Now, It’s Tee Time : Hope Gets the Show on the Road, Opens the San Diego Open

The world’s most recognizable 83-year-old golfer wasn’t exactly swinging from the quips Tuesday in the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Pro-Am.

Bob Hope played it fairly straight--straighter than some of his drives, as a matter of fact--but no one in the gallery seemed to mind.

“Bob takes his golf very seriously,” said Chargers owner Alex Spanos, a frequent companion of Hope’s for a quarter-century.

“He expects to play as well now as he did 25 years ago. If it’s just the two of us, he doesn’t kid around. If he makes a bad shot in public, he’ll joke a bit, much as he hates it.”

Hope, naturally, was the focal point of a group that included Spanos, Nathaniel Crosby and Dan Fouts, along with amateur Jack Childers.

Each time he struck the ball, Hope had a shot at eagle--at least, from the waist down. His slacks were decorated with the vocabulary of the game: eagle, par and bogey.

As Hope’s group marched to the first tee at 12:40, the gallery stood three and four deep.

Hope listened appreciatively as a list of his golfing achievements and philanthropic contributions was intoned. “Take your time,” Hope said, grinning.

He didn’t seem to mind when he was described as “the mascot of the San Diego Chargers.”

When his book, “Confessions of a Hooker,” was cited, Hope said, “Thataboy!”

And then it was time to get down to play.

Hope’s first drive scattered the gallery on the right side of the fairway, much like the drives of another frequent companion, former President Gerald Ford, are known to do.

Hope took the wheel of a golf cart and chauffeured Spanos to the green, where Fouts was standing over a putt.

“Throw the ball, Dan,” someone yelled.

When Spanos rammed in his putt, Fouts quipped, “Way to go, boss.”

As Fouts walked toward the second tee, someone approached with a pen and a scrap of paper.

“Ah, you just want my autograph ‘cause I was the only one to make par,” Fouts said.

Hope managed to keep his second drive in the fairway, bringing a round of applause. “He sure knows how to play this game,” an admirer said.

As the round wore on, and the breeze off the ocean grew stronger and chillier, it became apparent that Hope wasn’t going to break the course record.

Even though his play may have bothered him, Hope kept the gallery smiling with his exaggerated gestures and grimaces.

Fouts probably captured the sentiments of the gallery when he said: “Month for month, year for year, Bob Hope may be the best golfer in the world.”

Tom Watson hasn’t made the cut here in two years and hasn’t won a tour event in nearly that long.

“Hell, yes, it was more fun when I was on a roll,” said the game’s most dominant figure during the past decade.

“I still have the confidence I can win. It’s in there somewhere. I just can’t find it.”

Watson said his game is starting to come around again--and he expects further improvement with renewed effort.

“I haven’t worked as hard as I used to, but that’s going to change,” he said. “My goal is to improve my short game, which was something I always could rely upon.

“In this game, you have to be mentally tough and know that you’ll come out of it if you keep working hard enough.”

Watson predicted another siege of low scores in this year’s San Diego Open--maybe even a 59.

Play starts today for the 156 pros, including defending champ Woody Blackburn. First prize in the tournament is $81,000.

Asked for the bottom line on his game, Watson said, “Well, when you combine mediocre play with poor putting, you come up with a lot of sixth- and seventh-place finishes, which is where I’ve been.”