Nicklaus Gone With Wind; Lyle, Graham Lead

And the winds blew, howling off the channel with a fury that over the years has made farmers of crusty fishermen and turned golfers into whimpering fools.

When the winds sweep through Royal St. George’s, they create a monster of what, on better days, is a sufficiently nasty tour of golfing horrors.

One victim, his golden hair suitably windswept, was Jack Nicklaus, Olden Bear, who leaves the British Open after two rounds, having missed the cut here for the first time in his career. Having missed the cut here after having missed the cut in the U.S. Open.

Nicklaus takes with him some of the luster from this tournament, one in desperate need of same.

Sandy Lyle, a pretty good British golfer, and David Graham, the Texan from Australia, are co-leaders at 139, one-under par.

Christy O’Connor Jr., who shot a 64 in the calm of Thursday, limped home with a 76 Friday. That left him in a three-way tie for third at 140 with D.A. Weibring and Tony Johnstone.

Only three players bettered par Friday in an ugly day of golf, and the leader board, not so pretty itself, has all the appeal of a double bogey.

“I never thoroughly enjoyed two days of golf less,” said Nicklaus, 45, who has played in 23 Opens. He said the weather hadn’t been this bad here in 23 years.

Nicklaus has seen every manner of British Open, but he has always seen the tournament from a different perspective than that which he employed Friday.

“I didn’t play that poorly here,” Nicklaus said. “I played poorly at the U.S. Open, no question about that.”

Nicklaus played poorly enough to take 152 strokes in two rounds, causing him to miss the cut by three strokes. His 75 Friday was not terrible, considering the conditions, but, with only one birdie, it was hardly enough to save him.

And the thing is, Nicklaus, who hasn’t won a major title since 1980, actually thought he might win this tournament. Many of the leading Americans had stayed home. His game, which had faltered early in the year, was rounding into form.

“I thought maybe I’d turn around and fool a few people and wake myself up,” Nicklaus said.

Instead, the man who who has won the Open three times and been runner-up seven others has left people wondering if age has caught up to him.

“I don’t think age has anything to do with it,” Nicklaus said, adding that he has no plans to retire.

“Why should I?” he wondered.

On Friday, players young and old, great and not so great, were made to look as if they’d never again want to pick up a golf club.

The wind gusted up to 35 m.p.h. until it died in the late afternoon. Rains came and went, making the day thoroughly miserable.

“It was a tough day at the office,” said Bernhard Langer, who shot a 69 through the worst of the weather and, at 141, may now be considered the favorite here. “The round today was one-under, but it felt more like six-under.”

Langer, like most of the players, had his horror stories. On No. 8, a 415-yard hole, Langer, one of the longer drivers on the tour, used his driver twice and still couldn’t reach the green.

There were others.

Andy Bean was 137 yards from the green and pulled out a 4-iron. The ball fell five yards short.

On No. 6, Nicklaus had 151 yards and tried a 4-iron. The ball fell 40 yards short.

Players judge the wind by the number of clubs needed to compensate for the gusts. Bean said Friday was a six-club wind.

Among the victims was Severiano Ballesteros, the defending champion and picked by many to win again. He made the cut, but just barely, with a 75-74--149. Also at 149 were Lee Trevino and Gary Player.

Tom Watson, with a 73 Friday, is at 145 and certainly not out of contention.

Ballesteros still held out hope early Friday.

“If I make the cut and I play in the morning and the weather is nice and calm and I shoot a 65 and then a big thunderstorm comes up, I think I have a very good chance,” he said, getting the laugh he was looking for.

There are a lot of people who, if they can shake the nightmarish conditions from their minds, must have dreamed Friday night of a possible Open championship. The leaders don’t scare anyone, and 33 players are within six shots of the leaders.

“It is much too early to get excited,” said Lyle, who shot a 71 Friday.

Lyle has been among the top five money winners on the European tour in each of the last five years. He has challenged at the Open before, but no one from Britain has won the event since Tony Jacklin in 1969.

Graham has won two majors but has not played well, either this year or last, and is admittedly surprised by his position.

“The majors do things to people,” said Graham, who shot a 71 Friday. “I haven’t played well for a while . . . but I’m blessed with the ability to get up for the majors.”

Nicklaus, as much as anyone, has made the four major golf tournaments so important. He has won 17 of them and wants desperately to win another.

But that is his private battle. For the 87 golfers who made the cut here, there are other battles. Graham is Nicklaus’ friend, but he made the point well enough, pointing out that no one asks about him when he misses the cut.

“They see Graham heading to the airport,” he said. “They say, ‘What went wrong, Dave?’ Who cares?”

What went wrong, Jack?

“I hit the ball well today,” Nicklaus said. “I’m going to the Western Open and then to the PGA. I’m already looking forward to playing there.”

The survivors here are looking forward to better weather and better days.

But there are no sure things, as Christy O’Connor knows.

“It wasn’t that I collapsed,” he said after his 40 on the front side and his score of 76 Friday. “I think. I hope.”