GOLF ROUNDUP : Love’s Nine Birdies Carry Him to Victory

Davis Love III, making nine birdies on a day when two players had double eagles, scored a three-point victory over Steve Pate, Peter Senior of Australia and Eduardo Romero of Argentina in the International golf tournament Sunday at Castle Rock, Colo.

“We just laughed when we saw it go up on the leaderboard. It kind of spurred us on,” Love said of Pate’s 238-yard two-iron shot that ran into the cup for a double eagle-two on the 535-yard eighth hole at Castle Pines Golf Club.

“I’m the luckiest guy on the golf course,” Pate said.

He held that distinction for only a couple hours. Jim Gallagher matched him on the 492-yard, par-five 17th hole. By that time, Love had finished his round and was watching on television as Gallagher hit a five-iron 209 yards into the cup.

Only five double eagles were recorded in PGA Tour competition from 1987 through 1989, and there have been only two this season.

Records indicate that there have never been two double eagles scored in the same tournament, let alone in the same round.

“Before today,” said Tom Watson, who was in the same group with Gallagher, “I’d never even seen one.”

Love got his 14 points with a barrage of birdies under a format he says “favors inconsistency. Somebody can make 17 pars and a birdie and you beat him to death with six birdies and six bogeys.”

Love went in front for the first time when he two-putted for birdie on the 17th. Then backing away from a five-foot second putt. That gave him 12 points, and he added two more points with a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Betsy King finished with an eagle and held off Beth Daniel by three shots to win the $400,000 Big Apple tournament.

King, the two-time U.S. Open champion, eagled the par-five, 475-yard 18th hole for a 68 and a 72-hole score of 273 at the 6,209-yard Wykagyl Country Club at New Rochelle, N.Y.

Daniel also had a 68 and finished at 276. She had cut a five-stroke deficit to one with five to play.

Rives McBee withstood a late challenge from two other senior pros, firing a final-round 68 to win the Seniors Showdown event at Jeremy Ranch by one stroke.

McBee’s 54-hole total of 14-under-par 202 was a tournament record. Lee Trevino (68) and Don Bies (71) shared second at 203.

Kevin Sutherland of Sacramento shot a five-under-par 67 to win the Queen Mary Open by two shots at Lakewood Country Club. Sutherland’s 54-hole total of 11-under 277 earned him $20,000. Mike Miles of Cypress and Alan Tapie of Newport Beach tied for second place.