Golf Roundup : Moody Fires 66 for One-Stroke Lead in $1-Million Seniors Tournament

Orville Moody finished off a four-under-par 66 with birdies on three of the last five holes and took the lead Friday in the first round of the $1-million Vantage Championship for senior golfers at Clemmons, N.C.

One stroke back were Dave Hill and former Masters champion Gay Brewer.

Don January holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole and led a group at 68 that included former Masters champion Charles Coody and Buck Adams, a club pro from Southern Pines, N.C.

But most of the more glamorous names from the over-50 set didn’t fare too well in the chilly, swirling winds.

Arnold Palmer, who had rounds of 64 and 67 in pro-am competition, lost his putting touch and went to a 73. Gary Player shot a 75, and Chi Chi Rodriguez, winner of seven PGA Seniors Tour titles this year, had to rally for a 72. Rodriguez was five over par at one point but birdied the 16th and pitched in for an eagle 3 on the 17th.

In the separate Super Seniors competition for players older than 60, Mike Fetchick and 71-year-old Jerry Barber shared the lead at 71.

The Super Seniors are playing for a $100,000 purse. The other $900,000 is for the regular tournament, with the winner picking up $135,000.

Briton Ken Brown shot a six-under-par 64 to take the lead after two rounds of the $400,000 Southern Open at Columbus, Ga.

Brown’s 36-hole total of 129 over the 6,791-yard Green Island Country Club course gave the European Ryder Cup player a two-shot edge over Mike Hulbert, who had a 66.

First-round leader David Frost, Hale Irwin, Vance Heafner and Billy Pierot were next at 134. Frost had a 71, Heafner a 69, Pierot a 65 and Irwin a 68.

Defending champion Australia and the United States both needed sudden-death victories to advance to the semifinals of the $1-million Dunhill Cup team tournament at St. Andrews, Scotland.

After Aussie Roger Davis had set a course record with a nine-under-par 63, he had to watch Greg Norman finally beat Richard Zokel on the fifth extra hole for a 2-1 victory over Canada.

Mark O’Meara had to go three extra holes to defeat Japan’s Nobuo Serizawa after teammates Curtis Strange won and D.A. Weibring lost.

England and Scotland also advanced. In today’s semifinals, Australia faces England and the United States meets Scotland.