Golf / Sam McManis : Hollis Stacy Uses Off-Season to Help Herself and USC Women’s Team

After playing in all those tournaments during the nine-month Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tour, one might think that the last thing a competitor would want to do in the off-season is play more golf.

But Hollis Stacy, a three-time U.S. Open winner who recently moved to Los Angeles from South Carolina, found herself without many practice partners during the lull. So Stacy contacted Cathy Bright, the USC women’s golf coach, and volunteered to serve as assistant coach twice a week.

Not only does it keep Stacy’s game sharp, it also seems to be helping USC. The Trojans won both tournaments in which they have competed--one in Japan, the other in Seattle--and freshman Tracy Nakamura was medalist in the Edean Ihlandfeldt Tournament in Seattle.

“She has been a big help,” Bright said. “Hollis lives in L.A. We’ve known each other professionally for some time and she just called three weeks ago.”

Bright, who guided the Trojans to a third-place finish in the NCAA tournament last season, still does most of the coaching. But Bright said that Stacy instructs the women on what touring is like and provides tips she has picked up in her 12 years on the tour.

“We have women on our team who are at a level where they will want to compete (on the pro tour),” Bright said. “I can’t tell them what it’s like, but Hollis has really inspired them.”

This isn’t the first time pro golfers have served as assistant coaches for local collegiate teams. Amy Alcott has helped out with UCLA’s team, and Donna Caponi has been a longtime booster of the USC women’s program.

Caponi, in fact, has been a major fund-raiser for the team and helped recruit players. But that association ended when she moved to Boston recently.

Basketball star Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls says he wants to try the PGA Tour after his NBA career is over. Jordan is said to be a good golfer, but good enough to turn pro?

Dr. Richard H. Coop, a sports psychologist who also is an avid golfer, told Golf Illustrated that Jordan can do it.

“(Michael) could’ve easily been a top PGA player,” he said. “Michael’s recent foot injury has made him a better golfer. It forced him to slow down on his swing.”

Golf Notes Cary Middlecoff is being inducted into the World of Golf Hall of Fame at Pinehurst during this weekend’s PGA Pro Am festivities. . . . The 1987 LPGA schedule was recently announced. The Southern California tour stops will be the GNA/Glendale Federal event at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale March 5-8, the Nabisco Dinah Shore at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage April 2-5, the Kyocera Inamori tournament at Bernardo Heights Country Club in San Diego April 9-12, and the new $300,000 Santa Barbara Open April 17-19. A new course, La Pursima, along with Sandpiper, will be the site of the Santa Barbara Open. La Pursima opened Sept. 26 and is open to the public. . . . The Bob Hope Desert Classic, held annually in the Palm Springs area, will have a new course this year. The PGA West Stadium Course in Palm Desert will be one of the four used. . . . Two widely known sports figures have been voted onto the board of directors of the recently reorganized TPA Tour, Inc. Bruce Devlin, who won nearly $1 million in prize money in his PGA career, and former college and professional football coach John Ralston were selected to the board Oct. 11. The TPA tour is the alternative to the PGA tour. Devlin, a golf architect in Houston, also is a commentator on ESPN’s golf coverage. . . . Chris Sibbs defended his championship at the Wilshire Country Club by defeating medalist Phil Seckinger, 5-4, in a 36-hole match. . . . Chuck Montalbano, former Southern California PGA champion, is leaving the Studio City driving range after seven years to become a teaching professional at Riviera Country Club. Montalbano will join head pro Ron Rhoads and women’s pro Maury DeMots at Riviera Nov. 1. . . . The 20th California Women’s Amateur tournament will be held Dec. 2-7 in Pebble Beach. The maximum handicap is 8. . . . In case you’re in Palm Desert and want to shoot a round at the noted del Safari Country Club, good luck finding it. After 17 years, the del Safari has changed its name to the Avondale Golf Club. Why? Bill Stevens, president of the club, explains: “Avondale is the selection of a name more closely allied to the birthplace of golf. We did not select a name of an already existing British golf course. Avondale is a contrived name to honor the founding of the game of golf.” Anything must sound more attractive than del Safari, which conjures images of huge and intimidating sand traps. . . . The amateur qualifying tournament for the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open (better known as the SLBAWO) will be held Dec. 13 at Torrey Pines South Golf Course. Last year’s winners were Pat Duncan, 29, of Rancho Sante Fe, and Jason Bittick, 18, of Yorba Linda. Only the top two finishers will earn berths in the tournament. . . . One tournament Bittick and other teen-agers won’t win is the 20th Palm Springs Municipal Golf Course senior tournament Nov. 13-14. Enrants must be at least 50, and the field is limited to 120 players. . . . Another tournament not for everyone will be held Nov. 14 at the Desert Inn Country Club in Las Vegas. It is the fifth Open Heart Open. The tournament is limited to golfers who have had open-heart surgery. The entry fee of $75 includes greens fee, cart, tee prizes and trophies for the winning teams. . . . As if Elgin Baylor weren’t busy enough trying to keep the Clippers from running aground again in the NBA season, the Clipper director of basketball operations is the host of a celebrity golf tournament Nov. 10 at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana to benefit the Hemophilia Foundation. Coca-Cola is the sponsor. . . . A regional qualifying school for the PGA Senior tour will be held Oct. 27-31 at Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs.

Pro-stock drag racer Butch Leal shot a 78 to edge top-fuel driver Dan Pastorini by a stroke in the National Hot Rod Assn. tournament at Mountain Meadows, a county course across the street from the NHRA drag strip at the L.A. County fairgrounds in Pomona. . . . The California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation will hold its fourth annual tournament Nov. 7 at Los Coyotes. . . . The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo baseball program will benefit from the Mike Krukow-Stroh’s celebrity tournament Nov. 14 at San Luis Obispo CC. Entries include the Angels’ Kirk McCaskill, Phillies’ Von Hayes, Giants’ Manager Roger Craig and players Bob Brenly, Chili Davis, Rob Thompson and Greg Minton.