Douglas Seeks Repeat in Vintage Golf

INDIAN WELLS — Dale Douglass, who scored his first Senior Tour victory a year ago in the Vintage Chrysler Invitational, faces a tough time trying to repeat his California success.

Douglass, who won back-to-back last spring in the Vintage and the Los Angeles tournament, and 50 other veterans tee off today in the opening round of the 72-hole tournament at Vintage Country Club.

The field, one of the best ever in the rapidly growing tour for the 50-and-over crowd, includes Billy Casper, a five-shot winner at Sun City, Ariz., last week; Arnold Palmer; Chi Chi Rodriguez, leading money winner of last year; Bruce Crampton and Peter Thomson, the 1985 Vintage champion.

Apparently, Douglass, is trying to duplicate his feat of a year ago. In 1986, he became eligible for the senior tour just a couple of days before the Arizona tournament. He finished second, then won the two California tournaments.

He earned $96,000 in three weeks. That was more than he earned in any year on the regular PGA Tour. Again this year, he has started out with a second in Arizona.