European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 31, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 31. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary Mulligan for others is life for Owens he is today s most singular Story in Golf i not in All of sport. For most of the other pros Over 50, the senior pea tour has represented Mulligan in life a second Chance to earn big Money. But for Charl Sowens h i hit first dunce. Now 56, be walk stiffly because of a fused led knee from a paratrooper Accident and a right knee teamed from several cartilage operations. Hie Leuffen occasional blindness in his right Eye. With five Crown children from his previous marriage he and i wife Judy Ait the Parent of car Lene a 6-month-om daughter. And when the commemorative tournament Harts Friday at the sleepy hollow country club in Sparta Orough on Hudson n.y., he will be teeing off As this year s sixth leading senior Money Winner with $158,109 and tour victories in fort Pierce,fla., and Sun City West Ariz. I was a stranger when i first joined the senior tour the other pros treated me with a Long handled spoon he jays "1 Don t think some have accepted me As a golfer Cyl with my leg my Putter and my grip some Don t want to accept me. With his leg his Putter and his grip Owen a earned More Money on the senior Lour this Yea than any of the top six in career senior Money Don january Miller Barber. Peter Thomson Arnold Palmer Gene Littler and bitty Casper. Bui until last year when be ranked i8lh with$78,158, diaries Owen was just another obscure name on the senior tour. It also had been an obscure name on the pea tour for a few Yean As he earned Only f 15,462 after having joined it at ago 39. I be got a new life now he says. But for a while i thought it might never happen. Two years ago my wife and i had seven credit cards each with 12,000limit. We lived on those cards. When you dont Nave much you be got to make do with what you  Clave Anc Lorson what Owens had most was determination an dedication. Drafted into the Anny out of Florida am where he had been a 6-foot-3-Inch wide receiver on teams with Willie Gaui Root the renowned tunning Back Owens chose paratrooper duty. Dur ing Maneu vers in Louisiana with the Send airborne divin 1953, he made a night jump. The Pilot Al us out in the wrong jump area he recall. I came Down through a tree and when 1 landed my left knee hit a tree  Owens was in and out of veterans hospitals for several years. He finally agreed to fusion surgery. Hit unnatural gait eventually damaged his Good knee. Although gotten on the senior tour can ride carts the pain in that right knee appeared to doom his career. But Early in 1984, be was on the first tee i Hilton head s.c., for a practice round Wilh a Friend George Butler. I was getting afraid of the pain at Impact that show bad it was he says. But that Day 1 did my Little shuffle when i addressed the Ball no pain. At Impact no pain. I told George to drive the cart that wanted to Check something out. 1 walked Down the Fairway no pain. I hit a 7-Uoa to the Green no pain. I bad be come a reborn Christian in 1980 and to me it was matter of god answering my prayers. With no pain i now had a Chance to practice. I twin get a Littky pain now and again but not like before he added. Following his paratrooper Accident he did t play much Golf fat 13 years. But in 1967 he decided to Lorn pro. Three Yean later he joined the pea tour but his Only victories in those years occurred in United Golf association events the Black tour. I won what they Call the Black masters in 1975 in Baltimore and again in 1976 outside Boston Belays Jim Thorpe was in those tournaments so was Chuck Thorpe George Johnson Howard Brown. But the next year i took a club Job at Tampa Munici  Golf  growing up in Winter Haven not far away Owens bad begun swinging that Pine limb at soda bottle Caps when he a 6 Yean old. His Cross handed grip. With the left hand below the right fett natural and like the 52-Inch Putter it worked. Even before Owens had his left Teg fused Palling was always the most difficult part of the game for him. I tried just about every Puller Ever made i own about 150 pullers he says. My yips got so bad that when i had a footer i d Lay no. Then in 1983, i was Day dreaming about putting when i had this vision of an extra Long Putter. I look the idea 10 a machinist who made in up for me. Christmas Day it was 28 degrees in Tampa but 1 took that Putter out on a practice Green. After about is minutes i said this is it.1" in he first three Yean on the senior tour he won Only $6,088,13,250 and 17,742. But Over the last 19 month Wilh his new Putter he has earned More than 1232,000. With my slim Jim Potter he says you put your left band an top and  the Shaft into your sternum then you put your right hand about 8 inches below with the Index Finger running Down the aide. When i putt i visualize myself throwing a Bowling  throwing it at everything that Charles Owens has go boxers doing it up at sports fest by Ira Kaufman Houston up the . Army s crack five Man unit at the .Sporu festival completed a very Success Ful combat minion tuesday night. Brian Lonon Kennedy Mcfinney and Vincent Phillips All representing army Camps won the first three Gold medals As a dozen boxing floats were held before crowd of 8,200 at the Aitro Arena. Two Otter army Boxen Andrew Maynard and Bruce Baldwin also won decisions to give the of Litany a five for five