Golf Roundup : Ballesteros Wins Westchester’s 4-Way Playoff With Birdie Putt

Seve Ballesteros got his game together and his head followed.

Ballesteros boosted his sagging confidence with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to get into a four-way playoff Sunday, then sank a five-footer for another birdie on the first playoff hole to win the Hanover Westchester golf tournament at Harrison, N.Y.

“When I came here, my confidence wasn’t very good,” Ballesteros said. “To this week I wasn’t playing well. I missed three cuts this year, two in the United States and one in Europe.

“Nothing was going right for me. Even here I wasn’t at the top of my game, but I guess things just turned right for me.”

The timing couldn’t have been better for the 31-year-old Spaniard, who won his first tournament in the United States in three years--since the 1985 New Orleans Open--just four days before the start of the U.S. Open.

Ballesteros’ victory came on the par-4 10th hole, where he lost a playoff to J.C. Snead last year by making a bogey.

“It was very difficult,” said Ballesteros, who drove into a bunker in front of the green and blasted out within five feet. “I had plenty of green to work with, but anytime you have a downhill lie in a bunker, it’s difficult.”

Ballesteros earned $126,000, bringing his 1988 total to $157,476. He also won this tournament in 1983.

Ballesteros’ winning putt negated a round of 7-under-par 64 by Greg Norman, who joined Ballesteros (67), Ken Green (70) and David Frost (68) in the playoff after the four had tied with tournament record totals of 8-under par 276.

“I did what I had to do today,” Norman said. “All in all, I’m happy. I put the number on the board and made the guys work for it.”

All four birdied the 18th hole to force the first four-way playoff on the PGA Tour since the 1986 Western Open. Frost also was involved in that playoff, won by Tom Kite.

Frost, like Ballesteros, drove into a bunker on the playoff hole, Green hit into the rough and Norman landed in the gallery. Only Ballesteros could get down in two.

Steve Elkington of Australia closed with a 71 to take fifth place at 278. Tied at 280 were Brandel Chamblee (69), Bob Eastwood (67), Loren Roberts (70) and Dick Mast (73).

Mei-Chi Cheng, a rookie from Taiwan, sank a seven-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Nancy Lopez and win the $300,000 Rochester International LPGA tournament on a windy day at Rochester, N.Y.

It was the first tournament victory for Cheng, who had a final-round 73, one over par. She entered the tournament 30th on the earnings list with $41,102 and took home $45,000 for the victory.

“If you can win in America, you can win anywhere in the world,” said Cheng, who played the last three years on the Japanese tour. “I played pretty tough golf today.”

Cheng, Lopez and Patty Sheehan finished the 72-hole tournament at 1-under-par 287, but Sheehan, who shot a 74, dropped out with a bogey on the first playoff hole as Lopez and Cheng made pars.

After Lopez, who had a 75, just missed a 16-foot birdie attempt on the second extra hole, Cheng rolled in the winner.

Nancy Brown, who shot a 71, finished fourth at 288.

Billy Casper fired a 5-under-par 67 to win the $400,000 Mazda Seniors Players Championship by two strokes at Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Casper started the day two shots off the lead but rolled in birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 7 to take charge at the turn. Consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 gave Casper a two-shot margin over Al Geiberger and he held it the rest of the way to earn $60,000.

The victory was the second of the season for Casper, who nearly doubled his 1988 earnings to $132,117. He has won $1,026,434 since becoming a senior seven years ago and joins Don January, Miller Barber, Gene Littler, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Bruce Crampton as the only players to win more than $1 million on both the regular and senior tours.

Casper finished at 10-under-par 278. Geiberger shot a 70 for second place, while third-round leader Miller Barber, who hit a tee shot out of bounds for a double bogey at 15, finished three shots back after a 72.

Tied with Barber at 281 were Don January (70) and Gary Player (71). Bob Charles was sixth at 282 after a 71, while Orville Moody (66), Bruce Crampton (72) and Lou Graham (71) were tied for seventh at 283.