Golf Roundup : O’Meara Barely Holds Off Stadler to Win for Second Week in a Row

Mark O’Meara knew Craig Stadler was breathing down his neck, so he waited until the Walrus could do no more damage.

With Stadler already finished with an eight-under-par 64 to pull even, O’Meara curled in a 30-foot putt on the 17th hole Sunday to win the Hawaiian Open by one stroke at Honolulu.

“I knew Craig was coming up behind me,” said O’Meara, who also won the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am last week. “I knew he could make those 20- to 30-foot putts and he was making them.

“I knew I had to shoot under 70 to win,” he said. “But who expected Craig to do what he did.”

O’Meara finished at 21-under-par 267 to win the $90,000 first prize. Over the 72 holes, he had an eagle, 20 birdies and only 1 bogey.

He started the day with a four-stroke advantage over Jim Simons and Larry Nelson and five shots ahead of Ed Fiori and Larry Mize.

Stadler, starting at 12-under, six strokes behind O’Meara, ripped off an eagle 3 on the first hole and quickly followed that with birdies over the next two holes.

He faltered with bogeys at the fourth and sixth holes, but recovered with birdies on the next two holes to make the turn in four-under 32 and moved into a second-place tie with Fiori, three strokes behind O’Meara.

Stadler birdied the 13th and then came up with consecutive birdies on the final three holes to finish 72 holes at 268.

“Obviously, I was back in the tournament after the first three holes,” he said. “I got bogeys at the fourth and sixth and a bunch of birdies after that, but not enough. I made a late rush a little too late.”

Fiori and Mize shared third place at 16-under 272, with Buddy Gardner alone in fifth at 273. Simons, Dan Pohl and Andy North were another shot back with Nelson, Scott Simpson, Fred Couples and Jay Delsing at 275.

Patty Sheehan birdied the final hole to break a tie with Nancy Lopez and win a $200,000 LPGA tournament by one shot at Sarasota, Fla.

Sheehan’s six-under-par 66 gave her a final score of 10-under 278 after a battle with Lopez, who shot a four-under 68 for 279.

“It was just one of those days that I really hit the ball well,” Sheehan said. “The putts fell that I needed. This was a classic confrontation between two players who really wanted to win.”

The victory was worth $30,000 to Sheehan, whose eight titles in 1983 and 1984 were the most by any player on the tour.

Sheehan, who earned $30,000, started the day one shot back of Lopez and Patty Hayes. Sheehan birdied her first two holes and continued on to a six-birdie, no-bogey round.

Tied for third, four shots back at 282, were Jane Blalock, who had 67, and Betsy King, who fired a 70.

Janet Anderson’s 70 for a 283 earned her fifth, while Donna White was another stroke back after her 71 round. Hayes skied to a final-round 76 and was down the list at 287.

The leaders were still fighting for sole possession of the top spot as Sheehan prepared to hit into the green of the par-5 18th hole. But she heard a roar coming from the 17th green and thought Lopez had birdied to move ahead of her.

Sheehan hit a 5-iron short of the green, then put a sand wedge eight feet from the hole and made the putt.

By this time Sheehan realized she was in the lead, but had to wait at the green while Lopez, who was in the final threesome, played her last hole.

Lopez needed a birdie to tie and went for the green on her second shot, hitting a 4-wood just off the edge of the green next to one of the gallery bleachers. She was left with a 65-foot chip that she put within 10 feet of the hole.

Lopez missed the putt and Sheehan had the victory.

Lopez, who won this tournament in 1978, earned $18,500.

Miller Barber surged into contention with three birdies in the first five holes and went on to win the $200,000 PGA Sunrise Seniors tournament at Fort Pierce, Fla.

A final round of three-under-par 69 gave Barber a 211 total for 54 holes and a one stroke decision over Orville Moody, who finished with his second straight 71 for a 212.

Lee Elder three-putted the last hole for a 73--213 third-place finish and Don January, the leader for the first two rounds, whiffed a shot on the 17th hole, took a double-bogey 6 for 75--214 and fourth place. At one time Sunday, all four were tied at 5-under.

Barber won his 15th tournament since joining the Seniors Tour in 1981, and earned $30,000.