Golf Roundup : Gove Finds the Groove, Leads Texas Open With a 63

Mike Gove, who is 212th on the PGA Tour earnings list, shot a seven-under-par 63 Thursday to lead the $350,000 Texas Open at San Antonio by a stroke.

Gove, whose best finish this year was a tie for 34th at the Greater Milwaukee Open, had eight birdies and one bogey on the Oak Hills Country Club course. The lone bogey came on the 18th hole.

Jodie Mudd, who has finished second twice and in the top 10 four times this year, was at 64.

“I think I had 25 putts today,” Gove said. “It’s been so long since I’ve done that--I don’t remember.”

Because of his low standing on the exempt list, Gove did not begin playing regularly on the tour until June. He has earned $3,462 this year.

“There isn’t a whole lot I can say about my year,” he said.

Mudd shot seven birdies, but bad chip shots on the first and ninth holes led to bogeys and kept him from sharing the lead with Gove.

Dan Pohl was third with a round of 65 that included eight birdies, three bogeys and only seven pars. “It was fun,” he said. “When you make eight birdies, there’s not a whole lot of holes left to mess up.

At Wentworth, England, former UCLA star Corey Pavin was defeated by South African Denis Watson, 6 and 5, during the first round of the $260,000 World Match Play championships.

Joey Sindelar of Horseheads, N.Y., was also a loser. Sindelar, up at one point by three holes against Welshman Ian Woosnam, then lost five of seven holes in one stretch and was beaten, 4 and 2, in their scheduled 36-hole encounter on the 6,954-yard, par-72 Wentworth course.

Peter Jacobsen of Portland was another American loser, falling to Dallas-based Australian David Graham, 1 up on the 38th hole.

Japan’s Tommy Nakajima had a 65 in the morning and 11 birdies and one eagle during the match to trounce British Ryder Cup player Sam Torrance, 6 and 5.

Gaining byes into quarterfinals were U. S. Open champion Andy North, Masters champion Bernhard Langer of West Germany, defending champion Severiano Ballesteros of Spain and British Open champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland.