Sports roundup
By the Associated Press
Golf
Lanny Wadkins wins PGA
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Lanny Wadkins holed an
eight-foot, par-saving putt on the third playoff hole and
beat veteran Gene Littler for the 59th PGA National
Championship.
They had tied at the end of the regulation 72 holes with
scores of 282. Wadkins shot a 70 while Littler had a 76 on
the final regulation 18-holes. Wadkins gained his playoff
berth with a short, wobbly putt that found the cup on the
18th hole of the final round.
Wadkins then won the playoff with his par-saving
heroics on the first extra hole, a lucky bounce on the
second and the winning putt on the third.
Debbie Austin classic champ
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — Debbie Austin sank a 35-foot
putt for a birdie three on the final hole for a 71, a four
round total of 279 and a two-stroke victory in the the
SIOO,OOO Long Island Charity Golf Classic.
Veteran Kathy Whitworth of Richardson, Tex., and
rookie Nancy Lopez of Rosewall, N.M., shared second
place at 281.
Beth Daniel wins amateur
CINCINNATI — Beth Daniel used clutch putting to win
her second National Women’s Amateur Golf cham
pionship in three years with a 3-and-l victory over
Canadian rookie Cathy Sherk.
Track
Women’s high jump record set
HELSINKI — Rosemary Ackermann of East Germany
broke the women’s world high jump record by clearing six
feet 5% inches in the last event at the European track and
field meet.
The 25-year old East German bettered her own previous
record by a half-inch.
It was the second women’s world record to fall during
the two-day meet. Karin Rossley, also of East Germany,
shattered the 400-meter hurdles mark Saturday with a time
of 55.63.
Fred Dixon boosts bid
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Fred Dixon, the 27-year-old
American decathlon champion, gave a big boost to his bid
for the world’s No. 1 decathlon ranking. His first-place
score of 8,392 points was the third-best electronically
timed score ever in non-Olympic competition and the
fifth-best overall in decathlon history at the two-day event
held at Indiana University.
Tennis
Orantes upsets Connors
INDIANAPOLIA — Second-seeded Manuel Orantes of
Spain upset defending champion Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-3
in the finals of the 67th U.S. Open Clay Court tennis
championships.
The 28-year old Orantes, who also won the event in 1975,
needed only 29 minutes to win the first set. Orantes won
$17,500 and Connors will receive $8,750.
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Picnic
Kenny Hunt (standing) pushes down on Bart Mills to help
him get the most out of an exercise during Griffin High
football training. The Bears were at a camp near Indian
Springs this week. Some of the players who have been
there before call it the team’s annual picnic.
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INDIANAPOLIS, — Spain’s Manuel Orantes balances a tennis ball soccer style on his foot
to return a serve by Jimmy Connors in the finals of the U. S. Open Clay Court tennis
championships in Indianapolis Sunday. Orantes kicked the ball back to Connors after a
questionable call on a serve. After the kick Connors was allowed to serve over. (AP)
Orantes says pressure
is always on Connors
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -
Spain’s Manuel Orantes enjoys
not having any pressure when
he plays Jimmy Connors.
“If I lose to Jimmy, everyone
expects it, so the pressure is on
him,” said Orantes, who needed
only 72 minutes to win his third
U.S. Open Clay Court cham
pionship at the Indianapolis
Racquet Club on Sunday.
Orantes said he was surprised
with the ease of his nationally
televised 6-1, 6-3 victory over
Connors, who is the top-ranked
player in the United States and
rates alongside Bjorn Borg of
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HAUPPAUGE, N. Y. - Debbie Austin, from West Palm
Beach, Fla., jumps for joy as she watches her 30 foot
birdie putt drop on the 18th green to win the SIOO,OOO Long
Island Charity Classic in Hauppauge, N. Y., Sunday
evening. Miss Austin finished 9-under-par with a 72-hole
score of 279 to capture the LPGA event. (AP)
Debbie Austin gets
monkey off her back
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (AP) -
The monkey is off Debbie Aus
tin’s back.
