GOLF ROUNDUP : Norman, Nicklaus Fail to Survive Final Cut

There were either two or 24 co-leaders Saturday after the third round of the International golf tournament at Castle Rock, Colo.

None of them, however, were named Greg Norman or Jack Nicklaus.

Instead, the scoreboard at the Castle Pines Golf Club showed Eduardo Romero of Argentina and Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain tied for the top spot, each with 26 points.

Under the format for the event, however, they were--in effect--tied with 22 others, some of whom were 10 points behind them.

The top 24 point-makers from the first three days’ play qualified for today’s final round.

At that point, all scores revert to zero, so the 54-hole lead was meaningless.

Scoring in the event is a modified Stableford system in which points are awarded for the players’ performance on each hole: 5 for eagle, 2 for birdie, 0 for par, minus-1 for bogey and minus-3 for double bogey or higher.

It took a score of 16 points or better for three rounds to make it to the final round.

Norman, the defending champion, made a pair of double-bogeys--he picked up on one of them, but a double-bogey is the highest score possible under this format--and finished with a minus-1 score for the day and a total of two points. Nicklaus gained only two points in a round that required 73 strokes and finished with a total of five.

Olazabal, 24, one of the brightest young stars on the European tour with a pair of victories this year, advanced to a share of the lead with a four-iron second shot that set up a 12-foot eagle putt on the 17th. He had a medal score of 69.

Romero, 35, also plays most of his golf on the European circuit. He had the lead alone until he missed the green and bogeyed the final hole, finishing with a medal score of 70.

Betsy King had six birdies on the back nine to shoot a course-record 63 at the JAL Big Apple Classic at New Rochelle, N.Y.

King, who before the round said “maybe I can bring this course to its knees,” moved to a three-round total of 11-under 205 at the Wykagyl Country Club and took a three-shot lead over Beth Daniel.

A two-time U.S. Open champion, King bettered the mark of 65 set by Nancy Lopez in 1978.

King the LPGA’s player of the year in 1989, tied her single-round best, established two years ago at the Rail Charity Classic in Springfield, Ill.

Tammie Green, atop the leader board for the first two rounds, shot a 75 for 212, and is tied for fourth with Dawn Coe.

Beth Daniel, after two consecutive 70s, had a 68 and moved into second at 208. Rosie Jones was third with a 71 for 209.

Don Bies shot his second consecutive 66 at Jeremy Ranch Golf Course for a 36-hole total of 12-under-par 132 and a two-stroke lead in the Senior Showdown Classic at Park City, Utah.

Mike Hill, with a 68, moved into a tie for second with Rives McBee, who had a 70. They are each at 134.

Lee Trevino and George Archer each shot 68 and share fourth place at 135.