Mize leads after wind-whipped first round

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AFP): Former champion Larry Mize emerged with a one-shot lead after the opening round of the 1994 Masters as gusting winds and devilish pin placements pushed up the scores on the Augusta National course.

"I am really pleased with the round," said Mize, the 1987 champion who led by one stroke from South African Fulton Allem and 1992 US Open champion Tom Kite.

Unusual northwesterly winds wreaked havoc on the 6,925-yard course, as did pin placements more commonly reserved for the closing rounds.

Mize had six birdies and two bogeys in his 68, including a bogey at the 500-yard, par-five 15th.

He was lucky to escape with a six after landing his four-wood second shot short of the green and seeing it roll back into the water.

Greg Norman, touted as the tournament favorite thanks to his stunning victory in the Players Championship a fortnight ago, hit in the water and still pulled off a par five en route to a two- under 70.

He was in a group that included Tom Watson, who was four-under on the 15th tee but took a triple-bogey eight to drop to one- under.

"The golf course played a lot more difficult than in the past five or six years," said Watson, the 1981 Masters champion. "Wind from the northwest always makes this course tougher. The par fives can't easily be reached, and the 12th hole was very difficult today."

But Norman was not unhappy with his own round.

"Sometimes you play good and sometimes you scramble," he said. "I got the job done."

Kite was delighted with the conditions, the fairways firm with a dense covering of grass and the greens as fast as always despite rain Wednesday night.

"The tougher the course, the better the top players like it," he said. "It demands some intense concentration and a lot of trusting. There are a lot of disasters out there."

Nolan Henke's 10 and Payne Stewart's nine at the 15th counted among those.

Mize, Kite and Allem were the only players to break 70.

Norman and Watson were joined on two-under 70 by Spain's two- time champion Seve Ballesteros, Augusta National newcomer Vijay Singh of Fiji, Ray Floyd and Tom Lehman.

A bunch of seven players on 71 included 58-year-old South African Gary Player, a three-time Masters champion, former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch of Australia and Japan's Hajime Meshiai.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer of Germany was on two-over 74, along with 1993 US player of the year Nick Price of Zimbabwe, Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, Aussies Brett Ogle and Wayne Grady, New Zealander Grant Waite and young South African Ernie Els.

Former champions Nick Faldo of England and Ian Woosnam of Wales were in a group on four-over 76.

Leading scores(selected)

68 - Larry Mize 33-35 69 - Fulton Allem 32-37

Tom Kite 34-35 70 - Tom Watson 33-37

Tom Lehman 34-36

Greg Norman 34-36

Vijay Singh 36-34

Seve Ballesteros 34-36

Ray Floyd 34-36 71 - Ian Baker-Finch 37-34

Corey Pavin 35-36

Russ Cochran 34-37

Chip Beck 36-35

Hajime Meshiai 36-35

Brad Faxon 35-36

Gary Player 35-36 72 - Jay Haas 38-34

Jim McGovern 35-37

Bill Glasson 37-35

John Huston 36-36

John Harris 39-33 73 - Lanny Wadkins 36-37

Howard Twitty 36-37

Hale Irwin 35-38

David Edwards 36-37 74 - Scott Simpson 37-37 [disini boleh potonk]

Brett Ogle 39-35

Wayne Grady 40-34

Ben Crenshaw 38-36

Jim Gallagher 37-37

Nick Price 38-36

Billy Mayfair 36-38

David Frost 37-37

Jeff Sluman 35-39

Gil Morgan 38-36

Fuzzy Zoeller 37-37

Jose-Maria Olazabal 37-37

Ernie Els 39-35

Andrew Magee 37-37

Bernhard Langer 37-37

Dan Forsman 36-38

Curtis Strange 38-36

Grant Waite 35-39