Golf Roundup : Sieckmann Ties Haas on No. 18

Tom Sieckmann completed a round of 65 with a birdie on the last hole and tied Jay Haas for the lead Thursday in the first round of the $600,000 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester golf tournament at Harrison, N.Y.

Sieckmann, who played several seasons on the Asian tour before joining the American circuit two years ago, got up and down from a bunker for his birdie 4 on No. 18.

“It’s always nice to get off to a good start, but you don’t expect to shoot 65,” said Sieckmann, who won three Asian tournaments in 1981 but didn’t qualify for the American tour until 1984.

Bill Israelson was third with a 67 after making only 23 putts.

Haas, in his 10th season of PGA Tour activity, had nine birdies in his six-under-par round.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had nine birdies in a round before,” he said.

He chipped in from about 60 feet early on the fourth hole, had a string of four birdies and capped his round with an 18th-hole birdie.

But Haas, the first man off the tee, also had three bogeys and only six pars in his early-morning round on the hilly, 6,723-yard Westchester Country Club course.

Ray Floyd, George Archer, Mike Reid, Ed Fiori, Brett Upper, Jim Simons and Mark Wiebe were at 68, and Andy North, a former Westchester winner who will defend his U.S. Open title next week on Long Island, was at 69.

Juli Inkster birdied the last two holes for a four-under-par 68 and a two-stroke lead over five golfers in the $450,000 LPGA McDonald’s tournament at Malvern, Pa.

Inkster, 25, the tour’s fourth-leading money winner, had nines of 35 and 33 over the wind-swept, 6,313-yard White Manor Country Club course.

Inkster, who finished third in last weekend’s LPGA Championship, had six birdies and two bogeys.

“I was frustrated the whole day,” she said. “I only missed two greens and I was putting the ball well, but hitting on the right edge (of the cup) and hitting on the left edge. My caddy said, ‘Just be patient,’ and then plop, plop, I made two birdies on the last two holes.”

At 70 were Patty Sheehan, Amy Alcott, Marta Figueras-Dotti, Mary Beth Zimmerman and Bonnie Lauer.

Pat Bradley, who leads the tour in earnings and who has won three tournaments this year, including last week’s LPGA Championship, staggered home with an 80.

At Woburn, England, Rick Hartmann, unable to qualify for the PGA Tour, shot a six-under-par 66 to equal the course record in the $300,000 British Masters.

Hartmann, 27, from Venice, Fla., had seven birdies as he took a one-shot lead over Spain’s Severiano Ballesteros.

West German Bernhard Langer is tied with Ireland’s Christy O’Connor Jr. for third place at 68. Spain’s Jose-Maria Canizares and Briton Robert Lee were another stroke back.

Lee Trevino, the defending champion, shot a 75.

At Lytham St. Annes, England, Jack Nicklaus Jr. was eliminated in the fourth round of the British Amateur championship.

The 24-year-old Nicklaus was beaten, 3 and 2, by Briton David Curry--27 years after his father had reached the quarterfinals in his sole appearance in the championship. Young Nicklaus had won his morning third-round match against Briton Steve Easingwood, 6 and 5.