Stadler, Burns Tie With 13-Under 131 at Williams Open

After a lifetime of hitting the ball from left to right, Craig Stadler decided he should learn to hit it the other way, right to left.

The former USC star devoted much of the past year to that task, hoping to add more versatility to his game.

Now, Stadler has smoothed out the rough spots in his swing and believes he is capable of a year like he had in 1982, when he won four tournaments.

Stadler was in a buoyant mood after shooting a 62 in Friday’s second round of the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open. The 62, a course record matched by Andy Bean, earned Stadler a tie for the lead at 13-under-par 131 with George Burns, who had a 68.

A day earlier, Burns had established a course record with a 63 in Thursday’s opening round.

Lon Hinkle, with a 68 Friday, equaled Bean’s two-day total of 132, a shot behind Burns and Stadler.

Two shots out of the lead at 133 were J.C. Snead, Dan Halldorson, Dave Eichelberger, Tim Simpson, Chip Beck and Ray Floyd.

A total of 83 golfers made the cut at 4-under par 140. Among those who missed it was defending champion Bob Tway, who shot a 72 for a total of 143.

Among the leaders, the favorite word to describe Friday’s round was “fun.” That was understandable, because there were 10 players within the 36-hole record of 13-under-par, 131.

Burns predicted it would take a tournament-record 72-hole total of 22 under par to win the tournament. That would mean that either he or Stadler could finish with two rounds of 68 and come up a stroke short of the $90,000 first prize.

“The way everyone has been lighting up the scoreboard, it’s a matter of survival to shoot a low score,” Burns said.

Stadler, predictably, was more upbeat after his 62 than Burns felt after his 4-under par round.

“I had a lot of fun,” Stadler said. “It was a very enjoyable round. I could get used to a day like this. It really gets my adrenaline going, knowing I can really score again.”

It’s been five years since Stadler’s glorious year, 1982, when he was the tour’s leading money winner and had four victories, including the Masters.

Stadler said it’s been too long to recall what ended his hot streak, but he feels conditions are right for another one.

“I feel like I did when I was winning a few years ago,” he said. “I’m proud of myself, for once.”

The past year has been a trying one for Stadler.

His game and his outlook suffered as a result of a prolonged attempt to add a new element to his repertoire--the ability to draw the ball, or hit it right to left.

He had projected it would take about four months to learn the new swing. Instead, it took seven months. In the process, he lost his old standby, the fade, or making the ball go left to right. It took him six months to recover that skill.

“I can hit the draw now, but I don’t know if it was worth the effort,” he said. “I’m back to fading it most of the time.”

The adjustments in his swing have yielded new confidence.

“I feel like I belong again,” Stadler said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been around the top.

“In ’82 I had a chance to win 15 or 16 tournaments. You get used to it (being in that position). No matter what happens, you’re in a frame of mind that you can keep yourself in a tournament and score well. There’s a pretty fine line between having that feeling and not having it.”

Bean had an altogether different feeling after his 62.

He was informed at the beginning of a press conference that he had the day’s low score and was in line to receive a $10,000 Treasury certificate that would be worth $50,000 if he held it 20 years.

However, during the 10 minutes he was being interviewed, Stadler finished his own round of 62. Under the rules governing the bonus money for the daily low score, the certificate was carried over to today’s play, meaning the low round could bring a $20,000 certificate worth $100,000 at maturity.

This turn of events led Bean to toss aside the microphone he was holding.

“You just tattooed me,” Bean said in mock disgust, addressing the bearer of the bad news.

There wasn’t much else about Friday that he didn’t like.

“I played next to a perfect round,” Bean said of a round that included 10 birdies.