Golf Roundup : Errors Hurt Norman and Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman each fell victim to what Nicklaus called “stupid mistakes” and were among the two dozen players eliminated Friday in the second round of the International golf tournament at Castle Rock, Colo.

“I didn’t play very smart golf, and that’s unusual for me,” Nicklaus said. He also had some extremely high numbers, including a 44 for his first nine holes at the Castle Pines Golf Club, a course he designed.

Nicklaus, 47, also said he got caught up in the unusual format and scoring system used in this tournament.

“Under this format, a birdie and a bogey are better than two pars. I was trying to play to that format, and it cost me two double bogeys,” he said.

Nicklaus finished with minus-4 points under the modified Stableford scoring system in which points are awarded or subtracted according to performance on each hole. An eagle is worth 5 points, a birdie 2, a par 0, a bogey minus-1 and a double bogey or higher minus-3. Nicklaus had a medal score of 77.

Norman, needing only a par on the 18th hole to reach a playoff for the final qualifying places, drove into the water for a double bogey and finished with a 78 and minus-5 points.

Val Skinner eagled the 17th hole and birdied No. 18 for a five-under-par 67 that gave her a two stroke lead in the first round of the LPGA $225,000 Mastercard International at White Plains, N.Y. Shelley Hamlin was second with a 69.

Bill Collins shot a five-under-par 67 to take the lead in the first round of the 54-hole Rancho Murieta Senior Gold Rush tournament at Rancho Murieta, Calif.

Dale Douglass and Bob Brue were one stroke back. Orville Moody, Roberto DeVicenzo and Ken Still were at 69.