GOLF / PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP : Gallagher Almost Loses His 63

Before Jim Gallagher Jr. played in the Ryder Cup matches last month, Golf World magazine dismissed him, saying that he had a heart that ranked somewhere between a lamb and chopped liver.

Gallagher called himself “Lamb Chop” during the matches.

But when he beat Seve Ballesteros in a singles match, 3 and 2, his teammates saluted him by calling him “Killer Lamb Chop.”

The “killer” was on the loose again Thursday in the first round of the Tour Championship on the Lake Course at the Olympic Club.

Gallagher shot an eight-under-par 63, setting a course record. The previous record of 64 was held by Rives McBee and Keith Clearwater in 1966 and 1987 U.S. Open competition.

But, had he not been very careful in the scorer’s tent, his magnificent round would have gone for naught. He would have signed an incorrect score card and been disqualified.

His playing partner, Gil Morgan, had given Gallagher a birdie-four on the 17th, where Gallagher had actually shot par. Gallagher studied his card closely, turned to Morgan to point out the error, then corrected the card before signing it.

“Hell, I made everything else,” Gallagher said of the phantom birdie.

“I opened with a bang and ended with a bang,” he added, referring to an eagle on the par-five first hole and a birdie on the par-four 18th hole.

The Olympic course wasn’t so kind to Gallagher when he played here in the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1981.

“I was 27 over par after 24 holes and I thought it was the hardest course I had ever played,” Gallagher said.

Scott Simpson, Corey Pavin and David Frost each shot 68 and are five strokes behind Gallagher after one round of the $3-million tournament that rewards the winner with $540,000.

Paul Azinger, the defending champion, shot a 72, one over. Nick Price and Greg Norman also had 72s.

Those three players have each earned more than $1 million on the tour this year.

With the temperature in the 80s and a slight wind, the course wasn’t as intimidating Thursday as it often is.

“The course still has a bite to it, but the great weather is the difference,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher, 32, has won only twice in nine years on the tour. He added that he probably should have had seven or eight victories by now.

However, he said that his performance in the Ryder Cup was a great boost to his confidence.

“It moved me to the next level, whatever that is,” Gallagher said.

Even so, Gallagher missed the cut last week in the Las Vegas Invitational.

“So I got here early and worked on my game,” he said, adding that his Ryder Cup experience has made him mentally tougher.

He had seven birdies, an eagle and only one bogey in his round. On the first hole, a 533-yard par five, his three-iron second shot landed on the edge of the green, where he made a putt that he estimated at 15-18 feet for his eagle.

His birdie run started on the seventh hole and he finished with a flourish with birdies on five of the last seven holes.

While Gallagher was distancing himself from the field, some notable players were struggling.

Davis Love III shot a 77. Fred Couples, Payne Stewart and Steve Elkington had 74s.

Rocco Mediate had a 78, and it was remarkable round considering his condition. He has a strained back and it was a struggle for him to finish.

“It started last Tuesday and I’ve never had more pain in my life,” Mediate said. “I didn’t know if I could even play today.”

Mediate said he’s determined to to play four rounds, if physically possible, adding, “I don’t want to finish last.”

Golf Notes

Scott Simpson, who won the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in 1987, said the course is playing much easier now than when he won the Open. “The rough is shorter and the greens are holding better,” he said. “Also, the fairways seem to be much wider than at the Open.” . . . There were only 10 rounds in the 60s in a field of 30 players. Tom Kite, Fulton Allen, Mark Calcavecchia, Larry Mize, Nolan Henke, and Rick Fehr had 69s, six strokes behind Jim Gallagher.