Jerry L. (Lanny) Wadkins

Five records were set and two more tied when Jerry L. (Lanny) Wadkins won by one stroke over Thomas 0. Kite, Jr., at the Waverley Country Club, Portland, Ore. Wadkins scored 67-73-69-70- 279 to set the 72-hole record and lowest first-round score.

Kite set records for 36 holes (136) and 54 holes (207), and the 36-hole cutoff score was 148, the fifth record. Kurt Cox shot 65 in the second round to equal the single round record set by Marvin M. (Vinnie) Giles III, in 1968.

Kite appeared to have the Championship won as he played the 15th hole. Here he overshot the green, failed to reach it with a short chip, got on in four, then took two putts for a 6 and fell a stroke behind Wadkins, who was playing with him. Then began a strange series of holes.

Both Wadkins and Kite made birdies on the 206-yard par 3 16th, they followed with two over par 6s on the 448-yard 17th, Kite almost hitting his second shot into the Willamette River along the right side of the fairway, and then they both made birdie 4s on the 577-yard 18th. Wadkins putted first and holed out from 20 feet. Kite followed with a birdie putt of 10 feet, and finished with a 72-hole score of 280.

The previous record had been 284 set in 1968 by Bruce Fleisher at the Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio. Three players tied the old record. They were Gary Cowan, of Canada, the 1966 Champion, James R. Gabrielsen, and James B. Simons. Two players scored holes in one.

Gene Howard, of Chicago, scored one on the 11th hole during the second round, and Scott Bess, of Columbia, Mo., scored another on the sixth hole during the third round. At 6,469 yards, the course was the shortest during the post World War II era, and 16 sub-par rounds were played. The entry was 1,853.