Tony Sills

To play tournament golf successfully is easy. All you need is 20/20 vision, a temperature in the 98s, a pulse rate in the low 60s, blood pressure in the low 100s and as little as possible on your mind other than making a 4. Your appetite should be excellent, your ambition limitless. It helps if you have this gorgeous one-piece swing like Snead's, or this hard Teutonic stare like Nicklaus', which can reduce even the toughest par-5 to eagle range.

It was almost inevitable that when Tony Sills broke through to win his first PGA tournament, the golfing world would be looking the other way. When Sills ended nearly 20 years of frustration and adversity with a playoff victory over Gil Morgan last Sunday in the Independent Insurance Agent Open at The Woodlands, Tex.

Tony Sills was thinking about everything but winning Sunday. "I was thinking about making a good swing, making a solid hit, staying loose," Sills said. "My thoughts weren't about winning, just to play well. It was a shock." Sills, a former USC standout who started the day six shots off the pace, sank a 15-inch par putt on the first playoff hole to beat Gil Morgan for his first pro victory in a $1-million PGA tournament at The Woodlands, Tex.

Tony Sills was thinking about everything but winning Sunday. "I was thinking about making a good swing, making a solid hit, staying loose," Sills said. "My thoughts weren't about winning, just to play well. It was a shock." Sills, a former USC standout who started the day six shots off the pace, sank a 15-inch par putt on the first playoff hole to beat Gil Morgan for his first pro victory in a $1-million PGA tournament at The Woodlands, Tex.

The Andy Williams-San Diego Open begins today with the pro-am over the north and south courses at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Tee times range from 6:42 a.m. to 12:01 p.m. Gary Koch, the defending champion, is scheduled to play with host Andy Williams at 8:03 on the south course. Other featured pairings: --Tom Watson, the top money-winner in 1984, at 10:40 on the south. --Mark O'Meara, winner of the Crosby and Hawaiian Open, at 8:03 on the north.

He's not sure why, but Orange County Superior Court Judge David G. Sills seems to have a habit of falling prey to mistaken identity. A former Irvine mayor, Sills said that even today he is sometimes confused with a mayoral successor who shot his wife a few years back. When introduced as a one-time mayor of Irvine, Sills makes a point of stressing to inquisitive strangers that he is not "that mayor."

It was almost inevitable that when Tony Sills broke through to win his first PGA tournament, the golfing world would be looking the other way. When Sills ended nearly 20 years of frustration and adversity with a playoff victory over Gil Morgan last Sunday in the Independent Insurance Agent Open at The Woodlands, Tex.

Independent Insurance Agent Open was reduced to a 54-hole event Friday after rain resulted in two delays. P.H. Horgan III had a one-shot lead with a six-under-par 66 after the first round finally was completed. Twenty-four players had not completed the first round Friday when PGA Tournament Director Mike Shea suspended play shortly after three groups had started the second round. Those players later returned to complete the first round. The second round will begin at 7 a.m.

Mark Calcavecchia and Paul Azinger each shot a 70 Friday to tie for the second-round lead at 138 in the $400,000 Southwest golf tournament at Abilene, Tex. The co-leaders were two shots ahead of Morris Hatalsky, who had a 74, and Jack Renner, who had the day's low round of 69 over the Fairway Oaks Golf Club course. Bob Eastwood (73), Tom Gleeton (72) and Jeff Maggert (73) were at 141.

Tom Byrum shot a 7-under-par 65 Saturday, and his 3-round total of 201 gave him a 4-stroke lead over 4 other golfers in the $400,000 Pensacola Open at Gulf Breeze, Fla. Bruce Lietzke, Andrew Magee, Ray Stewart and Ken Green were tied for second place at 205. Four other players were at 206 on the 7,033-yard course at Tiger Point Golf and Country Club--John Cook, Tony Sills, Bobby Wadkins and Lance Ten Broeck. Byrum's round was the second-best score of the tournament. His 64 Friday was the best.

He's not sure why, but Orange County Superior Court Judge David G. Sills seems to have a habit of falling prey to mistaken identity. A former Irvine mayor, Sills said that even today he is sometimes confused with a mayoral successor who shot his wife a few years back. When introduced as a one-time mayor of Irvine, Sills makes a point of stressing to inquisitive strangers that he is not "that mayor."

To play tournament golf successfully is easy. All you need is 20/20 vision, a temperature in the 98s, a pulse rate in the low 60s, blood pressure in the low 100s and as little as possible on your mind other than making a 4. Your appetite should be excellent, your ambition limitless. It helps if you have this gorgeous one-piece swing like Snead's, or this hard Teutonic stare like Nicklaus', which can reduce even the toughest par-5 to eagle range.

The Andy Williams-San Diego Open begins today with the pro-am over the north and south courses at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Tee times range from 6:42 a.m. to 12:01 p.m. Gary Koch, the defending champion, is scheduled to play with host Andy Williams at 8:03 on the south course. Other featured pairings: --Tom Watson, the top money-winner in 1984, at 10:40 on the south. --Mark O'Meara, winner of the Crosby and Hawaiian Open, at 8:03 on the north.

Kenny Perry, Lance Ten Broeck, Mark Hayes, Dan Pohl and rookie Billy Andrade shot 6-under-par 66s Thursday to tie for the first-round lead in the $400,000 Pensacola Open golf tournament at Gulf Breeze, Fla. The leaders were one stroke ahead of another group of five--Robert Wrenn, Hal Sutton, Curt Byrum, Dan Halldorson and John Cook. Mike McCullough, Ken Green, Gene Sauers, Duffy Waldorf, Clark Burroughs, Kim Young, Scott Hoch, Tony Sills and Loren Roberts were two strokes off the lead.

Hale Irwin sank a 40-foot eagle putt on the final hole Wednesday to gain a share of the first-round lead in the five-day, $1.25-million Las Vegas Invitational. Irwin's 18th-hole heroics completed a seven-under-par 65 and lifted him into a tie for the lead with Billy Glasson, Gene Sauers and Mike Miles, who is making his second try on the PGA Tour. "The best I've ever played," said Miles, who competed on the mini-tours for a couple of years after losing his tour playing rights for lack of performance in 1986.