GOLF ROUNDUP : Olazabal Discovers a Way to Win International

Seve Ballesteros isn’t the only Spanish golfer with the imagination to visualize a difficult shot and the skill to pull it off.

Just as his more famous countryman has done so often in establishing a reputation for making birdies from potential disasters, Jose Maria Olazabal turned a problem at the 17th hole into a victory in the International at Castle Rock, Colo., Sunday.

The birdie was worth two points in the modified Stableford scoring system used in the event, and the 10 points scored by Olazabal were enough for a three-point victory over Ian Baker-Finch, Scott Gump and Bob Lohr.

His total was the worst winning score in the six-year history of the tournament but did not detract from the accomplishment of the 25-year-old Olazabal.

It was particularly gratifying in that it was secured with a birdie on the relatively easy, par-five 17th hole at the Castle Pines Golf Club. He lost this tournament on that hole a year ago.

Thoughts of another loss on that hole entered his mind after he drove the ball left into the deep rough and was blocked from the green by pines on the slope of a hill.

Olazabal could have played a safe shot back to the fairway, but it would have left him with a pitch of more than 100 yards for his third shot.

So he scampered up the hill, over rocks and around bushes, hanging onto tree limbs for support, to survey his situation and find a line for a bold play over the hill.

He played a 6-iron toward the hill, over a stand of pines on the right, around another grove on the left and within a few yards of the green.

A little flip with a sand wedge put him within nine feet, and he made the putt to go ahead.

Cindy Rarick rolled in a seven-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Beth Daniel and Jody Anschutz and win the LPGA tournament at Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Rarick, Daniel and Anschutz finished at four-under-par 211 after three rounds and went back to the 18th tee to begin a playoff.

Anschutz was eliminated by taking a double bogey on the first playoff hole.

Rarick started the day one under par, five strokes behind second-round leader Anschutz, and shot a four-under-par 68.

Mike Hill shot an eight-under-par 64 to overcome a four-shot deficit and win a Senior PGA Tour tournament at Kenmore, Wash., by two shots over Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Hill finished with a 198 total, 18 under par for 54 holes on the 6,440-yard Inglewood Country Club course. Rodriguez, the leader after each of the first two rounds, closed with a 70 for a 200 total.

Bob Lasken of Whittier parred the fifth hole of a playoff to win the Queen Mary Open over Victor Regalado, a former PGA Tour player. Regalado, who birdied the 17th hole, shot a five-under-par 67 to tie Lasken (69) at 19-under-par 269 at Lakewood Country Club.

Each player parred the first four holes of the playoff.