police officer after getting pulled over or waving a gun as you enter the airport. Gary Payton found out Sunday. Jordan didn't say a word about all the eing a Fittipaldi on Sunday jj was not, as some suggested, LUC SCIXUIU WUIbl Ullllg IU being a Tigers season-ticket holder. Oh, Emerson Fittipaldi finished -fc, i-i ri 'u- A.

Charlie Vincent JUUAN H. GONZALEZDetroit Free Press A wet track at the start of the race eventually gave way to drier conditions. See photostory, Page 12D. THE FINISHING TOUCH Top 10 finishers in Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix IndyCar race at Belle Isle (winner's speed 75.136 m.p.h.): long before the Detroit Grand Prix did, but that is beginning to be routine. And Christian Fittipaldi was the race's bridesmaid after leading 64 of the 72 laps.

Fittipaldi the Younger the nephew of Fittipaldi the Elder looked like a postman rN BY STEVE CROWE Free Press Sports Writer For four races, Michael Andretti drove under the dark cloud of being on probation for rough driving. Then following Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix, IndyCar chief steward Wally Dallenbach cleared the cloud, much like Belle Isle rain had yielded to sun by race's end. "Maybe I should stay on it," suggested Andretti after making Belle Isle his third victory venue since being sanctioned after the April 14 race at Long Beach, Calif. Whether Andretti's Lola-Ford Cos-worth was faster than that of Newman-Haas teammate Christian Fittipaldi is debatable. But the smarter of the two as time ran out on Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix was clearly Andretti.

Shortly after a restart, between turns 4 and 5 on lap 66 of a planned 77, second-place Andretti targeted his teammate for overtaking. Then after appearing to feign outside, Andretti dove inside, seizing the lead for good. Because of IndyCar's two-hour Belle Isle race limit a contractual arrangement with ABC-TV the event ended after 72 laps, with Andretti winning by 2.41 seconds. Andretti, whose 33 wins are fifth all-time in IndyCar, also won this year Please see GRAND PRIX, Page 6D I most of the day, bent on allowing neither rain, nor fog nor Michael Andretti to prevent him 1. Michael Andretti USA Lola-Ford 2.

Christian Fittipaldi Brazil Lola-Ford 3. Gil de Ferran Brazil Reynard-Honda 4. Adrian Fernandez Mexico Lola-Honda 5. Mark Blundell England Reynard-Ford 6. Eddie Lawson USA Lola-Mercedes 7.

Stefan Johansson Sweden Reynard-Mercedes 8. RaulBoesel Brazil Reynard-Ford 9. RJ. Jones USA Eagle-Toyota 10. Scott Pruett USA Lola-Ford from completing his appointed rounds.

BETH A. KEISERAssociated Press Bulls center Luc Longley drives in the lane for two of his 19 points in Game 3. Longley shot 8-for-13 in 28 minutes. back. I let my game do all the talking." Remember that Dionne Warwick song, "Message to Well, here's a message from Michael to Gary: Learn how to act and how to play under the basketball big top.

The Sonics came up woefully short before their home fans at Key Arena. Please see NBA FINALS, Page 7D woofing Payton initiated in Game 2 at Chicago, and used Game 3 as his rebuttal. The Bulls won, 108-86, to go up 3-0 in the NBA Finals, and Jordan never let the Seattle SuperSonics so much as whiff victory. Jordan scored 27 of his 36 points in the first half, and went on one of those can-do-no-wrong runs late in the first half. He got that look in his eyes, got the ball and appeared to be snooting with no strain and all gain.

That was his statement. "I know this is the Glove's home," Jordan said, calling Payton by his nickname. "I have no verbal come- The Younger, who has never won an IndyCar race, and never won during his three seasons in Formula One, charged from sixth to first in the first two laps Sunday and stayed there until Andretti slipped past him with a surgical-like pass seven laps from the Please see CHARLIE VINCENT, Page 6D xl.