GOLF ROUNDUP : Sweden’s Alfredsson Sets Women’s Record

Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson broke the U . S . Women’s Open record for a low round by two strokes with an eight-under-par 63 Thursday in the first round of the tournament at Lake Orion, Mich.

The 63 matches the lowest round in a major championship by any golfer, male or female. The only woman to reach that figure was Patty Sheehan at the 1984 LPGA Championship at King’s Island, Ohio. It has been accomplished seven times in majors by men, the last by Vijay Singh in last year’s PGA at Inverness.

Alfredsson, whose only victory since joining the LPGA Tour in 1991 was the 1993 Dinah Shore, played a bogey-free 18 holes over the 6,244-yard Old Course at Indianwood Golf and Country Club.

“I shot an eight-under in Japan once, but it’s certainly the best I’ve done out here,” she said. “It was certainly nothing like the U.S. Open.”

Her performance gave Alfredsson a three-stroke lead over Sheehan, Tammie Green, Judy Dickinson and amateur Carol Semple Thompson.

Alfredsson broke the record of 65 shared by three others--Little, Ayako Okamoto and Dickinson (when she was Judy Clark). Okamoto’s 65 also came at Indianwood, during the 1989 Open.

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Arnold Palmer, betrayed by a balky driver, bogeyed four of the final six holes and dropped four shots off the lead midway through the Senior British Open at Lytham, England.

Bob Charles shot a three-under 69 and was at five-under 139 for two trips over the course at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. The left-hander from New Zealand was two strokes ahead of Doug Dalziel of Scotland and Tom Wargo.

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Four days after winning a tournament drenched by a Mississippi monsoon, Brian Henninger stayed hot--and dry--and shared the first-round lead in the New England Classic at Sutton, Mass.

Henninger birdied seven of the last nine holes and his seven-under 64 tied Mark Wurtz. They were one stroke ahead of Ronnie Black, Guy Boros and David Feherty. With little wind, 69 players broke par.

“It’s playing very easy,” Black said of the Pleasant Valley Country Club course. “I don’t know what you’d change to make it play easier. Mow the rough a little maybe.”

John Daly took an unexpected break from a grueling six-week stretch of golf by withdrawing after struggling to a four-over 75.