GOLF ROUNDUP : Galbraith, Rudolph Advance to Final of State Amateur

It has been 20 years, but Fountain Valley’s Sandy Galbraith will get another chance to follow up medalist honors with a title in the California Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach.

Galbraith was medalist in the 1971 tournament but lost to Doug Nelson, 8-7, in the final. This year, the 45-year-old veteran shot 70-75--145 to claim the qualifying trophy and Thursday he advanced to the final of the 80th annual event with a pair of victories.

He will meet 21-year-old Harry Rudolph III of La Jolla in the 36-hole final today.

Galbraith first defeated Drew Sanders, 2-up. He then played three-under-par golf to oust 18-year-old Eddie Davis, 6 and 5.

Rudolph rallied from a three-hole deficit after nine holes to defeat Mike Wiechers in the morning quarterfinals, 2 and 1. The University of Arizona golfer then eliminated 1990 runner-up and 1982 champion Gary Vanier, 3 and 2.

Deborah McHaffie shot a career-low 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA Championship at Bethesda, Md.

McHaffie, who had broken 70 only once in 35 rounds this year, had six birdies and a bogey on the difficult 6,246-yard Bethesda Country Club course. She has never finished better than fourth since joining the tour in 1986.

Colleen Walker, Deb Richard and Barb Mucha had 67s. Pat Bradley, Meg Mallon and Nina Foust were two shots back, with Amy Alcott and Judy Dickinson in a group of 11 at 69.

Rick Fehr was six under par during a four-hole binge and Jim Thorpe was four under for his last three holes to share the first-round lead of the $1-million St. Jude Classic at Memphis, Tenn., at seven-under-par 64.

Fehr started with a par on the first hole of the 7,006-yard Tournament Players Club at Southwind before breaking from the pack with birdies at the second and fourth holes and eagles at Nos. 3 and 5.

Thorpe made a 50-foot putt for a birdie on 14, missed a short birdie putt at the 15th, then chipped in from 20 feet for an eagle-3 at No. 16. He closed out his backside of 30, a course record, with birdie putts of 24 feet at 17 and 15 feet at 18.

David Sutherland is at 65, with Russ Cochran, Billy Mayfair, Lee Janzen and Brian Tennyson at 66.