LOS ANGELES OPEN : Delsing and Trixler Not Only Show Up, They’re 2 Up at 66 : Who Are These Guys? Maybe Seve Knows

Every night before he goes to bed, Jay Delsing should whisper a little word of thanks to Severiano Ballesteros.

It it weren’t for Ballesteros, Delsing wouldn’t be playing in the Los Angeles Open. But Delsing is playing, and he came out shooting birdies Thursday, finishing the first round with a 66, five under par, at Riviera Country Club.

That gave the 6-5 1/2, 185-pound former UCLA All-American golfer a share of the lead with another California college product, Dennis Trixler of Fresno State. Each shot 33-33 over a course softened considerably by Wednesday’s heavy rain.

Two shots behind the leaders at 68 were Mac O’Grady, the ambidextrous professional who changed his name from Phil McGleno after leaving Hamilton High School, and tour veteran Bob Gilder of Corvallis, Ore.

Johnny Miller, former L.A. Open winner, had a 69, despite hitting a ball out of bounds, and shared fifth place with Lennie Clements, Doug Tewell, Danny Briggs, Jim Dent, Andy Dillard and Larry Mize.

So what does Seve Ballesteros, the Spaniard, have to do with all of this?

When the 1985 PGA Tour ended last October, Delsing stood No. 126 on the money list. Only the first 125 qualifed for this season.

Delsing, son of former major league outfielder Jim Delsing, was going to have to sit out the year, playing in mini-tours and hoping to get back on tour at the next qualifying school. Then Ballesteros was suspended for his failure to play in at least 15 tournaments last year.

Ballesteros, who had been No. 26, was wiped off the books by Commissioner Deane Beman, and everybody below Ballesteros moved up a notch. That left Delsing in the magic 125th spot. Just like that, he can play any time he wants.

“This is my first L.A. Open, but I played Riviera a lot when I was at UCLA,” Delsing said after his round. “I think my local knowledge of the greens came in very handy. The greens here can be tricky if you’re not familiar with them. I didn’t play last year in my rookie year because I couldn’t get in.”

Delsing, who made seven birdies and two bogeys, was fortunate to be in the first group off the tee at 7 a.m. That was before the winds kicked up off the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the West and before the soggy greens became spike-marked.

“I had to get up in the middle of the night to make my tee time, but it was worth it,” he said. “I was fortunate to make a lot of 10- to 12-foot putts. Riviera is usually known for its hard, fast greens, but today they were soft. That made it much easier to hit approach shots right at the pin.”

He made five birdie putts of 10 feet or more, including a 30-footer on the seventh hole. His shortest birdie putt was from less than a foot after he had drilled a 2-iron off the tee on the 238-yard, par-three fourth hole.

“I can’t believe the way 18 played,” he said. “I’ve always thought it was one of the best finishing holes in the country, but today it was downwind and played as easy as it can play.”

Delsing hit an 8-iron for his second shot on the 454-yard uphill par-four hole and sank a five-footer to end the day at 66.

It was Delsing’s best round in five tournaments this year but was well shy of his competitive record, a nine-under-par 62 in the B.C. Open last year.

In other tournaments this season, the former Bruin tied for 45th at the Hope, tied for 17th at Pebble Beach and missed the cut at San Diego and in Hawaii.

Although he came to UCLA from St. Louis, Delsing now lives in Brentwood, about five minutes from Riviera, with his wife, Kathy, who was his UCLA sweetheart.

“It’s nice to be able to play and then go home at night,” he said. Delsing was a basketball standout at St. Louis’ University High but said it took him only “about 25 minutes of watching the UCLA team” to decide that golf was his game in college and not basketball.

“Today was a nice boost for my confidence,” he said. “I had trouble making the transition from Pebble Beach to San Diego, but I felt better when I came back where I felt at home on the course.”

Delsing was low Bruin among a group of four former UCLA players in the tournament. Corey Pavin, last week’s winner in Hawaii, had his troubles on the front nine Thursday and finished with a 74. Steve Pate had a 70 and Tom Pernice a 77.

Trixler, if anything, has had a tougher row to hoe than Delsing to get into this tournament.

Now 28, he has twice lost his playing card and has won only $15,041 in five years on and off the tour. He made it through the qualifying school for the third time last November but ranks only 41st among the newcomers--a position not likely to get him many starting times.

“I’ve got to make the most of it when I get in a tournament,” he said. “I can’t pick and choose tournaments. I have to play every chance I get, even if it means playing till my legs fall off.”

Trixler, who calls qualifying school “six days of hell,” was leading the tournament until he took three putts for a bogey on his final hole.

“I knew I had the lead, but it didn’t bother me,” he said. “I don’t recall ever being in the lead on the 18th hole before. I knew it was only the first round, so I wanted to try to keep playing aggressively.”

Trixler took his only bogey on No. 9, his final hole. He put his 5-iron second shot onto the rear of the sloping green, leaving himself a 35-foot downhill putt. The ball rolled six feet past, and Trixler missed it coming back.

Like Delsing, Trixler believes he needs confidence in his game more than anything.

“Take Lanny Wadkins,” Trixler said. “When he steps on the first tee, he knows he’s going to win. Take me. When I step on the first tee, I only hope I can win. That’s a hell of a difference.”

Wadkins, the defending champion and last year’s PGA Player of the Year, shot a one-under-par 71, eight shots higher than his course-record 63 last year.

Although there were 22 sub-par rounds shot on the 7,029-yard, par-71 course, some of the big names found Riviera more difficult.

Hal Sutton, who won the PGA at Riviera in 1983 and the Phoenix Open last month, had a 43 on the back nine for a 79. U.S. Open champion Andy North had a 78 and former Open champion Larry Nelson a 76.

Also at 76 was former U.S. Amateur champion Nathaniel Crosby, who is trying to win his tour card after a year on the European circuit. Bob Tway, who beat Masters champion Bernhard Langer in a playoff at San Diego, shot a 74.

The day’s most frustrating experience, however, belonged to Wayne Grady, an Australian in his second year on tour. He was disqualified for hitting the wrong ball on the 17th hole.

Grady drove into the rough, hit out and finished the hole. Later, he looked at his ball and said to playing companions Brett Upper and Richard Zokol, “Hey, this isn’t my ball.”

He went back to where he had played the wrong ball and found the right one.

It’s getting to be a habit for Grady. This was the third time this year that he has hit the wrong ball and been disqualified. It also happened in the Bob Hope and Phoenix tournaments.