European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 11, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday August 11,1990 the stars and stripes Page 21 rough ride at Shoal Creek Bobby Wadkins leads despite double bogey by Bob Green a Golf writer Birmingham Ala. Give thurs Day s first round of the 72nd pea championship to Shoal Creek not for its racial record but for its rough. Straying into it meant bogey at Best. Staying out of it meant survival on a Day when some of golfs most famous names saw their Hopes buried in it. Bobby Wadkins a non Winner in 16 years on the pea tour did just enough of the former to teach him the importance of the latter and finished with a 4-under 68. That was Good for a 1-stroke Lead Over Fred couples and Mark o Meara in the last of the year s grand slam championships. Scott Verplank and Billy Mayfair were another shot Back at 70, with masters and British open Champion Nick Faldo and defending pea Champion Payne Stewart topped a Large group at 71. This pea was marked by weeks of turmoil after the Shoal Creek founder vowed not to be pressured into accepting Black members. Once the club relented and took an honorary Black member it was left to the course to generate the trouble specifically the rough. There at least Shoal Creek did t Dis appoint. When you get it in the rough Here you re just hoping you can find your Golf Ball never mind being Able to hit it Wadkins said. He knows. He missed the Fairway by a foot on the fourth Hole trumped into the tangled rough and took a mighty swing. The marshal moved about 10 feet away in even deeper rough pointed Down an said Here it is again Wadkins said. He made double bogey on the Hole but came Back from that unhappy adventure with a 31 on the Back nine that he said is As Good As i can i Learned not to get in the rough Wadkins said. In 84 and Here is the worst i be seen in 16 coincidentally 1984 was the last see Wadkins on Page 23 Thorpe cards 77 in fishbowl Nyji Litke Birmingham Ala. A the Only sting came from a Hornet the Only rebuke came from within. People May have expected a Man of steel but the Only Black in the pea championship is Only human after All. Damn Jim Thorpe howled thursday somewhere along the Middle of the 12th Fairway at the Shoal Creek club. He repaired to the Shade along the right rough and began rolling up his right pants leg after being stung. Damn he said again dropping the pants leg and fingering the Waistband on those smartly tailored expensive Gray Glen plaid Slacks. I just May have to take these babies better not Jim a Spectator called out. There s a camera around Here somewhere for though he was 2 9vcr Par at the time and the wheels were already Loose Jim Thorpe smiled. Sometimes that smile seemed to say life in a fishbowl is entertaining even to the fish. Seven weeks ago Thorpe was a fair to middling professional golfer making a Good living when Shoal Creek founder Hall Thompson said it was his club s right to keep Blacks off the membership Rolls if riot off the course entirely v advertisers ran golfs alphabet soup of governing Bod ies blanched and in the Glare of publicity his fellow pros were Loath to say much. But Dave Stockton May have spoken for All of them when he explained most of us Are of just average intelligence. We re golfers we re not from the United yet when somebody asked Thorpe one of the two Blacks on the pea tour and the Only one eligible for this tournament if he planned to show up he never hesitated. If i Boycott this one Thorpe said ill have to boy Cott 95 percent of them. I d have to get a and Jim Thorpe does not work at least not in the Ordinary sense of the word. He has a career a wife and four daughters to feed. So Good As his word when the Sun climbed toward Minsky thursday Thorpe picked three balls up off the practice Green and game face securely in place started toward the first tee. He had seven weeks to prepare for this moment. But nothing could have prepared him for fuzzy Zoeller who turned on his heels to find Thorpe behind him and asked in mock horror How d you get in the front Gate Thorpe smiled and cracked a drive into the right rough. The two set of Down the Fairway smoking and joking and having a generally Good time until Thorpe arrived to find his Ball in 5-Inch-High rough. Then he stopped smiling. In the Early 1970s, Thorpe s older brother Chuck was on the pea tour while he was a 6-foot, 200-plus-Pound running Back on scholarship at Morgan state who wanted to be a golfer. Then As now Thorpe could hit it a mile but not always the Way the Crow flies. So he and Chuck played and practice practice and see Thorpe on Page 23 an sports television football Kansas City is. Los Angeles Ranis in Berlin 7 . Saturday los Angeles raiders is. San Francisco 3 . Sunday. Radio baseball Texas at Chicago a White sox 9 . Sunday san fran Cisco at Cincinnati 1 . Sunday. Okoye Warner ready for Berlin by Walt Morrissette staff writer Berlin saturday s american bowl Here Fea Tures two of the biggest names at running backs in the nil in Kansas City s Christian Okoye and Curt Warner of the los Angeles rams. However they come into this game from oppo site ends of the spectrum. Okoye is at the top of his nil in Berlin game after gaining an nil Best 1,480 Yards in 1989. Warner has to prove he can still play. Okoye nicknamed the nigerian Nightmare used to throw the discus and the shot put at Azusa Pacific. He s now poised for an even bigger season in 1990. We had the same people the past two years Okoye said in explaining his big year. But we had i the coaching change Marty sch Ottenheimer came in. I was healthy for the first time and i was Given the Chance to run the Ball More than i had. The thing with run ining backs is As Long As you Are healthy and on the Field playing you can produce. How had the Star stat us changed him i would say the Only change in my life is that i talk much More to the Warner has moved to the rams from Seattle As Warner a plan b free agent. Nor Mally a 1,000-Yard rusher Warner s output declined to 631 Yards in 1989. The rams were fed up with running Back Greg Bell after he announced he would be holding out for his second straight Camp. So the rams signed Warner and traded Bell to the raiders and got Only a fourth round pick for a Man who had gained 2,300 Yards in 88 and 89. Warner is Happy for the Chance to resurrect his career. The rams have a winning organization warn or said. I had to take what was available and i m glad the rams were looking Gaston Green will probably Start for la. Sat urday night with Warner seeing a lot of playing time. Ctet Dand Gary has a Back injury that May keep him out of the game. Speaking of holdouts chiefs offensive tackle Irv Eatman visited european bases in May announced he was holding out and caught the Chicken pox chiefs Christian Okoye. At top of his game while he was Over Here. Eatman is Over the pox but he is not in Berlin. Enter Rob Woods a 6-foot-7, 275-Pound second year tackle out of . . Signed him As a plan b free agent from Cincinnati and he s slated to Start in Eatman s place. Army col. Alex Woods an Roth Region com Mander at the Presidio of san Francisco brought his family Berlin to watch his son play. Explaining How he made the bengals As a fourth Rounder Woods said whoever does the Job makes the team. We had three free agents make the team. I had knee surgery the second week of Camp and that slowed me Down a bit but they kept me on the team. But now 1 in Here with . You go with who bids the most Money and who has the Best opportunities that s Why i m Kansas City linebacker Derrick Thomas will participate in a special pre Garne ceremony at olympic stadium. He will receive a Mia Flag in Honor of his father air Force maj. Robert Thomas a b 52 Pilot who was shot Down Over Vietnam dec. 17, \ 12
