Golf Roundup : Nicklaus Misses Final, Passes $5-Million Mark

Jack Nicklaus passed the $5-million mark in career earnings Saturday, but a 17th-hole fiasco cost him a place in the final round of the International tournament at Castle Rock, Colo.

Nicklaus appeared to have a last-round berth sewed up until he faltered on the par-5 No. 17, probably the easiest hole he designed on the Castle Pines Golf Club course.

Instead of having a qualifying spot within reach, he had the ball in his hands after hitting two unplayable shots.

“I’ve had enough of this hole,” he said, put an “X” on his card and went on.

Under the modified Stableford scoring system used for this tournament, a double bogey, and anything higher, costs a player three points. In Nicklaus’ case, he dropped from seven points and a berth in the 18-player final round to four points.

He needed to birdie the final hole to have a chance and ran a 20-foot putt some 5 feet beyond the cup, then missed it coming back for a three-putt bogey that left him with three points.

Nicklaus finished in a four-way tie for 34th, worth $5,275 from the total purse of $1 million. That was enough to make him the first player to pass $5 million in career earnings. He’s now at $5,002,825.

Nicklaus also was the first to reach $2 million, $3 million and $4 million in official PGA Tour earnings.

Bruce Lietzke led the 18 qualifiers with 14 points.

Jodie Mudd and Ben Crenshaw each had 13 points.

Crenshaw holed out an 80-yard sand wedge for an eagle-3 on the 14th, touching off an eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie burst for Crenshaw, in which he gained 11 points.

First-round leader Beth Daniel used some excellent bunker play to shoot a 2-under-par 36 on the front nine and hold a two-stroke edge over Debbie Massey in the uncompleted second round of the LPGA tournament at Somers Point, N.J.

The round was suspended twice for almost 3 1/2 hours when a steady rain made some greens unplayable. Play was called because of darkness with 64 of the 131 players still on the course.

Daniel, who had an opening-round 66, did not tee off until 5:20 p.m. and was able to play only nine holes. She was seven under par after 27 holes.

Those who did not complete their rounds were scheduled to resume play at 7:30 this morning. For the final round, the field will be cut to the low 70 plus ties.

Orville Moody made seven birdies in shooting a 6-under par 65 to grab the second-round lead in the $250,000 Greater Grand Rapids Senior Open at Grand Rapids, Mich.

Moody’s two-day total of 133, is one better than first-day leader Chi Chi Rodriguez (69) and Harold Henning (67).