Golf Roundup : Hatalsky Wins but Has Hard Time Enjoying It

All week long, Morris Hatalsky talked about how much fun he was having at the Kemper Open. Sunday, it wasn’t much fun.

Hatalsky blew a four-shot lead in the final 11 holes but pulled out the victory with a 4-foot par putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Tom Kite.

“I didn’t enjoy today at all,” Hatalsky said. “I was trying to, but my stomach was turning and my nerves were shaking. There was that pressure that goes with winning a golf tournament. I had fun for three days, anyway.

“I was a little nervous in the playoff, but apparently I had enough control of my nerves to make that last shot.”

Hatalsky, who missed the cut in the last three tournaments, won for the first time since 1983.

He had a two-stroke lead after three rounds, but after an eagle and a birdie on the front nine, the 13-year veteran had four bogeys on the back nine--three on the final four holes--to finish with a 72 for a 10-under-par 274.

Kite made up six shots on the final 11 holes and shot 69 to force the playoff. Both players had a chance to win in regulation, but Kite missed a 30-foot putt for par and Hatalsky was short on a 9-footer.

Both scrambled for pars on the first extra hole.

On what turned out to be the final hole, Hatalsky used his wedge to put the ball within striking distance, then tapped it in for the $144,000 top prize after Kite missed his 8-footer.

“You can’t bogey the last hole and expect to win a tournament and I did it twice,” Kite said. “If either one of us had done what we were supposed to, it would have never gone to a playoff.”

Kite, bidding to become the only golfer to win a tournament in each of the last eight years, earned $86,400.

Craig Stadler, who tied a course record with a 64 on Saturday, used three straight birdies to move into a tie with Hatalsky with five holes to play. But Stadler put his tee shot into the water before taking a double bogey on No. 14, then bogied No. 15.

Stadler, bidding for his first victory since 1984, shot a 72 to finish in a tie for third with Mike Reid at 276.

Laura Davies had a stretch of birdie-eagle-birdie on the back nine to overtake Nancy Lopez and win the $275,000 LPGA Jamie Farr tournament at Toledo, Ohio.

Davies, who two weeks ago changed her plans to return to England so she could play in this tournament, shot a 3-under-par 69 for a four-round total of 11-under 277 and the $41,250 first prize. Lopez had a 73 and finished second, three strokes back.

Betsy King started the day at 7 under par but shot a 74 and tied for third with Jan Stephenson at 283, who had a 71.

Davies, who chased Lopez for three days, took the lead for good with a birdie on the 11th hole, while Lopez three-putted for her first bogey of the day. Davies padded her lead with an eagle on the 12th hole and another birdie at 13.

Lopez had chances to stay close but missed several birdie putts on the back nine.

Davies broke the tournament record of 278, which was shared by Lauri Peterson and Penny Hammel.

Orville Moody continued his hot putting by rolling in a 16-footer on the first playoff hole to break a four-way tie and win the $285,000 Senior Players Reunion tournament at Dallas.

Moody won his eighth Senior title and raised his tour career money winnings to $1,018,575, making him the sixth player in tour history to surpass the $1 million mark.

Moody shot a final-round 66 to join second-round leader Bob Charles, Don Massengale and Bobby Nichols in the sudden death playoff at 10-under-par 206.

Massengale carded a 67 but missed a 4-foot putt on 18 that would have won the tournament. Nichols shot a final-round 68 to earn his playoff berth. Charles, who finished with a 70, was bidding for his third consecutive victory.