GOLF PGA TOUR AT TORREY PINES : Haas Two Under Par and Two Up on Field

The first round of the Buick Invitational of California here Thursday turned into a soggy struggle for survival.

Normally, the two courses at Torrey Pines are among the least challenging on the PGA Tour.

This time, though, the elements took over and things got ugly. Intermittent rain and a 35-m.p.h. wind made the courses so treacherous that any golfer who came close to par had cause to celebrate.

Somehow, Jay Haas managed to mush his way to a 70 on the North course, the only one of the 155 starters who broke par. His round of two under gave him a two-stroke lead over the only four who matched par--Payne Stewart, Bobby Clampett, Kelly Gibson and Greg Whisman.

Haas’ 70 was the highest score for a first-round leader since the tournament moved to Torrey Pines in 1968. The previous record was 69, by Tommy Aaron in 1979.

Interestingly, though, Haas opened with a 72 in 1978 and went on to the first of his eight tour victories. A 64 in the second round was his only score under 70. And 10 years later, he broke 70 every day, closing with a 66, only to lose by one stroke to Steve Pate.

Pate, who also won here last year and is trying to become the tournament’s first three-time champion, settled for a 75 that left him shaking his head.

“It seems like everybody shot 10 strokes worse than usual,” the UCLA alumnus said afterward.

Haas, 39, in his 17th year on the tour, considered himself fortunate to start on the North course, which is the easier of the two.

“The way the wind was blowing, I’m sure there was a bigger difference than usual between the courses,” he said. “The rough is thicker on the South course, and the greens are quicker.”

How miserable was the weather?

“The way the wind was gusting, it was the worst I ever played in,” Haas said. “On the sixth hole, I told one of the officials, ‘Let’s go on in and forget about it.’ I had to wear my cap so tight that my head is sore.

“Luckily, I made almost every putt I had to make. The little three- and four-footers were like 12-footers, but I made them. Besides that, I made four of the best shots of my career.

“It’s funny, too. The way I felt this morning, I was afraid we were going to have to play because the rain didn’t figure to be bad enough to stop play. Now, whatever happens tomorrow, at least I’ve had a good day. I didn’t want to blow myself out of the tournament today.”

Stewart called the conditions “very British Open-like.”

Clampett wouldn’t go that far, but said: “There are only three things that matter in this game--execution, execution and execution. You couldn’t have any of them today.”

It was not uncommon to see a ball blown from its original spot on a green.

“Fred Funk was putting on 11 (South) and the wind took the ball several feet,” Stewart said. “He had already grounded his putter, so he took a four instead of a three.”

Gibson put it this way: “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt myself. It was really brutal.”

George Burns, the 1987 winner, got so disgusted that he quit after 13 holes. He went out in 40, and when he began the back nine with four bogeys, he decided he had had enough.

Lon Hinkle won the booby prize with a 91 (48-43), nosing out Mark Mason by one stroke and Dave DeLong by two.