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BY ALAN H. FALLICK GT Sports Writer Friday was a special day for a recent American president, a current Aus tralian King, a whistling Brazilian and an apologetic German. Friday was the opening day of the 16th annual Broad moor World Senior Golf International Team Matches, but before the first ball was hit, the tournament had its star. Gerald R. Ford, 38th president of the United States, drew the largest galler ies of the day as the captain of the US team. Ford, dressed in navy blue shirt, white sweater and light blue slacks, challenged the 6,555-yard East Course in his first appearance at the Broad moor and said he should have fared better than his 24-over-par 96. “I had my share of trouble,”’ Ford said after shooting a 49 on the final nine holes. ‘‘I hit some real good shots and some bad ones. I look forward to doing better tomorrow. I should have been seven shots better today.” Inconsistency spelled bogey for the former president, whose only op portunities for birdies were inches short, long or wide on four different long putts. After a pair of bogeys on two of the first three par-four holes, Ford recovered for three pars, but the 87 he normally would score with his 15- hole handicap was jeopardized. Despite advice from a Broadmoor manicured caddy and club pro Don Finsterwald, Ford could manage no better than five pars, seven bogeys, two double-bogeys, three triple-bogeys and a quadruple-bogey on the 10th hole. Ford nevertheless proved to be the second best golfer in his foursome and the one who prompted most applause. Ford drove golf cart No. 1 and the ride appeared to be good because his passenger, Ken King of Australia, easi ly shot his way to the foursome’s lowest score. Although talented, King aroused secret-service agents with his line drive shot off the eighth tee into the yardage marker, caroming into the rough. Nothing like that perturbed Brazil ian Boaventura Otero, who whistled while he bogeyed, making Ford's ef forts appear that much better. Otero would whistle before his tee shot, before his iron attempt and before his putt. He also would whistle after miss ing said shots. And then there was Erwin Weisberger, a West German who seemed to be highly honored to be playing with Ford. So honored was Weisberger that he rushed his play not to slow the ex-president. It seemed he feared German-American relations were on the line. “I'm sorry about causing you so many inconveniences,’ Weisberger said, passing Ford in search of his own ball along the sixth fairway. “No problem, no problem,’’ said Ford, who was generous with praise for his playing partners on all 18 holes. The Broadmoor gallery also was quick to commend the former presi dent with its applause — regardless of the shot, be it short, long, off to the side or just plain badly hit. The crowd seemed to yearn to clap, but the crowd didn’t seem to want be much of a crowd. Some 100 spectators surrounded the first tee but by the next hole half had left. The gallery dwindled to 10 after three holes and a hole later Ford's foursome commanded a gallery of three. Twelve marshalls cordoned off the course as the ‘gallery’ marched on. Only at the 15th and 16th holes by the clubhouse was the gallery as signif icant. After six holes, four white-helmeted marshalls carried 75 feet of yellow rope the width of the fairway to prevent the gallery — a lone reporter — from mov ing too close to the ex-president. They cleverly terminated that play a hole later, and the three secret-service agents accompanying Ford didn’t ap pear to protest. After all, there were more special agents and officials than gallery. If Ford's irons game was as good as his drives and putting, he likely would not have shown displeasure with his high score. Several times he would drive some 250 yards down the center of a fairway only to eliminate birdie possibilities with a pitiful shot into a rough or over a green. But for a 65- year-old man who many predict will run for president in two years, that's not particularly shabby. “His drives impressed me,”’ said Finsterwald, who followed Ford for all 18 holes. “For a senior golfer, he was extremely long off the tee. I'm sure he'll score better tomorrow.” Ford, whose net score of 8] was too high to be used for the U.S. total, will debut at 9 a.m. today on the West Course in the final round of team play. The gallery, which is admitted free of charge, is expected to be much larger than the non-walking crowd of Friday. GT Photos by Ken Abbott Gerald Ford enjoys his round at the Broadmoor The former President had his troubles, though, with a 96
Newspaper Details
Colorado Springs Gazette
Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
Sat, Aug 26, 1978
Page 17
Full Page
Clipped by
Angela O.
USA 24 Jun 2026
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