She has ended nine years of
frustration and no longer plans
to quit the Ladies Professional
Golf Association tour.
The native of Oneida, N.Y.,
winless from 1968 until this
year, captured her fourth title
Sunday with a one under-par 71
and a four-round 279 in the
SIOO,OOO Long Island Charity
Classic. She sank a 35-foot putt
for a birdie on the par-four final
Heart attack suspected
in death of Bobby Isaac
HICKORY, N.C. (AP) - Doc
tors say a heart attack killed
veteran stock car driver Bobby
Isaac, who fell ill during a
sportsman race here Saturday
night.
Isaac, the NASCAR Grand
National point champion in
1970, was pronounced dead ear
ly Sunday at Catawba Memorial
Hospital. Dr. George Tolhurst,
who treated Isaac at the
hospital, attributed the death to
a heart attack, apparently due
to heat exhaustion.
The 43-year-old racer from
Catawba had been running
fourth in the Winston 200, a late
sportsman race at Hickory
Speedway Saturday night, when
he pulled into the pits with 40
laps to go. As he got out of the
car, he collapsed, said Ned Jar
rett, a former race driver and
friend of Isaac.
At the hospital, Isaac was re
vived and talked to friends be
fore suffering a relapse. He died
Sweden as the world’s best.
“He made a lot of mistakes,
which is unusual for him,” said
Orantes, the world’s sixth-rated
player, whose last victory over
Connors came in the finals of
the U.S. Open in 1975.
The play of Orantes, who
earned $17,500 for the victory,
failed to impress Connors.
“He just kept the ball in play
and didn’t do anything ex
citing,” said Connors, who won
here in 1974 and 1976. “He
doesn’t have an overpowering
game, but had good move
ment.”
hole at the Colonie Hill Golf
Club to clinch the victory.
“Constant defeat was some
thing very tough to live with,”
said the 29-year-old Miss Austin
with a smile. “I knew I had the
ability to win and that’s what
really bugged me. It takes
breaks to become a winner and
I wasn’t getting them at the
right time.
“If I didn't get at least one
victory by the end of this year, I
would have quit.”
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Isaac
at 12:45 a m.
The Dodge driver won a total
of 37 Winston Cup Grand Na
tional races during his career,
which began in 1955 at the
Hickory track.
Isaac held the world closed
course speed record for stock
cars, set at Talledega, Ala., in
1970, with a speed of 201.104
miles an hour.
Connors, who went home with
$8,750, said the tournament was
important for his conditioning.
“I feel better today than I did
yesterday,” he said, “but I’m
going to take a week off and
then play in Boston before the
(U.S.) open at Forest Hills. By
then, I’ll be roaring.”
Orantes, who won here in 1973
and 1975, wasn’t ready to talk
about a rest.
“I’m leaving right away for
Toronto to play in the Canadian
Open,” said the 28-year-old
champion.
Tifton wins
in softball
TIFTON, Ga. (AP) - The de
fending champion Tifton Tom
boys grabbed their second
straight Amateur Softball Asso
ciation national championship
for girls ages 13 to 15, defeating
Bellevue, Wash., 8-0 Sunday in
the final of the double-elimina
tion tourney.
Tifton, which defeated Belle
vue Saturday night 4-3, was un
defeated in the four-day com
petition with a 6-0 mark.
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Wadkins-hero and villain
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.
(AP) — Lanny Wadkins feels
like both hero and villain.
Wadkins, a seven-year pro
who has never reached the level
of greatness predicted for him,
won the 59th PGA National
Championship Sunday with a
victory over Gene Littler on the
third hole of the sudden death
playoff.
“I feel like a villain in a lot of
ways,” said the 27-year-old
Wadkins in pulling off the big
gest comeback of the tour this
year when he made up six
strokes in the final round.
“They just don’t come any finer
than Gene. He’s everybody’s
Mr. Nice Guy.
