European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday april 28, 1389 the stars and stripes Page 23 Eagle gives Irvin share of top spot by Rob Green Las vegas a Hale Irwin is in that awkward in by tween stage on the pea tour. Vat 44, he s a Lillic Long in the tooth o be competing on a daily basis with the eager Young men moving 10 the top of the game. I m not at ease out Here on the regu Lar Lour and i m six years away from the seniors said Irwin who now splits his time Between Lour comp Lilion and Busi Ness interests that involve Golf course construction and management. Due o those other interests 1 Haven t demoted the intense time that is needed to play the Lour at the top of his ability. Outside of Lew Angeles. I Haven t played All thai spectacular this year Rwm said wednesday. But the Man who won two . Open titles and More than j3 million in his 21 year career dropped a 40-foot Eagle putt on the final Hole at Spanish Trail for a 7 under Par 65 and found himself in a four Way lie for the Lead after the first round of the si.25 million five Day 90 holc Las vegas invitational. He shared the top spot with Gene Sau ers and Mike Miles who like Irwin played at Spanish Trail and Billy class on who got his 7-under-Par Effort at the Las vegas country club at 66 were Steve Pate Rocco my dial. Tom pure or David people Chris Perry David canine. Marko Meara and South african Fulton Allum. Mediate t ii a tzar Pale Peoples and Perry played at Spanish Trail. Allan o Mcara and Canipe were at Las vegas country club. John Mahaffey and Tony Sills at 67, had inc Best scores at the Light Tittle de Sert inn course. We caught a pretty Good Day said Irwin who played in the mow Calm conditions of the morning la was nor As Windy As it has in or will bo.", " but the weather changed dramatically in the afternoon with incr sing winds decreasing temperatures and some rare desert showers. The scores reflected the change. Of the 12 men at the top of the standings Only Sauers and Glasson played in the More difficult afternoon conditions Crompton wins seniors Warmup Austin. Tern a Bruce Grampian has a winning Outlook As he and Orville Moody set their sights on a third straight legends of Golf title the event that helped Start the senior pea tour Crampton began Hii week wednesday with a j3.000 Victory in the preliminary nine Hole shootout his  film in the 10-Man event this definitely gets me in the win nine Frame of mind Crampton said. When you Ilar Loul winning it certainly helps. I pc won two shootouts and two tournaments at the same time so i guess that a Good  Moody the 1969 . Open Champi on and his australian partner won the 1987-better-Ball tournament by four  after shooting a course record 59 in the third round. Last year they needed six playoff holes to Edge Tommy Aaron and Lou Graham. Players will split a total of s650, in the 12lh legends tournament with 5500,000 for the regular tournament and  in the legendary champions division for players Over 60. " the tournament was scheduled to Start thursday. Urga official Dettan Knuth Center foreground pus Insl Ruelius to students before rating assignments at the Rhei Thlick Golf course in Wiesbaden. A Fary Golf courses finding out How they Rafe thanks to Urga by Klint Johnson assistant sports editor Wiesbaden West v Germany. Dean Knuth turned a Nai tool assignment into a Golf project and i project Lias turned into a unique career  lilt United slates Golf association. The 42-year-old Knuth the Urga director of handicapping conducted a two Day clinic in Golf course rating this week at Wiesbaden s Rhein Blick course for 42 representatives of 11 Usa eur Golf courses in Germany. Although it was Knuth s first v Isil to  his first course rating for the military he brought impress in a experience to the ask. In his Highl years with the Urga he hav trained  volunteers who1 in turn have rated 10.000 courses in the state the immediate Benefit for army Golf clubs in Germany will be the rating for the first Lime of their courses by Knuth trained volunteers. Basically course rat ing  Par for Handicap Pur poses. For example Par May be 72 for two courses but their rating May differ by several strokes for 18 holes. Thus the rating makes Competition Between play ers from different clubs equitable. We have lots of big tournaments Over Here and soon Well be Able to Handicap the players on an equal basis said Rhein Blick club manager John Chomko. Whose Host course was rated b the clinic students apart of their Iraq neg another Benefit for armed forces Golf in Germany