Souchak, who honed his muscles and tuned his timing as a football-playing golfer at Duke, died on Thursday of an apparent heart attack in the Tampa, Fla., area. He was 81.

"This is a terrible loss for golf and especially so for golf in our area," said Rebecca Riehm, a longtime member of the instructional staff at Belleair Country Club near Tampa. "Mike was dearly loved by those who knew him. You'll never find a finer gentleman, just never."

A golf captain at Duke in 1951 and '52, Souchak began his college career on teams with another famous player, Art Wall. That 1948 team won the old Southern Conference title and again in 1951, after Wall had graduated and was on his way to making a professional impact.

Souchak, a native of Berwick, Pa., was an important athlete for the Blue Devils as a wide receiver, end and place-kicker on the Wallace Wade-coached teams of the late 1940s and '50, which won regularly despite difficult schedules. As the team's place-kicker in 1950, he successfully converted 26 of 29 extra-point attempts.

But Souchak's first national recognition came when he won the 1955 Texas Open after shooting an opening-round 60, a feat that would give him a long-lasting place in golf history. He pulled it off by carding nines of 33 and 27.

In the years thereafter, Souchak won 14 more tour events, including the 1961 Greater Greensboro Open and 1956 Azalea Open in Wilmington, and he was regularly a contender at the Masters, where he became something of a cult figure for his ability to hit tee shots beyond the conventional landing areas for most players.

(Caulton Tudor)

NORMAN'S EX GETS $103 MILLION: Greg Norman's divorce from his wife of 26 years, Laura Andrassy, came with a hefty price tag -- $103 million.

According to The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, Norman married tennis star Chris Evert last month and could not be reached for comment because they are on their honeymoon. An e-mail sent to Norman's publicist was not immediately returned.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Kenny Perry continued his best run in more than two decades on the PGA Tour, firing a 6-under 65 in the first round that put him one shot off the lead in the PGA Tour event in Silvis, Ill.

Perry, 47, is right behind Ken Duke and Charlie Wi in a tie for third after winning two events last month. Woody Austin was in a group at 5 under.

Play was delayed briefly in the morning because of lightning in the area and again for 1 hour, 55 minutes in the afternoon.

SCOTTISH OPEN: Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els failed to break par in the first round, and Alexander Noren and Thongchai Jaidee shared the lead with 7-under 64s in the PGA European Tour event in Luss, Scotland.

Angel Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, was third with a 65 in this tuneup before the British Open at Royal Birkdale, which begins next week.

Mickelson and Els returned from three-week layoffs. Mickelson shot a 71 and Els a 72.

NATIONWIDE TOUR PLAYERS CUP: Rick Price shot an 8-under 64 for a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Nationwide Tour event in Bridgeport, W.Va.

Former Wake Forest standout Kyle Reifers shot a 66 to share second place with Jason Schultz and Won Joon Lee.

(The Associated Press)