“At this point in his career, it
would have meant a lot. I’ve
had a rough three years, but
Gene has been through worse
than me.”
The 47-year-old Littler, leader
from the beginning, had a five
stroke lead going into the final
nine holes but bogeyed five of
the first six and then had pars
on the last three to drop into a
tie with Wadkins, who birdied
No. 18 to finish his round at six
under 282.
“I made a lot of bad decisions
both starting out and coming
in,” said Littler, whose
nickname is “the Machine” for
his near-perfect swing. “I mis
clubbed at least a half dozen
times.”
While Wadkins waited on the
18th green, Littler and Jack
Nicklaus, playing one three
some apart, were locked in a
duel which many thought would
produce the winner on the sun
lit, 6,806-yard, par-72 Pebble
Beach Golf Links.
Littler, winner in Houston by
three strokes over Wadkins,
made the turn for home at 10
strokes under par, taking bo
geys at Nos. 3 and 5 but making
birdies on 4, 6 and 7. Nickulaus
and Wadkins made the turn at
six under.
Littler then bogeyed No. 10,
parred No. 11 and bogeyed Nos.
12 through 15.
While this was taking place,
Nicklaus parred No. 10 through
16 before catching a bad break
on No. 17 when his tee shot on
the 209-yard, par-three hole
caught the crown of the green
and kicked right. He bogeyed
the hole to go five under.
“Gene wanted to give it to
me,” said Nicklaus, “but I
couldn’t take it.”
Littler parred the final three
holes to set up the first sudden
death playoff ever in a major
Page 7
— Griffin Daily News Monday, August 15,1977
tournament.
On the first extra hole, a 382-
yard, par four, Wadkins said he
used the wrong club and missed
the green. He saved par with a
20-foot putt, while Littler had a
tap-in for his par.
Both birdied the 502-yard,
par-five second hole, each miss
ing an eagle putt with balls
rimming the cup.
On the 388-yard, par-four
third, Littler hit his second shot
short and to he left while Wad
kins went over the green. Littler
Lanny Wadkins jumps for joy as
he birdies the second hole at
Pebble Beach, Calif., in the
sudden death playoff of the 59th
PGA National Championship.
Wadkins beat veteran Gene
Littler for the title. (AP)
Inconsistency hits
Falcons in game
ATLANTA (AP) - Inconsist
ency, the malady which has
been fatal to the Atlanta Fal
cons in past seasons, struck the
National Football League club
again this weekend resulting in
a 17-2 preseason victory for the
New York Jets.
“I really don’t have any ex
cuses,” new Falcons Coach
Leeman Bennett said Sunday
after viewing films of the Sat
urday night loss in Atlanta Sta
dium.
“We didn’t play like we
should. We’ve talked about con
sistency all camp and we didn’t
have it Saturday night,” he
then chipped out of the grass
badly and missed the 20-foot
putt to the right.
Wadkins chipped to within
five feet, sank the putt and
leaped with joy.
To Wadkins, the victory
meant many things in addition
to the $45,000 first prize. He be
comes a member of the Ryder
Cup and World Cup teams and is
exempt from qualifying on the
tour for the next 10 years and
for the PGA Championship for a
lifetime.
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Gene Littler, who led the field
going into the final round, blasts
from a trap on the first hole at
Pebble Beach, Calif, during the
windup of the 59th BGA
Championship. He shot a par 4
on the hole. (AP)
said.
“At the same time I don’t feel
any panic. We’ll go back to
camp and strive to get better
and reach the point where our
performance on each play is the
same,” Bennett said after his
club evened its record at 1-1.
“Our topic this week is going
to be ‘poise under pressure,”’
he said.
The Jets got a three-yard
scoring run from Clark Gaines
in the second period, a 19-yard
field goal by Pat Leahy in the
third period and Bruce Harper’s
two-yard scoring run in the
closing seconds in winning their
first exhibition in three tries.
