U.S. Senior Open : Daughter’s Reading Lesson Fuels Moody

When Orville Moody scored his only victory on the regular PGA tour, in the 1969 U.S. Open, his daughter, Michelle, hadn’t been born.

Twenty years later, Moody has won the U.S. Senior Open--and given the credit to his caddy, 19-year-old Michelle.

“I wouldn’t have won this tournament if it hadn’t been for my daughter,” Moody said Sunday after defeating Frank Beard by two strokes.

“Neither one of us read the greens the first two days, but beginning yesterday when I shot the 64, she did the job. I not only enjoy having her with me, but she’s responsible for me winning.

“She’s had a wonderful time. In fact, you guys have given her more ink than you did me. She’s famous.”

How does Sunday’s victory compare to winning the U.S. Open?

“This is great,” he said, “but there’s no comparison in the two. When I won the U.S. Open, it made me a lot of money for the next 15 years.”

It was an eagle on the last hole of the third round that gave Moody a tie for the lead and it was another eagle, on a 30-foot putt, that gave him the lead for good on the sixth hole Sunday.

The eagle put Moody ahead of Beard, the co-leader after 54 holes, and he went on to shoot a two-under 70 to win the $80,000 first prize with a 279, nine under par over the Laurel Valley Golf Course.

Nobody except Beard ever challenged on the last day on a course that dried out a little more each day and was tougher the last two days. Beard, who took the lead when Moody bogeyed the first hole, hung on after the eagle gave Moody the lead at No. 6, but never was even again.

Beard shot a 72, the only round he didn’t play under par, and finished at 281. Dale Douglass shot a 67 to finish in a tie with Jim Dent for third at 284. Twelve players finished the 72 holes under par.

In addition to the eagles, a birdie at 501-yard, par-five No. 11 was crucial for Moody.

Both he and Beard tried to reach the green in two shots. Moody put his second shot through the green, near a tree. Although Beard landed in a bunker, he was pin high and in a better position to go for the birdie.

However, Beard barely got out of the trap and missed his long birdie putt. Moody chipped to within 9 feet, sank the putt with his long-handled putter and was never in trouble again.

“The outcome might have been different because I bogeyed one and Frank had four good chances for birdies early and they just failed to drop, Moody said. “Overall, I think he was playing better that I was.

“But when that 30-footer trickled in for the eagle, it started my blood going and it gave me some fire. This was a tougher course today, so I was more than satisfied.”

It was on the 18th Saturday that Moody shot his way into a chance to win. It is a par-five that is a dogleg over a large body of water. A good tee shot enables the player to go for the green in two. Moody hit what he called a perfect shot, a slicing five-wood around the trees that ended up 12 feet from the pin to set up the eagle.

With a two-shot lead, Moody was not about to go for the green Sunday.

“I like Frank and I think he’s a great guy,” Moody said. “But I wasn’t about to let him back in the tournament. Even if he had been able to go for the green in two (Beard couldn’t because he drove into the rough), he would have had to be awful close to the pin for me to have gambled.”

Shortly before both pitched to the green on their third shots, Beard and Moody had a conversation and then laughed. What was it about?

“Frank said there were 2,000 coaches who wanted me to go for the green,” Moody said of the gallery. “I said, ‘No way.’ Frank said, ‘Make that 2,001, who wanted you to.’ ”

Although he says he doesn’t play nearly as well as he did when he was on the regular tour--when he played well but had trouble putting, Moody acknowledged he is on the hottest streak of his career. In the last five weeks, he has won twice, including the Senior TPC, finished second twice and was 10th in the other tournament.

Douglass quipped that even if the United States Golf Assn. was to outlaw long-handled putters such as Moody’s, which is 50 inches long, the seniors money leader ($318,923) would make so much money in the next few years that it wouldn’t make any difference.

“I learned a long time ago not to worry about things I have no control over,” Moody said of a possible ban. “Maybe by the time they do ban it, I won’t be on the tour. All I know is the putter has done wonders for me.”

It wasn’t too surprising that Beard seemed content with his second-place finish. After all, he has been away from competitive golf for eight years. Already he has two second-place finishes in eight senior events.

“Sure, I wanted to win,” he said, “and if some putts had dropped I could have. But it is still a surprise to me I am doing this well.

“It’s not just that. My life was a mess when I left the tour, emotionally and otherwise. I remarried, straightened out my life and now I know I can play on this tour. I was close to Orville Moody, the best player on this tour, and if I can stay close to him, I’ll make a lot of money.”

Golf Notes

After one of the worst showings of his career, Arnold Palmer was asked if he would retire. “You mean not play in any more tournaments?” he said. “No way. This was just a bad outing. I’ll come out of it.” . . . With a final round of 77, Palmer finished at 312, 24 over par. . . . Palmer is committed to play in the West Classic at Ojai Valley in late November.

Chi Chi Rodriguez, still trying to recover from a neck injury, wasn’t eager to talk about his golf game. He had other things on his mind. “How come if they are going to outlaw the long-handled putter two years from now, it’s legal now?” he asked. “It’s like the baseball commissioner not suspending Pete Rose while he investigated the gambling.” . . . Amateur Frank Boydston of Phoenix came to earth with a thud on the final round, shooting an 82. After an opening 69 he finished at 305.