European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 16, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary the go Den Bear glittering again just when the masters appeared about to be conquered by invaders from All Over the world Jack Nicklaus defended american Golf Augusta National and himself. At age 46, the golfer known As the Golden Bear emerged from nearly a six year hibernation in the major championships with a 65 sunday that made him and his gallery weep. Going up the Fairway i had tears in my eyes he would say later. And then 1 told myself hey you be got Golf to play " play Golf he did As Only he can. Four strokes off the Lead As he started the Back nine he birdied the 10th, 11th and 13th holes rolled in an Eagle putt at the 15th, then birdied the 16th after a near Hole in one and the 17th. Confronted with a 50-foot putt on the 18th, he rolled it to within inches of the cup for the tap in that would be the difference. I kept Reading in the papers he said later that you can t win the masters at 46, but i  celebrating the late Birdie putts that won his 20th major championship and his sixth masters Nick Laus reacted As he did at Baltusrol in 1980 when he won a record fourth . Open title. After each of the putts at the 15th, 16th and 17th, he raised both arms in Triumph his new Putter High in his left hand. And to have your son cad dying for you he said that s just  his 24-year-old son Jack jr., also a touring pro caddies for his father As he often has in recent years especially in the major tournaments. But last year the Golden Bear had missed the 36-Hole Cut at both the . Open and the British open. I thought this morning that 66 would tie and 65 would win Nicklaus said. And that s exactly what happened. I Haven t had this much fun in six  until sunday the Golden Bear appeared to have lost his claws. He had not won a tournament on the pea tour in nearly two years since the 1984 memorial the tournament he also supervises in Dublin Ohio. Many Golf people thought he might never win another major championship or even another lesser tournament. But now he has. And his Victory came just when the masters had been dominated by several foreign golfers seve Ballesteros Greg Norman Bernhard Langer Nick Price and Tommy Nakajima. Ballesteros is usually identified As the Christopher Columbus of this discovery of american Golf by so Many other foreigners. When seve won the masters in 1980," Norman says it proved to other foreign golfers that they could do it too so they began coming Over Here to play the american  until the spaniard s Victory in 1980, Gary player of South Africa had been the Only foreign golfer to Wear the masters Green jacket. Player won in 1961, 1974 and 1978. But in those years player was considered an exception rather than the Rule the one foreigner who could Challenge Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Seve got it started for us when he won the masters in 1980," South african Nick Price says. And when Daive Anderson a photo a triumphant Jack Nicklaus tries on his latest masters Green jacket As 85 Champ Bernhard Langer left watches. Their games. So Many Are playing the american tour now As their dominant tour Tom Kite who tied for second with Norman says. They d be the first to say the american tour has made them the players they arc today. I Don t know that there s a rivalry yet Between the americans and the foreign players Kite says but what happened in the Ryder cup last year is going to contribute to a  in last year s biennial Ryder cup matches the european team Defeated the americans for the first time since 1957. Why the foreigners Are playing better and better requires a Complex answer Ben Crenshaw says. First they re playing All Over the world so they learn to play under different conditions. And in Europe especially the weather is usually More inclement so maybe they learn to play against the elements More. Another Factor is that they must be pushing themselves that much harder to lift their games to a higher  but in the glow of Sunset at Augusta National Sun Day nobody was talking about foreign golfers anymore. All the talk was about Jack Nicklaus who reminded the world As to just who has been the Best golfer in history. The new York times he won the masters again in 1983, by then i had played with seve and Bernhard Langer and Denis Watson in Europe As so Many others on the european tour had. We knew How Good seve and Langer were but we knew we were Good enough to come to America and play Well on the tour  but according to Price two other factors exist in the Rise of the foreign golfers. The introduction of the bigger american Golf Ball throughout the world and the improvement of both the european and asian Tours Price says. Until a few years ago golfers in Europe and Asia used the smaller British Ball. When they had to play the bigger Ameri can Ball it took time to adjust to it. And now the european and asian Tours Are getting better and bet Ter. The cuts at those tournaments get lower and lower every year. But the biggest Factor was that players like seve and Bernhard  another reason Many foreign golfers have succeeded is that the pea tour s tougher Competition improved yanks off to Piniella predicted fast Start by John Nelson new York a slowly almost without notice new York Yankees manager Lou Piniella began to change his Story. Early in Spring training it was we have to get off to a fast  then As opening Day neared it became we re going to get off to a fast  "1 Felt the club was getting ready Piniella said. We were getting ready to play and to get off to a Good Start. You could see it.". Piniella in his first year As manager of the Yankees and with owner George Stein Brenner holding a Quick firing mechanism has proved the accuracy of his foresight. The Yankees finished their first Home stand of the 1986 season with a 5-1 record the Best Mark of any major league team. It equated their Best Start since 1976 when they went on to win the american league Pennant. The Yankees had a off Day Mon Day and began a nine game Road trip tues Day at Cleveland. Two More victories would equal their Best Start since 1958. We re doing just enough now to win Piniella said sunday. We re winning those close games and Good clubs win the close  the Yankees Are batting Only just above .200, but they Are winning because of pitch ing and defense two areas they were thought to be most suspect. We can play a different game every Day and beat you Piniella said. We can beat you with Power. We can beat you with Speed. We can beat you with pitching. But the thing that is there every Day is defense. What holds you together Day in and Day out is  left hander Ron Guidry the Ace of new. York s pitching staff is 2-0, winning his first two starts for the first time in his Ca reer. His Victory sunday Over the Milwaukee Brewers was an example of the Way the Yankees Are winning now. New York was outhit 11-3 by the Brewers but won 3-2, scoring All three runs in the third inning on a pair of walks and hits by Willie Randolph and Don Mattingly. Guidry worked seven innings giving up one run on eight hits and getting out of two mild jams on inning ending double plays. Dave Righetti pitched one inning earning his third save in Only four innings work this season. We know we have a Good defensive club said Guidry who has been a critic of the club s defense in the past. If you make Good pitches there will be a lot of Good plays made behind you. Most games Are won on pitching and defense. Most people suspected our defense but it s getting the Job done now.". A lot of the Yankees players feel that when the club begins to hit winning will come More easily. So far Dave Winfield has Only two hits in 21 at bats for an .095 average and Rickey Henderson is l-for-19 for .053. Last season manager Yogi Berra lasted Only 16 games before he was fired and re placed by Billy Martin. The Yankees were 6-10 at the time and it was thought that Piniella would have to get off to a fast Start this year to avoid Berra s Fate. We re not really doing a lot of hitting but it s been timely said Butch Wynegar who has Only four hits but two of them arc three run homers. At the beginning of last season we were not getting a lot of timely hits. It was basically the same team but we were new to each other and it took a while to figure out what each of us could  last season Henderson missed the first 10 games with a sprained left ankle win Field had a bad Elbow and Mattingly was coming off knee surgery. Only Henderson is bothered by injury this time the same ankle but he has not missed any action. Henderson will make a big difference when he gets it All together Guidry said. Mattingly is getting some big hits. 1 know we re going to Start hitting and then we re going to Start winning some games  part of the Yankees Quick Start May be attributed to Piniella. Enthusiasm also is at a Peak and Piniella has been Given some of the credit for that. We All want to do Well for Lou Wynegar said but we also want to do Well for our selves. We All love Lou and respect