evening. Kiekie Banks of Chicago earned a 54 decision against crowd favorite David Moreno of Houston in the 125-Pound class. Nick Kakouris 139, of St. Louis beat Nigger Gerry Payne of Washington 4-1 to earn his second straight festival Gold medal we re doing it up for the army said Phillips a 132-Pound ring tactician from fort Rucy kan., who was part of the Anny map banned from participating in the Goodwill game. The Goodwill games were More important to me butt proud to be the Winner of the first us. Olympic  Loob. 106. Mckinney 112, an Baldwin 201. All represent fort Hood Texas while Maynard 178, boxes out of fort Canon Colo. In swimming linear old Julie Kote of Forrest hut i woo the women s 800 meter freestyle to become the youngest double fold festival swimmer in the icon year history of the Competition Krie had previously won the 400-meter free style. The diving Competition began wednesday with the preliminary phase of the springboard event Greg Louganis a double Gold medallist in the 1984 olympics and unbeaten in four previous festival appearances was the Over whelming favorite in the men s Competition. Kedy Mccormick Michele Mitch Ell and Wendy Wyland headed the � Field. The East and Wen advanced to thursday night s fold medal game in men s basketball. Steve Thompson a 6 foot-4 guard headed for Syracuse scored24 Points As the West improved to 2-1 with a 98-82 rout of the Wio Jem North. Jerome Lane a w Forward entering hit second year Al Pittsburgh racked do 22points m 21 minutes a the unbeaten East topped the South 100-97. Track and Field which Doceu l begin until Friday night made news when world record Holder Renaldo Nehemiah reconsidered his bid to enter the festival Competition. Nehemiah of scotch Plains nj., stil Holdi the world record 12.93 in the i Rometer hurdles set five Yean ago in Zurich Switzerland. He Baa been under contract since 1981 to the National foot Ball league s san in Niico 49cn, who waived the wide receiver this Spring. He asked the . Olympic committee for permission to compete in Houston and then turned them Down when an invitation was granted. Nehemiah wanted to run in the hurdles but All berth were taken. He declined a spot on the 4x100 relay  produced two Surprise win ners As  Rosas of Buena Park calif.,won the Gold with 324 Points beating out two time olympic Gold medallist Darryl Pace and three time world Cham Pion Rich Mckinney. Sharon Ricky Oyork pa., surprised everyone including Ber Adf by winning the women s Competition with 319 Points. I knew i was the dark hone in the Competition because people kept saying Sharon who she  o Neill of Mclean va., who struggled in his first Days of Competition repeated As the men s table Tennis Cham Pion in singles and Diana gee of san Carlos calif., won the Gold in women singles. Million to one against returning Theismann says Carlisle. A. A former Washington redskins quarterback Joe Newmann said tuesday that the Odds of Bis resuming his National football league career Are greater than a million to  Theismann s 12-year tenure in the nil effectively ended nov. 18 when be fractured his right leg As he was sacked by two new York giants. The redskins put him on waivers but Friday. Theismann who will be an analyst for lbs to this fait has apparently resigned himself to a future off the Field. Whal makes it easy u that physically i can t play. It s got nothing to do with Tal  the meantime the former notre Dame Star has been gingerly exercising Bis injured leg which will forever be Shorter than his left leg. He said he Longs to do the things nor Mal people do Tuch As walk without a Limp and play a vigorous game of Tennis. I be been playing Tennis but not like i m playing in the Volvo open Theis Mann said in a Telephone interview. My doctors Tell me to play with a degree of caution and not go All out my goal at this Point is to Lead what most people would Call a Normal  Theismann it very excited about Bis new Job Wilh lbs. He will receive a re ported $185,000, and in return be Hopes to lend what he called his experience and enthusiasm to the broadcasts. I feel very fortunate to be Able to stay close to the game be said. I Don 1 be eve in being critical just  he said be would have mixed emotions about doing redskins games but would be at an advantage because he knows them Well. Theismann said he will participate in one Oft Cueni rehearsal before joining Jack Buck in the Booth when the regular season begins sept 7. Asked whether he regretted being Luton waivers As opposed to being Able to announce Bis retirement Theismann said a was my decision. The doctors told me it would Lake a year to 18 months for my leg to fully heal and to announce my retirement now would be  by being on the waived injured list Theismann will receive $65,000 from the nil and will Nave his medical Bills paid for one year. In addition two Yean ago Theismann took out a $ 1.4 million insurance policy with Lloyd s of London to cover a career ending injury. I never Ever thought something like this would happen he said Bui if you re Juliet Prowse you insure your leg Sand if you re Jimmy Durante you insure your  although he would not verify it under the terms of the policy Theismann report edly must make every Effort to return to football. He cannot begin collecting on the policy until he fails a physical in november 1987 or passes that examination and is not signed by any nil team. Thus announcing his retirement at this time would nullify that policy