European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday August 12.1993 .9 Mim a i spurs buy Nuu i a sports it could be a wild weekend by Steve Wilstein Toledo Ohio a Fluke win ners pop up at the pea championship More than at golfs other major tournaments some of the Best players in history Flop and strange stuff happens particularly at the Inverness club. Put them All together when play Start thursday toss in a couple of Days of rain that made the already Lush course even softer and there Are the makings of an other wild weekend. This is not the time to bet the Mort Gage Money on any of the favourites Nei ther the hot golfers of the moment Northe proven champions of the past. Of All the majors Jack Nicklaus says the pea is often the hardest to win not Only because of its Strong Fields but because of a Factor very few people be sides the players seem to take into consideration. The better the course conditioning and the weather the easier scoring be comes for golfers below the top Echelon so the harder it is for the Best players to separate  if the masters . Open and British open Are distinguished for producing worthy champions who stand the test of Tough courses the pea winners list is studded with one shot wonders and play ers who seemed to come out of nowhere. John Daly was such a player when became ripping out of the Field to take the pea two years ago. Before him there were Wayne Grady Jeff Sluman Bob Tway John Mahaffey and David Gra Ham. On the flip Side Arnold Palmer Tom Watson and save Ballwsteros never won a  will try again at age 63, but Ballwsteros is staying away this  would love to win this one at last he lost in 1978 at Oakmont in a play off with  Watson is Likely to be preoccupied with making his choices to Complete the12-Man . Ryder cup team that is to defend the cup against Europe in sep tember in England. The first 10 . Players qualify via the Points system an Watson will name the other two monday after surveying the Field Here. If recent form and personal incentive were the determining factors Greg nor Man would have to rank As the  won the British open last month with a record score and made seven Bir Dies on the Back nine sunday for a 65 to pea championship finish third in the Buick open two strokes Back of Winner Larry Mize. Norman also saw the Chance to grab Aga title stolen from him in 1986 at Inverness by the Bunker shot Tway Sank on the 72nd Hole the first time anyone Ever won a major that Way. That shot by Tway is Only one of Man uncanny occurrences at Inverness Over the  s a pretty course tall Trees casting shadows across the Long fairways but there s nothing especially exciting or be Guiling about the layout with its parallel holes. Yet maybe it is the simplicity of its setting that brings put the bizarre i major tournaments including four. . Opens and that 1986 pea. Inverness was Odd from the Start when it was designed in 1903 As a nine Hole course. Trouble was oops they Putin Only eight holes. That goof up was remedied soon enough and in 1919, the club hired famed designer Donald Ross to modify the existing holes and add anew nine to make a Complete course. A year later the Job barely done in verness played Host to its first . Open and began its storied history of weird but memorable moments. Harry Vardon the greatest player of the time with six British opens and two . Opens to his credit led by five strokes after 65 holes. He was 50 years old and getting a Little tired toward the end of that 36-Hole final Day but that did t fully account for what happened to him. ,.- the sky blackened suddenly and the wind whipped into Vardon s face As he drove the Par-5 12th, and he could t reach the Green in three shots. He bogeyed that Hole and the next missing a 2 foot putt. Growing weaker and More nervous he Puttcd the next three holes for bogeys and put his second shot on 17 in a Creek in route to a double bogey making him 7 Over Par for six holes. A Par finally on18 left him a stroke behind Winner and fellow englishman Ted Ray. Even As tired As i was i can t see How broke so badly Vardon said the next Day. Why i am sure i could go out no Wand do better by kicking the Ball around with my  1931 . Open at Inverness produced tedious drama if not Brilliant play. Jack Nicklaus watches flight of his Ball during tuesday s practice round for the pm championship at the Inverness club in Toledo Ohio. _. The Unsung pair of Billy Burke and George von Elm played 72 holes of regu lation and two 36-Hole playoffs before Burke won by a stroke. That affair led the Urga to decree that future playoff would be 18 holes not 36. The open did t return to Inverness until 1957, and once again there was drama and a playoff. Jimmy Demare went into the clubhouse leading at 283 and thinking he might become the oldest open Winner at 47. But Dick Mayer and Cary Middlecoff both birdied the 72nd Hole to beat him Bya stroke and set up a playoff that Mayer won. The 1979 open was almost 1920 allover again. Hale Irwin led by six strokes with nine holes to play but won by Only two after a 40 on the Back nine that included a double bogey at the 17th and bogey at the 18th. And then came Tway to Inverness seven years later showing once again anything goes when it comes to this course. Norman can t escape noise of Tway s Birdie by Bob Green Toledo Ohio a Greg nor Man has heard enough about Bob Tway enough about the unbelievable Bunker shot of seven years ago. I m tired of talking about it. It was seven years ago he said tuesday at in verness Golf club As 150 of the world s finest players began arriving for the pea National championship. The tournament begins thursday and until then Norman will be forced to relive time after time in interview after interview Bob Tway s 72nd Hole Birdie from a Bunker that snatched the 1986 pea title from Greg s grasp. Seven years is a Long time Norman said his face closing in annoyance and exasperation. I put it behind me a Long Lime ago. It s history. It s gone. But that s All you Guys want to talk about. It s time Tor move on time to find something else to talk  he s right. On the eve of the pea s Diamond anniversary tournament there s plenty to talk about. Tway Norman there s Norman s magnificent record setting Triumph in the British open last month. There s the Brilliant Best in the world run of Nick Price leading into the defense of his title in the last of the year s big four events. There s the Ever present threat of Nick Faldo the tall englishman whose world no 1 ranking is under Chal Lenge by Norman and Price. There s also the course softened and cased by steady Rains tuesday. It could be target Golf Norman said. If it is even if the putting surfaces remain soft and holding Inverness still holds one distinction that offers a Chal Lenge the targets will be the smallest in Golf. The course playing 7,024 Yards with Nar Row tree Linea fairways has a Par of 71, with Only two Par-5 s and three Par-3 s. And its greens with a mixture of Poa Annua and Ben grass Are among the Small est in Golf averaging Only 3,400 Square feet. Since most of them Are convex with the edges sloping away they play even smaller. But that s not All bad Payne Stewart said. Small greens tend to narrow your focus he said. With greens this size if you hit every shot into the Middle of the Green you re not Ever going to be too far from the  but that s in the future. Most of the pre tournament talk has been about the past particularly about that moment seven sea sons ago when a shot from a deep Bunker on the 18th Hole found the cup and sent Tway leaping toward the sky in exultation. I get asked about it quite a bit Twa said. It s the most exciting thing that s Ever happened to me Golf Wise. Obviously i havea Little bit better time talking about it than Greg  that shot not Only turned an apparent Norman Victory into defeat it also set the tone of near misses frustrations and what might have beens that dogged his career for six Long seasons Norman put All that behind him Las month however when he compiled a near flawless 64 one of the greatest finishing rounds in the history of major tournament Golf in his British open Victory at royals. George s. With that Corner turned the enormously talented australian now 38, appears to be ready to reach at last the level he was approaching when Tway s shot sent him reeling. Win two majors in a year of course Itcan be done. No question about it. Why not if you re playing Well putting Well have the Confidence Why not he asked. And Norman is doing just that