THE LOS ANGELES OPEN : Riviera a Special Place to Beck : His Victory Here Last Year Ended 10-Year Struggle

For every pro who is eminently successful on the PGA Tour there are countless others who are struggling.

Some pack it in, reasoning that the mental strain and frustration are not proper rewards for pursuing a goal that seems tantalizingly out of reach.

A year ago, Chip Beck was one of the strugglers. It was his 11th year as a pro, and even though he had been rewarded financially at times, he had yet to win a tournament.

Then he broke through at the Nissan Los Angeles Open at Riviera Country Club, where he won his first tour event.

The victory so boosted his self-esteem and confidence that he went on to win another tournament, the USF&G; Classic, and earn $916,818 for the year, second only to Curtis Strange’s record $1,144,677.

As the defending champion in the L.A. Open, beginning today at Riviera, Beck obviously has fond memories of the course.

“I’m glad (the first win) came at this particular course because of the history here,” Beck said. “You feel you’re competing with the past. It was one of Ben Hogan’s favorite tracks.

“The course hasn’t changed a whole lot and that’s always nice. There aren’t many golf courses where you can say Hogan did things on such and such a hole. The course has always produced great champions. It’s a wonderful feeling to have my first defense here.”

For the North Carolina-born Beck, the struggle has been worth it, but the agonizing memories of other years are still with him.

“I went through every range of emotional turmoil you can imagine,” said Beck of his 10 winless years. “There’s doubt and you question every part of your fiber and you struggle with yourself.”

Beck seriously considered quitting the Tour at the end of the 1982 season.

“I just wasn’t producing,” he said. “It seemed pretty futile for me to be playing golf just for a living. So I gave myself 2 more years. I showed some promise and I’m glad it came through for me because I love playing golf.”

The strain of persevering on the tour also had taken its toll on his personal life, resulting in a divorce.

“The life style is difficult,” he said. “It’s not easy being married to a struggling golfer. It’s not easy being married to a pro period. It takes a lot of bending on both parties.”

Even though one would assume that there’s pressure on a defending champion, Beck regards his status as a plus.

“I think you start 1-up in a lot of ways because of a positive past experience,” he said.

For sure, the field is formidable with 12 former champions competing: Beck; T.C. Chen, 1987; Doug Tewell, 1986; Lanny Wadkins, 1985 and ‘79; Dave Edwards, 1984; Gil Morgan, 1983 and ‘78; Tom Watson, 1982 and ‘80; Johnny Miller, 1981; Tom Purtzer, 1977; Hale Irwin, 1976; Dave Stockton, 1974, and George Archer, 1972.

Moreover, 9 of the top 10 money winners in 1988 are in the field: Strange, Beck, Ken Green, Tom Kite, Mark Calcavecchia, Sandy Lyle, Ben Crenshaw, David Frost and Wadkins.

Watson is among the many pros who revere the Riviera course.

“It’s the ultimate type of course,” he said. “Some people can’t break 100 here, but will still have a good time. And it’s a real test of golf for a pro.

“With the weather like it is, there should be some low scores.

The total purse is $1 million and the winner’s share is $180,000.

With escalating purses, the tour has become more competitive, Watson said.

“It takes only 2 or 3 good years for a person to make a lifetime amount of earnings if he plays well,” Watson said. “We’re talking about people earning $1 million in year (as Strange did in 1988).”

Beck was asked if it’s possible now for any one player to win 8 tournaments in a year, as Miller did in 1974.

“I do believe the human potential is greater than the mass,” Beck said. “One man can do it and in time it will happen. However, a (Jack) Nicklaus comes along just once in a while.

Nicklaus’ victory in the 1986 Masters at age 46 inspired Beck.

“I was so impressed by that performance,” he said. I think it was (then) that I knew it was more important to believe you could win, versus having all the physical capabilities to win. I don’t think Jack was in his best physical shape, yet he won.

“There are so many elements to the game and that’s what makes it so great. It affects every player, even the amateurs. It’s hard to play the same every day.

“It’s the spirit of the game that produces a lot of humility and a feeling of satisfaction if you can master it for a week, or even a day.”

Beck is reasonably satisfied with his game at this juncture of the season.

He finished fifth in the Tournament of Champions at La Costa, earning $31,000. He didn’t fare as well in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, earning $12,171.

But he finished second to Calcavecchia in the Phoenix Open for a $75,000 payday. He didn’t play in the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am while preparing for the L.A. Open.

His goals for the year?

“One good thing about golf is that your goals are set for you every week,” Beck said. “How high is the mountain?”

Golf Notes

Chip Beck shot a 65 Wednesday in the pro-am event, the low round. Jodie Mudd and his team of Ed Schiller, Irwin Smith, Larry Kaleff and Harold Becker won the team championship with a net 53. . . . Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, hitting, of course, from the left side, reportedly almost drove the green on the 310-yard 10th hole. Valenzuela claims he has a 13 handicap. He was playing with pro Ken Green.

Dave Stockton said that he has always tried to help the young players on the Tour. He recalled that when he started on the tour, only Don January and a few others tried to help him. Stockton added that Sam Snead was not among them and remembered specifically how Snead tried to psych him in the 1974 L.A. Open:

“On the 17th hole, I have 115 yards left and he has 130. He hit his shot and walked right past my ball and onto the green and marked his ball.”

After missing his putt, Stockton had only a 1-shot lead over Snead as they went to the 18th tee.

“Then he turned to me and said, ‘Son, you probably don’t remember this, but I birdied the last 3 holes to beat Ben Hogan here in 1950.’

“I walked away from him and the more I thought about what he said, the madder I got, which is exactly what he wanted me to do. I was so mad I was determined to birdie the hole.

“I just killed a 3-wood, 243 yards to the hole and, though it didn’t get on TV. I just turned around and shook my fist right in his face. Then I walked up and made the 12-foot putt for a birdie to win.”