Golf Roundup : Aussie Is Leader in Colonial

Ian Baker-Finch led a cadre of foreign players into the top spots Thursday in the first round of the $1-million Colonial National Invitation golf tournament at Ft. Worth.

Baker-Finch, 28, an Australian who now is concentrating on play in this country, one-putted nine times in a round of five-under-par 65 that provided him with a one-stroke lead over Fulton Allem of South Africa and Isao Aoki of Japan.

“Because of the bad weather, I only got in a half of a practice round,” Allem said. “That’s happened a couple of other times this year, and each time I followed up with a good first round. Same thing today.”

Allem won $1 million in a winner-take-all tournament in his homeland late last year.

Aoki, 48, who has won 53 titles, including the Hawaiian Open, had seven birdies and three bogeys in his first appearance on the Colonial Country Club course.

Despite a bright sun, the course remained extremely wet from two days of heavy rains earlier in the week.

The principal weather factor in the first round, however, was a strong, gusty wind that prohibited any late starters from making a successful run at the leaders, all of whom played early in the day.

Mike Sullivan, a winner in Houston, and Clarence Rose were the leading Americans at 67.

Veterans Sandra Haynie and Pat Bradley stole the spotlight Thursday in the first round of the LPGA Championship at Mason, Ohio.

Haynie, 45, and Bradley, 38, shot five-under-par 67s to share a one-stroke lead over non-winners Susie Redman, an alternate who got into the 144-player field at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Center, and Elaine Crosby.

Patty Sheehan, Ayako Okamoto, Jane Geddes, Deb Richard and Betsy King were at 69.

Haynie, a winner of 42 tournaments but none since 1982, holed a 150-yard five-iron shot on her final hole for an eagle-three to pull into a tie for the lead.

Bradley, seeking her sixth major championship, also finished with a flourish, rolling in a 40-foot birdie putt on her closing hole.

Two-time LPGA Champion Nancy Lopez was at 71, while defending champion Sherri Turner shot a 72. Juli Inkster, winner of the year’s first major tournament, the Dinah Shore, shot a 77.

The 1991 Ryder Cup matches have been switched to Kiawah Island near Charleston, S.C., the PGA announced. The matches were originally scheduled for PGA West in La Quinta.