European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday july 19, 1990the stars and stripes a a a Page 191990 British open it a it it Sam Snead by Ben Abrams staff writer St. Andrews Scotland a a a that a St. Andrews a we have belter cow pastures Back Home in West Virginia than that a Sam Snead the Story goes uttered those words As the train he was Riding passed the famous old course in route to St. Andrews for the 1946 British open renewal following world War ii. His words did no to fall upon deaf ears. An contingent of British press was Riding the train with Snead that Day and the Golf writers really let the Slammer have it in their daily re ports As he prepared for the open championship. The British press Isnit renowned for its kind words. Fortunately for him Sam Snead went out and won that 1946 tournament with a 2-Over-Par 290 and earned Kinder words and respect for his performance. When most americans play St Andrews for the first time they $ tend to believe the cow pasture appraisal. I had a similar feeling Back in 1971 when i first ventured Over the swi can bum which crosses right in front of the first Green and then is encountered again in front of the 18th tee and finally made it up through the Valley of sin a tremendous Gully that dominates the finishing Green. I a by stateside standards St. Andrews is ugly. There May be More Beautiful courses than St.-an-, Drews but it is the Mecca of Golf the shrine every golfer wants to play the place tradition has it where this silly game of chasing a Little White Ball around for several hours All began. But As Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson and the millions of other golfers who have trekked around the dowager Queen and weren to at first impressed have come to discover St. Andrews grows on you. And i have come to love the old lady Over the years. It is for me always a great thrill to walk Down that 18th Fairway even though my score does no to approach open winning possibility. I generally find triple digits threatening. The exhilaration one gets just striding Down the Fairway named for old Tom Morris seeing the Majestic clubhouse off on the left behind the first tee and approaching the Gigantic 18th Green is beyond comparison. Hole by Hole description of the old course on Page 24. Alas although i am in Scotland 1 wont get the. Sas Gua a victim retrieves his titlist from St. Andrews1 swi can bum which crosses the first and last fairways of the old course. Opportunity to test the venerable links this summer. The course has been closed a couple of weeks now in preparation for the 119th open which begins today and i am scheduled to return to Germany on monday. St. Andrews is a tale of witnessing an errant drive almost behead a Beautiful sheepdog walking with its master out of Bounds alongside the first . Of seeing another shot in 18 slicing out of Bounds coming Down Between two moving cars bouncing High off the Macadam Side Street just missing a Gigantic plate Glass window Chroming off a hotel facade missing two More moving cars As it bounces once again on the Macadam and finally coming to rest Back on the Fairway. A amps photographer Gus Schuttler was so embarrassed he retrieve his Golf Ball after his first tee shot when he sports editor Bob Wicker cd Striper George Eberl and i made the first of our three trips to Scotland Way Back in 1977. A my god a he uttered a i could have killed that Beautiful Schuettler was All smiles following his second shot on 18 that same Day As he calmly put his next shot on the Green and two putted for a bogey on what could have been a costly Hole a really expensive Hole. A that was some bogey Wasny to it a he beamed. �?o1 had visions of cars crashing that window smashing and god knows what else Ana the Ball winds up on the Fairway. Its a helluva just one of the memories that comprise the tale of St. Andrews. The old course is a tale of taking enough club on that first Hole to guarantee getting Over the swi can bum on my second shot hitting the Ball through the Green and then putting barely tapping the Ball from the fringe downhill toward the pm and gasping with disbelief As the Ball accelerates speeds past the lag and finally comes to rest with a a splash Quot As it Falls Over the Edge into the Ball hungry swi can. Its a tale of hitting your shot toward the Flag on the Green in front of you a and discovering you be played to the wrong Flag. Yours is on the same Green but you could very Well Nave a putt longer than 50 Yards because the humongous Green serves two holes one going out and one coming in. For on the old course Only the first ninth 17th and 18th holes have their own greens. St. Andrews is a tale of rangers Riding bicycles to Speed up the slower players a 3 i hours is considered a slow round in Scotland a and remembering your group told 05 it which finally got through a slower group being by a Ranger a to Speed up or get off the course a Atul being thankful for one of us having a Caddy who straightened out the Ranger so we could finish our game. It is a tale of hitting what you think is a great shot right straight Down the Middle and finding your Ball smiling up at you from the Bottom of an almost Ines a Pable pot Bunker a and learning the hard Way the Caddye a advice that a Eye must always stay left on the old St. Andrews is a tale of a if i Only Quot As you and your mates hash out a what could have been while quiling a Post round pint or two with a group of friends at the popular Niblick eating and drinking Emporium Only a 6-Iron Down the Street from the first Lee. And finally its a talc of filling out a ballot so you can get a tee time for the next Day. So Many people play the old course that a daily lottery is necessary to determine who gets to tee it up. If you re not on the ballot How can you gel a Tec time Tor the next Day a so that Majestic old lady can grow on you Calcavecchia battling history this time around by Ben Abrams staff writer St. Andrews Scotland a Mark Calcavecchia wants to Start out the 1990s like he finished the 1980s a by winning the British open. He launches defense of the championship he won last year at Royal Troon Here today As the open returns to the old course for the first time since 1984. Calcavecchia a Triumph a four Calcavecchia Hole three stroke medal play playoff Victory Over australians Greg Norman and Wayne Grady alter the Trio had deadlocked at 13 under Par 275, ended a five year famine for american golfers who had dominated the tournament since 1970. Severiano Ballesteros of Spain ruined Tom Watson a bid for a record tying third straight championship and a record tying sixth title Here six years ago. He bested Watson and West German Star Bernhard Langer by two shots to launch the skein of . Failures. Australian Peter Thomson won the title from 1954 through 1956 and scotsman Harry Varden won championships in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914. Britons Sandy Lyle and Nick Faldo triumphed at Royal St. George s and Mirfield in 1985 and 1987, respectively. Norman prevailed at Tum Berry in 1986 and Ballesteros got his third championship in 1988 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. Ballesteros first title also came at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in 1979. That win one posted by Gary player of South Africa in 1974 and one by Tony Jacklin in 1969, both oddly enough also at that St. Annes venue were the Only other titles unclaimed by americans Over a 15-year Span. Watson won his five crowns at Carnoustie in a playoff against Australia s Jack Newton in 1975, at Turnberry in the famous Duel with Jack Nicklaus in 1977, at Mirfield in 1980, at Royal Troon two years later and at Royal Birk Dale in 1983, finally destroying a a the can twin in England Quot reputation he had acquired. Nicklaus prevailed at St. Andrews in 1970 in a playoff against Doug Sanders and again in 1978 Lee Trevino triumphed at Royal Birkdale in 1971 and at Mirfield the next year Tom Weis Kopf won at Troon in 1973, and Bill Rogers found Royal St. Georges to his liking in 1981. A grand slam a victories in the masters . Open British open and . Pea a is impossible Thi year Faldo having taken the masters Crown and Hale Irwin having won the . Open earlier this year both in Faldo beat Raymond Floyd on the second Hole of a sudden death showdown Irwin Defeated Mike Donald also in sudden death but Only after the duo had deadlocked in regulation play and m an 18-Hole playoff Battle. What Are Calcavecchia a chances of repeating. Tradition would say practically and. Only 10 men have achieved that feat in the 98 years since the format was changed from 36 holes to 72 holes. Only seven have done it in the last 64 years see open on Page 21
