GOLF ROUNDUP : Norman’s Big Lead Goes South as Cochran Wins Western Open

Add the name of Russ Cochran, the Western Open winner, to the list of shark-shooters.

It was not the lightning-bolt single shot of Bob Tway or Larry Mize, or the last-hole heroics of Robert Gamez or David Frost, but Cochran’s victory over Greg Norman on a windy Sunday at Lemont, Ill., was equally dramatic and every bit as much of an upset.

Cochran, one of the few left-handers on the PGA Tour, made up seven shots on Norman over the last eight holes and scored the first victory of his nine-year career with a closing 69 and a 275 total.

“A Jekyll and Hyde round,” said Norman, who shot a 71 and was second at 277 after a 40 on the back nine. “I feel like I gave it away.”

Norman’s early scoring binge included a 179-yard five-iron shot that found the cup for an eagle-two on the fourth hole.

He played the first 10 holes six under par and had a five-shot lead. But it all came apart in the strong winds that raked the Dubsdread course at Cog Hill. He bogeyed four consecutive holes and five of the last six. He twice got it deep into bushes, took one unplayable lie and hit it once under a woman’s purse.

Fred Couples, seeking his second victory in as many weeks, was the victim of a lost ball and a double bogey on the 13th hole and finished third at 278. He had a final round of 72.

Those three--Cochran, Norman and Couples--entered the final round in a tie for the lead and played in the final group.

Veteran Bob Gilder, with a 70, was fourth at 281. The group tied for fifth included D.A. Weibring, John Huston, Nick Price, Kenny Knox, Dave Barr and Gary Hallberg.

The par-four 16th was the killer for Norman, who along with Couples took a bogey. Cochran ran in a 30-foot birdie putt that gave him a two-shot swing and a one-shot lead over Norman, three shots over Couples.

He brought it home with a pair of pars while both Norman and Couples took themselves out of any chance with tee shots that found trouble on the final hole.

“I feel very fortunate to come out on top against such great players,” Cochran said. “And I’m a little proud of myself, too.”

Al Geiberger shot a three-under-par 68 to overtake Dale Douglass and win the $600,000 Kroger Senior Classic at Mason, Ohio.

Geiberger’s first victory since 1989 was worth $90,000. He finished with a 10-under-par 203 total, one shot ahead of Larry Laoretti and two ahead of Douglass, the second-round leader, Miller Barber and Harold Henning.

“This is a great moment for me,” said Geiberger, who talked himself out of collapsing after bogeying the 14th hole to briefly fall one shot behind Douglass.

“I could have been thinking there ‘It’s starting to slip away from me.’ So I had a little talk with myself.”

He came back with a perfect drive on 15, hit his approach past the green, then holed a 30-foot chip to regain a share of the lead.

“I just kept talking to myself, saying ‘Hey, you can do it, you’ve been doing it all week,’ ” Geiberger said. “That chip was the turnaround. The whole tournament could have gone the other way.”

Douglass kept up the duel through 15 holes over the 6,628-yard, par-71 Grizzly Course at the Jack Nicklaus Sport Center.

But he bogeyed 16 and 18 to drop into the three-way tie for third.

Laoretti was the runner-up for the second week in a row.

Nicklaus, after moving into contention Saturday with a 66, shot 70 on Sunday to finish at 207, along with Lee Trevino and three others.

Alice Miller, putting an end to five years of LPGA Tour frustration, rolled in a 14-foot birdie putt to beat Deb Richard on the third playoff hole and win the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic at Sylvania, Ohio.

The victory was Miller’s first since she won four tournaments in 1985.

Miller, 35, shot a one-under-par 70 in the final round to finish at eight-under 205 at the Highland Meadows Golf Club, tied with Richard, who closed with a 68.

“I could remember the old feelings, the old memories,” Miller said. “It’s been a long time. I’ve had a lot of brain damage to overcome.”

“I think the Alice of old--the Alice who was a winner in ‘85--I think she reverted to that player,” Richard said. “She handled everything well. It was like, ‘Hey, I’ve been here before. I can do this.’ ”

Richard, a winner earlier this year at the Women’s Kemper Open, pulled even with Miller with birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 15.

Twice Richard had chances to close out Miller, missing an eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole and then missing a nine-footer on the first playoff hole.

After each parred the second playoff hole, both were just short of the green in two on the 532-yard, par-five 18th. Richard pitched within 18 feet, then Miller hit a wedge four feet closer.

The victory was worth $52,500 from a purse of $350,000. Only two of the top 10 players on the money list played in the tournament, many choosing to spend the weekend preparing for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open in Ft. Worth, Tex.