Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 21, 1990 TAG: 9007210215
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND LENGTH: Medium
And Friday, the second round of the 119th British Open set the stage for what could be the most consequential battle for No. 1 in several years.
At a pace that has produced 23 birdies and two eagles between them on the Old Course, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo ended the day tied for the 36-hole lead at 12-under-par 132, four shots better than their nearest pursuers, Payne Stewart and Craig Parry.
This British Open brings to mind the epic shootout in 1977 at Turnberry, where Tom Watson broke a 36-hole tie with Jack Nicklaus by shooting two 65s to beat Nicklaus by one shot and the rest of the field by at least 11.
"There's something in the air," said Paul Azinger, who trails by nine at 141. "I feel like something special is going to happen here."
Certainly the scoring was special. On a pleasantly overcast day in which a general lack of strong wind made The Old Course vulnerable for a second successive day, Faldo and Norman equaled Henry Cotton's record for the lowest halfway score ever in a British Open.
Their 12-under total is the same amount under par as Seve Ballesteros' winning 72-hole total of 276 in 1984, the lowest four-round total ever shot in a British Open at St. Andrews. And the scoring promises to get substantially lower if conditions remain benign.
"I'm not going to protect anything," Norman said. "I'll just go out and try to play the way I've been playing. I feel happy and comfortable and very relaxed."
The general scoring was the lowest in British Open history. Eighty-six of the 156 players broke par Friday. It took a score of 1-under-par 143 to qualify for the final 36 holes, breaking last year's record cut score at Royal Troon by three shots.
Among those missing the cut was the defending champion, Mark Calcavecchia, who shot a 2-over 146 to become the first defender to miss the cut since Watson in 1976. Also missing at 145 were a three-time champion, Ballesteros; a five-time champion, Watson; and Curtis Strange.
Perhaps the saddest effect of all the low numbers was that they put Arnold Palmer, playing solid golf in his final British Open, out of the field by one shot.
Palmer was among the early finishers Friday, and along with the thousands of spectators who cheered him at the final hole, thought he would be back for the third round after he posted a 1-under 71 for a total of 144.
Afterward, Palmer was upbeat despite having missed two putts of 2 feet on the front nine.
"The galleries were fantastic," Palmer said. "They seemed to sense what I was feeling. They felt the same relief that I did. I think they were as nervous as I was that I could shoot 71."
Palmer conceded that he played the final holes, which included a dramatic par-4 on the 17th hole, the famed Road Hole, with great emotion.
"I suspect that if I'm on 18 Sunday there might be a little tear," he said. "Hopefully, I'll make the cut. Hopefully, I'll get myself in position to win this golf tournament.'
Sadly, but with unsentimental finality, that job has been left to others, Norman and Faldo in particular.
Norman's 66 Friday featured six birdies, two bogeys and an eagle-3 at the 567-yard 14th hole, where, from 75 yards, he clipped a sand wedge perfectly. The ball landed 4 feet past the hole and spun back into the cup.
"A real shot in the arm, a bonus," he said of the soft shot that arched against a gray Scottish sky.
Two groups behind, Faldo played the less-spectacular but mistake-free golf that has made him so formidable on exacting courses. He holed seven birdies without a bogey for a 65 that tied his best score ever on The Old Course.
Although Norman is ranked as the No. 1 player in the world by the Sony World Rankings, Faldo's record in major championships - he has won three to Norman's one - and particularly his record at St. Andrews, give him a preliminary edge.
In 11 rounds over the Old Course at the annual Dunhill Cup, Faldo has a 68.27 scoring average. Norman's average over 17 rounds is 69.29.
The two will be paired in the final twosome in the third round today. If they get stalled trying too hard to beat each other, the field can catch up quickly. But if they continue to play as they have, it is likely to be a two-man battle to the end.
"The pressure is off the guys behind us and they can go for it and catch us up," Faldo said. "And, we have had the weather relatively easy. When it blows here, the seagulls walk."
Right now, Norman and Faldo are flying. British Open Third round, 10 a.m., WSET Channel 13
by CNB