and perhaps in Europe will be an association of military Golf clubs the incubation of which look place at Knuth s clinic. Out of that could come a Universal computerized handicapping system for military courses in Kun Ripe this All Earle about through a series of developments storting with Knuth s unusual transition from naval officer to the Urga s Handicap Pion car a chid. After graduating from Hie Neal Academy Knuth was eventually sent to the Navy s Post graduate school in Mon Terey Calif. Where he was assigned to collect and Analyse data m part of his anti submarine warfare course. Being an avid golfer a Jiula s mind immediately strayed from underwater to under  the Navy said the data could be on any subject said Knuth. So decided id make it a Golf project. 1 contacted the Northern California Golf association fw3i3 pts Joti Nicini us a Dean Knuth has trained 8,000 volunteers for a whole semester in 1975knuth collected scores from around 5,000 Golf ers on 10 Northern California courses evaluated them for every Factor and ran them through o computer. From that Bujsc of numbers Knuth built a system Tor rating of courses which he submitted 16 the Northern California group in 1976 the naga submitted the Knuth project to the Urga in 77. So impressed was the National Golf Hierarchy that inc Urga contacted Kmush while he was stationed on an air Era Al Carrier in the Mediterranean and asked  sent on its Handicap re search team which he did until he left the Navy in 81 when i Sot of of the Navy i had a Job offer with the Rockwell firm in Cali fornia but before 1 look that offer the Urga called from their new Jersey Headquarters though his wife is from California and it. Rockwell Job paid More then was no hesitation for Knuth Golf won out naturally. As the Sufia s first and Only Handi Cap director his first assistant has just been hire Knuth has conducted clinics on course rating in air 50 slates and in countries such As Britain Ireland Canada Mexico and Argentina the Usa eur clinic evolved from a pleading series of letters from Heidelberg golfer tourney director Mike Causey and asked them if they had a course ral he referred to the military players in ing system for handicapping. The Europe a stepchildren said Knuth naga said they had the Urga s s s Tom of handicapping but it did t  cure us a  4x4iw�� / and a plea made by the Berlin course manager Nina Symko at the Urga Woolli in an Orlando Golf show. When the Urga clinic finally came hen1, ii came Wilh a Bonus. The  Euk Chrusc people received a to Cudny dose of Knuth s expertise instead of the usual one Day seminar. It really helped to have two Days Here he said. We were ask to have i morning classroom session and thin a three Hole critique yesterday. Trouy four Man learns each rated nine Rhein Hack holes and then we came Back w and talked about it. Thai really solidified the instruction. I have Confidence they la go Back to their respective course and do i Good Job. Knuth was impressed with his my  stud cols. They were some of the a sics learners i be seen he said la must be the army  Rhei Bliek is in fasl company on Knuth s two Slop trip. He flew from Ger Many to Scotland where hell meet Wilh the Royal and ancient of is. Andrews at its quadrennial session. His Mission in the Cradle of Golf will be to try to per Suade the renowned a a to develop a unified Handicap system. Just the kind of Challenge Knuth in j tee trivia Knuth is understandably full of Golf facts and figure. Some of his favourites there Are 19,000 Golf courses in the world 13,500 of them in inc United slates. Japan has Only 1,150 courses. Golf for Many japanese players is can fined to huge driving ranges. Nine million golfers in the . Play at least six rounds a year. It takes an experienced course rat ing team of four 3 a hours to rate an is Hole course about the length of Timica speedy foursome could play the course. Knuth s favorite course in the world Bally Union on the West coital of Ireland. His favorite . Course cd press Point on California Monterey Peninsula. Knuth s Handicap or rather his Handicap Index in what the Urga Calls its slope system is 8.7, yes Golt is going 10 Decimals Loo Rhein Blick was rated a 72.0 from the Blue Lees for scratch players. 70,4 from the while by Knuth s raters. I a is 72. And the Hilly Rheinb Hyk course made one of Knuth s top 3 lists. He called its Topography one of 11 rating obstacles about the third highest i be Ever  he Rales Cincinnati country club no. 1, and a Wisl Virginia Public course no. 2 in lop Ogrady difficulty