Golf Roundup : Sheff Wins Southern California Amateur

For 15 holes Sunday, Dave Sheff could have been forgiven if he began to dream about his days on the PGA Tour.

Sheff, one of the longest hitters in golf, was blistering the Hillcrest Country Club course, four shots under par and five shots in front in the final round of the 87th Southern California Amateur championship.

Then, abruptly, the runaway became a tense match as the 37-year-old former professional left two shots in a bunker, took six shots on the par-3 16th hole and bogeyed No. 17.

Only a well-executed par on the difficult 415-yard 18th enabled Sheff, who lives in San Marino, to stagger home a one-shot winner over Pat Duncan of Rancho Santa Fe, Buz Greene of Thousand Oaks, Rob Geiberger of Santa Barbara and another former professional, Dennis Iden of Costa Mesa.

Sheff shot 73-72-69-71--285 over the 6,458-yard par-71 Hillcrest course.

It was Sheff’s first Southern California championship after being reinstated as an amateur last July.

Sheff turned pro in 1972 after playing at Arizona State, where his teammates included touring pros Bob Gilder, Howard Twitty and Tom Purtzer.

In 1971 he won the NCAA long driving contest with a 342-yard drive at Tucson National.

After winning the U.S. Women’s Open championship in a playoff last week, Jane Geddes found the LPGA Boston Five Golf tournament to be a breeze.

Geddes birdied the final two holes for a 68 to beat rookie Deb Richard by a shot and win the $275,000 tournament at Danvers, Mass.

Geddes beat Sally Little in an 18-hole playoff for the Open title last Monday, her first victory in four years as a professional.

Richard, the 1985 NCAA runner-up from Florida, took the lead with a hole in one on the 150-yard 12th but lost the advantage with a bogey on the 15th. Despite a birdie on the 72nd hole, Richard had a final-round 71 for a 282 total.

Pat Bradley, the only $2-million winner in LPGA history, finished with a 72, a stroke behind Richard and in a tie for third with Ok-Hee Ku of Korea, who had a 71 despite a triple-bogey 7 on the 14th hole. Ku eagled the 15th but couldn’t catch up.

Mark Wiebe shot a two-under-par 68 and beat Curt Byrum by a shot to win the $400,000 Hardee’s tournament at Coal Valley, Ill.

Wiebe, 28, who finished the 72 holes with a 12-under-par 268, earned $72,000 by winning for the second time in three years on the PGA Tour.

Byrum, 27, in his first tour event of the season after losing his PGA qualifying card last year, finished with a final-round 71. He collected $43,200 and earned an exemption for the remainder of the 1986 season.

Pat Lindsey was third at 271 after a final-round 66 and Bill Glasson, who also shot a 66, was another shot back.

Calvin Peete (66), Morris Hatalsky (68) and first-round leader Bob Lohr (70) tied for fifth at 273.

Jim Ferree sank a birdie putt on the first hole of sudden death to beat Chi Chi Rodriguez and Gene Littler in a $250,000 Seniors tournament at Grand Rapids, Mich.

Ferree, 55, who took the lead in the 54-hole tournament with an eight-under-par 66 on Saturday, shot 70 in the final round.