European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Morgan shoots 66, grabs 1-shot Lead by Bob Green Pebble Beach Calif. A Gil Morgan knows about pain. So does Curtis strange. In thursdays first round of the . Open Golf championship though they put the Hurt on would be contenders. Morgan 45, whose career was threatened by rotator cuff surgery and who suffers from chronic pain in the left shoulder took the Lead with an 18th Hole Birdie putt. A i knew if i made Par id be tied for the Lead. I did no to expect to make it. I . Open just trying to get it close a Morgan said. But the 15-footer gently curled into the cup and left strange with the second Best Effort a a 67 a in a Day of scoring exploits distinctly at Odds with the All predictions. The pre tournament line was that Pebble Beach toughened by narrow fairways and generous rough would be All the world s greatest players could handle. Of particular concern were the unyielding Rock hard greens and the Prospect of the gales that frequently sweep in from the Pacific Ocean. Par went the consensus would be a very Good score possibly a winning score. But this Gray and gloomy Day produced Only the softest suggestion of a Breeze. A misty drizzle moistened and softened the greens and muzzled their bite. The result 30 subpar scores and 11 eagles. While Pebble beaches defences were Down they were not completely out however. Sandy Lyle of Scotland for example had a place among the leaders until he took a triple bogey on the 14th, where an errant tee shot chromed off a Pine and out of Bounds. He shot 73. Jack Nicklaus going for a fifth open title at age 52, was making a move until he got tangled up in rough and took a double bogey on the ninth. It Only got worse on the Back where he took a 41 and a 77 total. Tom Watson playing in the same group with Nicklaus also was moving up when he doubled the 10th. He shot 75. By Way of contrast to that starry threesome there was career struggle or Andy Dillard who was tied for third at of with Phil Mickelson and Steve Pate. Tom Lehman the 1991 player of the year on the Ben Hogan tour was next at 69. The huge group at 70 included Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie of England Jay Haas Mark Calcavecchia Paul Azinger Mark Brooks Willie Wood Tom Purtzer Mark Mccumber and Jay Don Blake. Masters title Holder Fred couples matched Par 72 and the defending open Champ Payne Stewart shot 73. Dillard who lost his playing rights on the pea tour dropped Back to the Logan tour and now is simply hanging around waiting for the state opens set one open record and matched another. Both Are in the fast Start category. Playing in his first open he birdied his first six holes Matching the record for consecutive birdies set by George Burns in 1982. And his 30 on the front was the Best first nine of any open championship. �?o1 never Felt any pressure Quot he said. After each Hole i just blocked out what happened and tried to make Par on the next  Gil Morgan reacts to Par saving putt on no. 17 at Pebble  sports new Orleans adds spice to trials a Page 22 major league baseball averages a Page 22 top pick Nevin signs contract a Page 25 Steinbrenner investigation expanded a Page 27 Mickelson the 22-year-old lefty with the Gaudy Amateur record made his first round As a pro one to remember. He said he was so nervous he had trouble eating breakfast before his Early tee time but settled himself Down with a 9-Iron approach that set up an 18-Inch Birdie putt on the first Hole. A Twenty years from now or 30, i can look Back on this Day and say t birdied my first Hole in my pro  and i did it in the . Open on Pebble Beach. The stars and stripes june 20,1992 Page 28 a i  be More pleased with the outcome today Quot he said. Strange too was Happy even after morgans late move left him in second place. A i can to Tell you How pleased 1 am with the Way i played today. I kind of struggled at the end but at Pebble you re going to struggle somewhere a said strange who bogeyed two of the last three holes. Strange went into a decline after winning a second consecutive . Open in 1989 and Hasni to been the same since. He has at times complained of a mysterious undiagnosed malady that he refuses to discuss. But much of his trouble he said was a Lack of motivation. A there was a letdown after the second open Victory he said. A i probably let it get to me More than i should have. But that flagging motivation got the Jolt it needed when the National championship rolled around this year. A the motivation comes and goes a Little bit Quot he said. A what does motivate me no 1, is the . Open. Nothing gets my blood going like the .  or lifts reds by braves Atlanta a Pinch hitter Glenn Braggs hit a two run Homer in the 10th inning lifting the surging Cincinnati reds to a 7-5 Victory Over the Atlanta braves on thursday night before the largest regular season crowd in nine years in Atlanta. Braggs hit the first pitch from reliever Mike Stanton 1-4 Over the left Field Fence after Hal Morris walked with one out. It was Braggs first Home run of the year. Scott Bankhead 8-1 picked up the Victory with 2 1/3 innings of Relief in the opener of the four game series Between two of baseball a hottest teams. Nor see other games on Page 26 Charlton picked up his 16th save of the season. It was Cincinnati a seventh Victory in a Row and 19th in 23 games. The loss snapped Atlanta a winning Streak at seven and was Only the braves third loss in 19 games. The matchup Between two of the hottest clubs in baseball Drew a sellout crowd of 47,896, the largest regular season crowd in Atlanta since 1983. Three of Cincinnati a five runs were unearned thanks to three Atlanta errors and another run came on a wild pitch by John Smoltz. Paul of Neill broke a l-for-32 slump with a two run seventh inning Homer to give the reds a 5-3 Lead. Barry Larkin reached on third baseman Terry Pendleton a two out throwing error. O Neill followed with a drive Over the right Field Fence for his eighth Homer of the season. It was of Neillis first Home run this season with a runner on base. Both runs were unearned. But the braves tied it 5-5 in the seventh on a bases loaded single by Pinch hitter Otis Nixon off reliever Scott rus Kin. The braves had tied it 33 in the sixth on Sid Breames bases loaded sacrifice Fly scoring Pendleton who had doubled and gone to third on consecutive walks to Ron Gant and David Justice. The reds took a 3-2 Lead in the top of the sixth. After two outs Chris Sabo tripled when right fielder Justice attempted a sliding catch and failed. Smoltz walked Joe Oliver intentionally and had an 0-2 count on reds starter Tim Belcher when a curve Ball got past Catcher Damon Berryhill for a wild pitch scoring Sabo. Deion Sanders who had three hits off Belcher and is 7 for 7 against the reds Pitcher this season drove in Atlanta a first run with a Solo Home run a his fifth of the  Shaquille s future Green a see Page 22