European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 15, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25 z a Ita it x Ltd it a a Amateur Phil Mickelson reacts alter sinking winning putt in Tucson tourney. I Amateur makes Golf history with pea tour win but Bob Green Tucson. Ariz. A Phil Mack cd son escaped the chill embrace Ota snowman in the desert and with birdies on two of the last three holes gained a piece of golfing history in winning the Northern telecoms open on sunday. In golfers parlance a a a snowman is a score of 8 on a Hole. And it was that ugly number Mickelson achieved after hitting two shots into the Arizona Sonora desert and one into a Bunker on the 14th Hole. From a one stroke Lead when he stepped on the tee the handsome Young Man went to three behind and a tie for fifth when he left the Green. T never thought id see anyone come Back from something like that a said Corey Pavin who played with Mickelson in the final group on the pc at Sta pass. But the 20-year-old left hander took advantage of a massive collapse by voter an pros and with this Victory became Only the second Amateur since 1954 to win a pea tour event. Gene litter won the san Diego open that year and Scott ver Plank took the 1985 Western open. Mickelson a Junior at Arizona state who already has matched one of Jack Nicklaus Amateur Marks scored this Triumph Over adversity with a closing 71 and a 16-under 272 total. The numbers hardly Tell the entire tale however. Mickelson a debacle from Sand and scrub on the Par-5 14th appeared to drop  of Contention and leave the struggle to Tom Purtzer a 39-Ycar-old Veteran in his 17th season on the tour and former pea Champion Bob Tway. But Purtzer playing Well in front of Mickelson blew the Lead when he chunked his approach into the front Bunker on the 18th Hole failed to get it out and took a double bogey. Moments later Tway playing the 17th, missed the Green and failed on a 1 or foot Par saving putt. That dropped each of them Back to 15 under Par. One stroke ahead of Mickelson. Mickelson responded by lofting his approach within a foot of the hag on the 16th and the Birdie put him Back into a share of the Lead. With a Fine sense of drama the youngster made a routine Par on the 17th and saved the clincher for the final Hole. There he hit his second shot about 8 feet to the left of the pin and Sank the winning putt hugged his coach Caddy Steve Loy. And strolled into the howling gallery. �?o1 went from having the biggest knot in my stomach to the greatest Joy in a half hour a Mickelson said. A a he a a special kid a said Purtzer. Who had closing 67 and tied Tway for second at 273. A a he a a kid you a like to have As a son or brother a Purtzer said Hen added with awry smile a i just want them to make sure he says in school for two More  and that a his plan. Mickelson said he intends to Complete his degree in psychology in the Spring of 1992 before joining the pro ranks. Mickelson won the National collegiate championship As a freshman in 1989, repeated last year and added the . Amateur title. Lie joined Nicklaus As the Only men to win both the Mcaa and the National Amateur in the same season. When he does turn pro he will have a l�?T/2-year exemption on the pea tour a pass through the l our qualifying school and a a can to miss Label awaiting him. Those Are the rewards of his Victory. But the Money went elsewhere. As an Amateur he could not accept the $ 180,000 first prize. It Tway who had a final round 68, and a a a Purtzer split the first and second place checks each pocketing $144,000 from the total purse of $1 million. Craig Stadler was fourth alone at 70-275. Tour s Iron Man by Mal Florence the los Angeles times Walt Zembriski has had some Success on the senior pea tour and he said he will be the subject of a Book. Asked the title Zembriski said with a straight face a the Iron  that would seem appropriate for the game he plays but it does not suggest any club he uses. Zembriski is an Iron Man having worked in construction much of his life. Unlike other players who Learned the game at country clubs or who were sponsored on the tour at an Early age zem Briski has come up the hard Way. Actually he has come Down. A former Steelworker who worked on skyscrapers he is now hitting Irons crisply instead of mane vering them High above the ground. Zembriski 55, is a study in perseverance a player who faltered on the regular pea tour in the late 1960s, a Veteran of mini Tours who finally found his Niche on the senior circuit when he turned 50. A an unassuming Man with a refreshing sense of humor Zembriski has achieved a degree of notoriety As a senior golfer. However there was a time when the other players regarded him As a stranger someone who had just walked in off the Street. Now that he has won three tournaments has the attitude of the other seniors changed a yes it was a different attitude when i first went out there a Zembriski said. A my first tournament was at Lake Tahoe and i was leading after two rounds. Billy Casper walked up to me and said a who Are you and where did you come from a and so did Gay Brewer. They did no to know me from the Caddie in the Caddie  Zembriski has had other slights in an career that kept him Anonymous until Middle age. After making the Cut in the 1978 . Open at Cherry Hills country club in Denver Zembriski was resting on a Bench in. The locker room. He was wearing red Slacks and a White shirt the attire worn by locker room Atten file Walt Zembriski. Once slighted by All wants. A a. Toni Weiskopf tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to open Weiskopff a locker and have in it shoes shined. A i have the locker next to yours Quot Zembriski said. Quot and in in a not mistaken in a a shot ahead of you  Weiskopf apologized to zem Briski after verifying that he Wasny to dealing with an impostor. It was in the same tournament that Zembriski playing by him self in the final round recorded the fastest round in open history a 2 hours 13 minutes. Zembriski has a weather beaten face As one might expect from someone who earned his living for years on High steel beams. He said that when he got out of the military service he did t have a Job and his wife s father was in the construction business. Considering the perils of the Job someone suggested that his father in Law did no to like him very much. ,. Quot i never thought about that a Zembriski said. As in any other sport there is pressure in Golf. Considering Zembriskie a background he May adjust to it better than others. He recalled that in 1971 he was sent to fix a Pulley on a Crane about 400 feet High. A they sent me up there because 1 was the smallest a the 5foot-8, a 160-Pound Zembriski said. A the wind caused the Crane to Sway Back and Forth. It was scary,.and i had to take a 30-minute break. A i had continued playing Golf at the time and that experience helped influence my decision to try the mini tour. I knew the pressure of a five foot putt would never bother  Zembriski grew up near the out of Bounds club in Mahwah n.j., where his father once caddies for babe Ruth and where the younger Zembriski taught himself to play As a Caddie. The a Man As his Peers Call him did t win a senior event last year but he had ii top-10 finishes and earned. S276.292. He has exceeded $1 million in career earnings. He vividly recall his first big payday a Check for $135,000 after winning the Vantage championship in 1988. Quot i had never seen so Man zeroes in Niy life Quot Zembriski said. Quot i hand carried the Check to the Bank because they never would have believed