Nicklaus Tops Crosby Field; Arnie Absent

PEBBLE BEACH -- Jack Nicklaus, whose list of credits is the longest and most impressive in the history of golf, helps kick off the 1974 PGA tour today in the $185,000 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. While Nicklaus, the defending champion, is in the field of 168 pros, missing among the top 30 money winners of 1973, mostly because of the Crosby's early start this year, are Lee Trevino, Miller Barber, J.C. Snead, Homero Blancas, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Dan Sikes and Arnold Palmer. Palmer's absence was the most surprising since he has never missed a Crosby event since becoming a pro. Also missing will be the host, Bing Crosby, who is recuperating from pleurisy at Peninsula Hospital. "Mr. Crosby definitely won't be there tomorrow or Friday, you can be sure of that," said Alan Fisher, the family butler. "But he may be there for the weekend."

However, Bruce Crampton, the Australian who topped everyone in money earnings last year except Nicklaus, No. 3 Tom Weiskopf, No. 5 Lanny Wadkins. No. 7 Hale Irwin, No. 8 Billy Casper, No. 9 Johnny Miller and No. 10 John Schlee are here. Also appearing are young Ben Crenshaw, who won $69,175 in less than three months as a pro at the end of 1973, and Gary Player, the South African veteran making his first Crosby start since 1962. Player had physical problems last year and failed to place among the first 100 money winners. In the Crosby format, each pro plays with an amateur partner one round on each of three courses -- Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Spyglass Hill. The cut then is made to the low 70 and ties among the pros for the final round, which will be played at Pebble Beach. The low 40 pro-am teams also advance to the final round. There is a $30,000 purse in the pro-am.

[source: upi]