Simons Chips Away at Par to Tie for Memorial Lead

Jim Simons said he didn’t know where the ball was going much of the time, but it kept winding up in the hole.

Simons sank three shots from off the green Thursday on the way to an erratic, five-under-par 67 that tied Lon Hinkle for the first-round lead in the Memorial tournament at Muirfield, Ohio.

“I feel very fortunate to get in with that kind of score,� Simons said. “I holed three times from off the green. How often do you do that? Once every four or five years.�

Simons, who needed only 22 putts, had two one-putt bogeys and a chip-in for a par, and once used two strokes to get out of a bunker.

“This has been the most inconsistent year of my life,� he said. “There’s a lot of fear when you know you’re not playing well, even if you’re leading the golf tournament.�

At 68 were Dave Barr and Hale Irwin. The group at 69 included Tim Simpson, Bill Kratzert, Scott Hoch and Lanny Wadkins.

Jack Nicklaus, the tournament host, founder and defending champion, came in with a 71 despite a 33 on the front nine. He missed on four putts in the 8- to 10-foot range--and bogeyed two of his last three holes.

Sherri Turner had eight birdies in a round of 66, the lowest total of her LPGA career, to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of a $250,000 women’s tournament at Corning, N.Y.

Turner, winless for just over a year on the LPGA tour, rolled in a 35-foot putt from the fringe of the ninth hole for a birdie that helped her maintain a one-stroke lead over Cathy Reynolds-Derouaux.

Another stroke back were tour money leader Alice Miller, Jan Stephenson, Judy Clark and Myra Blackwelder.

Turner, who tied Stephenson for fourth at Corning last year, needed just 26 putts in her round.

USC’s Sam Randolph, low amateur in the Masters last month, shot a three-under-par 69 to hold on to the individual lead, while top-seeded and defending champion Houston took charge of the team competition during the second round of the 88th annual NCAA men’s championships at Haines City, Fla.

Randolph, of Santa Barbara, had a pair of eagles on his way to a 36-hole total of 137 and a three-shot lead over Mississippi’s Darren Cole and Ohio State’s Clark Burroughs.

Houston, seeking its 16th national title, posted a team score of 293 to build a five-stroke advantage over Mississippi. Florida was third, six shots back.

Houston’s two-day total of 581 included a two-stroke penalty for violating a rule prohibiting exchanging advice on the golf course.

Florida’s Deb Richard, the 1984 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, slipped to a two-over-par 75 but held a two-stroke lead over Furman’s Dottie Pepper with a 146 in the NCAA women’s championships at New Seabury, Mass.

Florida tops the team standings with 602 points. Arizona State is second with 620.