European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 34 the stars Ano stripes sports wednesday july 13,199 s. A _ a. A. A. A. Testy Ailsa awaits Golf s elite Erry repeat by Ron s1rak Turnberry Scotland a the Ailsa course at turn cry has had perhaps the greatest Duel in Golf history and perhaps the worst weather Ever in a tournament. More than Likely there will be a bit of both in the 123rd British open which begins thursday. And More than Likely when the Winner holds the Silver Claret Jug Over his head sunday it will not be an american setting up the possibility that a foreign player could win a four grand slam events in the same year for the first time since the masters became one of the major championships in 1934. Defending Champion Greg Norman of Australia looks to win on the Ailsa course for the second time. Hell be challenged by Nick Faldo of England masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain and Nick Price of Zimbabwe. And done to Rule out . Open Champion Ernie Els of South Africa Bernhard Langer of Germany seve Ballesteros of Spain and local Hope Colin Montgomerie. Among the americans Fred couples is still coming off Back problems Phil Mickelson is getting Back into the swing of things after breaking a leg and Lee Janzen missed the Cut at the . Open. The last american to win a major tournament Paul Azinger who won the pea last year is still recovering from cancer treatments. A. A i done to think the foreign players have any kind of stranglehold on the big events and i think we proved that last fall a said american Ryder cup member Jim Gallagher referring to the 1993 . Ryder cup win. A a lot of it just comes Down to who shot on a Given week. I think people sometimes tend to make too much out of who plays better on what types of courses. The Good players should be Able to play under any  the conditions at tur Beny could be anything from wonderful to hellish. In Scotland there is no such thing As a Long Range weather forecast. And the More hellish it is the More it favors the non american golfers. It simply  be a British open if the weather was not a Factor. As the scots say a if its Nae wind and Nae rain its Nae  the Ailsa course curls along the West coast of Scotland flirting with the foaming Waters of the Firth of Clyde and is watched Over by the Majestic and eerie Ailsa Craig a 1,100-foot High Rock looming 10 Miles offshore. Quot if be Canna see the Ailsa its raining Quot the locals say. Quot if be can see it its about to  by scottish standards this course is a baby a Mere 43 years old in a land that gave birth to the game and Hole Par Yards Hole Par Yards 1 4 350 10 4 452 4 426 11 3 177 b 4 462 12 4 448 b 3 167 13 4 411 b 4 441 14 4 440 b 3 222 15 3 209 in 5 528 16 4 409 8 4 427. 17 5 500 9 4 455 18 4 431 out 35 3,480 in 35 3,477 total 70 6,957 measures its links in hundreds of years. But though it has held Only two British opens both were memorable. And then there was that other tournament the one in 1973 when winds reached Hurricane Force or in player terminology was about an 18-club wind. The last time the open was held Here was the first time Norman won. That was 1986 when Norman shot a second round 63 and went on to win by five strokes. He comes in this year As the favorite to defend the championship he won last year at Royal St. Georges. The first time the open was held at tur Beny was in 1977 when Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson waged one of the great duels of All time each shooting 68-70-65 before Watson beat Nicklaus 65-66 on the final Day. The weather was Calm for most of the four Days and the shoemaking by Nicklaus and Watson was remarkable. Nicklaus had a 72-Hole score seven shots better than anyone Ever in previous British opens and finished a Ped de Gasero second. Watson pulled even with Nicklaus with a 60-foot Birdie putt on the 14th and went ahead when Niclaus missed a 4-foot Birdie putt on 17. Nicklaus appeared out of it when he drove into the deep rough on no. 18 and Watson hit a 7-Iron approach shot to within 30 inches of the Hole. Somehow Nicklaus powered an 8-Iron out of the rough onto the Green 40 feet from the Hole. He made the putt for a Birdie. No one has won consecutive major championships since Watson won the . And British opens in 1982. Els has a Chance at it. The 24-year-old South african who recovered brilliantly from wild drives to win the . Open has to be taken seriously Here. He has finished in the top 10 in five of the past six majors and was fifth in the 92 British open and sixth last year when he became the first player Ever to have four sub-70  of turn Berry and Pebble Beach by Joann Barnas the Kansas City Star the two bedtime stones were As adventuresome As any of the children a books Tom Watson would pull from the shelf and read to his Young son Michael. One was called a Pebble  the other  they became stories Michael knew by heart largely because the main characters in these two tales never changed. One was his dad. The other was a Man named Jack Nicklaus. A in Pebble Beach Quot Michael Watson now 11, said of his fathers 1982 . Open Victory a dad comes ack and beats Jack Nicklaus when he dips in at the 17th Quot the Story of tur Beny is no less entertaining. It is certainly timely enough. Watson the British open returns this week to Turnberry a Ailsa course on Scotland a West coast for just the third time in the 123-year history of the championship. A the last time was 1986, when Greg Norman slashed through wind and rain and captured his first major title. But it does t get any better than the first one in 1977. Historians Call it a the match of the  Nicklaus and Watson. The golfing legend and the relentless 27-year-old Kansan shooting Matching scores 68-70-65 for three nays before Watson leaned first and nipped Nicklaus at the finish by a stroke 65 to 66. Seventeen years later the Story never gets old. It remains for Watson As the defining moment of his career a i used to Tell the stories for a reason a Watson said. A and that was to show Michael that when you re Down you can always come Back. Even against the  Watson does no to dismiss it but there was a preview to Turnberry three months earlier at the 1977 masters another mind epic was played out during the fourth round on Augusta National s Back nine. Nicklaus is Watson. Part one. The two were Tiec after 14 holes until Watson birdied the 17th, forcing Nicklaus to Gamble for a Birdie on the 18th. He bogeyed and Watson won his first masters. Still Watson now 44, Points to Tum Berry a was the  a what it did for me was everything Quot said Watson whose five British open titles came in 1975, 77, �?T80, �?T82 and �?T83. Quot i finally understood How this game is played. For the first time i really believed m my ability after beating Nicklaus at Turnberry that i could play with the big boys. Its easy to remember that  that whole year in fact was pretty remarkable. In addition to winning the 1977 masters and British open Watson placed in the top 10 in the other two majors taking seventh in the . Open and tying for sixth at the pea championship. He also won the Bing Crosby National pro am the Andy Williams san Diego open and the Western open. He finished first on the pea Tours Money list for the first time too. For All of that he was chosen the pea tour player of the year. More important Watson bumped Nicklaus from his reign and began an eight year stretch in which he was widely recognized As the Best player in the world. Watson a four round total of 268 lowered the aggregate British open record by eight strokes. That Mark stood until last year when Norman shot a stunning 267 in winning at Royal St. Georges. Here a Watson a favorite 1977 open Victory memory. After the ceremony and the two hours of interviews he and Linda finally escaped to their third floor hotel room overlooking the course and got ready for dinner. It was t quite 9 30 p.m., and their room was stifling hot. It was still Light outside. A we were in this tiny room with a 2-foot Square window a Watson said. A it was always 90 degrees in there. We used to keep a tub filled with cold Bath water to keep Cool. Well we were getting ready and then a Lone scottish Bagpiper came and played his pipes. We Stop there and just listened. Such a special