Golf Roundup : Open Leaders Lauer, Germain Use Early Start to Beat Heat

Dot Germain and Bonnie Lauer, two members of the over-35 crowd on the Ladies Professional Golf Assn. Tour whose games have improved in recent weeks, shot three-under-par 69s Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the 42nd U.S. Women’s Open at Edison Township, N.J.

Lauer and Germain shared a one-stroke lead over Kathy Postlewait, while Ayako Okamoto, Jody Rosenthal and Sandra Palmer were all two shots behind the leaders.

Those six were the only players in the field of 153 to overcome the 90-degree heat and humidity and break par on the 6,284-yard Plainfield Country Club course.

The three-under-par rounds bettered the women’s course record of 71 shot by Mickey Wright and tied by Betsy Rawls in the 1962 McAuliffe Memorial Tournament.

Lauer and Germain both had the advantage of the cooler early morning tee-off times, and they made the most of them.

The 36-year-old Lauer, who could do no better than a tie for 30th in her first 10 events this year, sank birdie putts of 20 feet on the first hole, 10 feet on the 13th hole and 15 feet on 15th in a round that did not include a bogey. Her putter also helped her four times on the front nine with par-savers ranging from 4 to 15 feet.

“I’m sure the greens will get firmer and faster as the week goes on, and this will turn into a survival test,” said Lauer, who in the past two months finished second in the Mayflower tournament and 11th in the du Maurier. “I think there might be some red numbers (under par) on Sunday, but right now I’d settle for par and take my chances.”

The 40-year-old Germain, who said she nearly gave up golf a year ago because she wasn’t enjoying it, used a hot putter to post six birdies with three bogeys. She moved into a tie for the lead by making birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes, the last one with a 60-foot putt.

“I don’t remember the last time I had the lead after one round,” said Germain, who missed the cut in five of the first seven events she played in this year. “I have been playing well the last few weeks.”

Germain finished tied for 13th in Boston last week and was tied for eighth in the du Maurier two weeks ago.

Postlewait, 38, had five birdies and three bogeys in her round. Playing in the group behind Lauer, she held a share of the lead, but bogeyed the par-5 17th after hitting her third shot over the green.

Okamoto, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year and the No. 3 money winner, was tied with Postlewait, but bogeyed the final hole after hitting her second shot into the rough.

o the right of the green.

Former Open winner Amy Alcott headed a group of five players at par, while recent Hall of Fame inductee Nancy Lopez--still looking for her first Open victory--was at 73.

Defending champion Jane Geddes and Betsy King, the two top money winners on the tour this year, both had opening-round 75s. Patty Sheehan had a 74.

Pat Bradley, last year’s player of the year, continued to struggle this year and had an 81, one shot more than Jan Stephenson.

Ed Dougherty shot an eight-under-par 64, the lowest opening round ever for the tournament, to take a one-stroke in the $600,000 Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich.

Dewey Arnette, who equaled a PGA Tour record with eight straight birdies, was at 65 with Jay Hass, Bob Murphy and Robert Wrenn.

At 66 were 1985 Buick Open winner Ken Green, Mark Hayes, Payne Stewart, J.C. Snead and Andy Magee. Defending champion Ben Crenshaw opened with a 68, and the tour’s leading money winner, Paul Azinger, staggered in with a 75.

Arnette, a 27-year-old struggling pro from Jacksonville, Fla., matched the mark of Bob Goalby and Fuzzy Zoeller when he started on the back nine and birdied the last seven holes plus the first hole of the front nine.

Arnette also birdied his 14th hole to go nine under but was beset by bogeys on No. 16 and No. 17. His back nine of 29 on the 7,014-yard Warwick Hills course equaled the tournament record set by John Fought in 1980 and matched by Craig Stadler in 1983.