Golfers Seek First Victory in Back Yard

Meg Mallon is in her third season on the LPGA Tour and hopes to make a good living by 1990 or 1991.

Heather Drew is in her seventh season and wants to save enough money to keep playing golf through 1992.

Debbie Skinner has been plugging away since 1975, and her primary goal is to stay a step ahead of her creditors.

These three have three things in common. All are from San Diego County, none has ever won much money in her chosen profession and each will be looking for her first tour victory when the Red Robin Kyocera Inamori tournament starts today at StoneRidge Country Club.

It isn’t easy for golfers who haven’t been able to make the big breakthrough, and this threesome epitomizes what life on the tour is like for the have-nots.

Mallon, who will turn 26 April 14, was born in Natick, Mass., attended Ohio State and now lives in Ramona. She has earned only $31,651 as a golfer, including $5,077 this year, and never has finished higher than 21st.

Drew, 29, was born in St. Louis, graduated from Torrey Pines High School and attended Arizona. Her family lives in Solana Beach, and she has an apartment in Rancho Mirage. She has earned $78,641--including a mere $388 this year--although she has finished as high as fifth.

Skinner, 34, was born in Los Angeles and lives in Chula Vista. She has earned just $42,471, with a career high of $9,215, and hasn’t finished higher than a tie for 10th. This will be her first tournament of 1989.

What keeps them going?

Mallon is still in the formative stage of her career. Having been on the tour only since 1987, she has yet to experience the frustration of the others.

“I’ve got time,” Mallon said. “Success in golf is kind of a progression thing, and since I haven’t won anything, I have to set a lot of little goals.

“When I start out the year, I want to make every cut. And I want to finish in the top 20 in every tournament. Pretty soon, I have to get more realistic. I’ve already missed three cuts this year.”

And her new goals?

“First, to qualify,” she said. “I made it this time by finishing in the top 90 last year. I was 87th (with $25,002). Second, to improve, and after ‘87, I couldn’t help but do that. I made $1,572 that year. When people ask me about my most embarrassing moment, I say it was ’87.

“The big thing is that I proved in my second year on the tour that I could compete on this level.”

It was with this in mind that Mallon gave herself until 1991 or 1992 to start cashing big paychecks.

“That would be my fourth or fifth year,” she said. “I want to get myself established by then. If not, it will be time to re-evaluate and consider something else to do.”

Then, of course, there is the dream about that elusive first tour victory.

“It would mean a lot to win here,” Mallon said. “A lot of super people from Ramona will be here. My parents and friends will be here in full force.

“I’ll really enjoy having those people here. Right now, I don’t exactly get prime-time tee times (when the crowds are bigger). Usually only the marshals are there when I tee off. I say ‘Good morning’ to them and then hit the ball.”

Although Drew has averaged only about $13,000 a year since joining the tour in 1983, she has had some success. After hitting a career high with her fifth-place finish in the Henredon tournament in North Carolina in 1987, she tied a tour record last year with two holes in one.

Drew’s first ace was in the Kemper Open in Kauai, Hawaii, her second in the Du Maurier Classic in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

“Would you believe I missed the cut both times?” she said. “The one in the Kemper was on a weird hole. The tee was extremely elevated, so I went down a steep hill. That helped. Both times, I did it on the second day. In the Kemper, I shot a seven the first day, so I still averaged bogey for the hole.

“Those were my first two holes in one ever. Whatever I do in the rest of my career, I’ll always have those to look back on.”

So far, this season has been forgettable. Drew has played in three tournaments and made the cut only once, earning her year-to-date total of $388 by finishing 69th in the Circle K tournament in Tucson.

“It was nothing to write home about,” Drew said. “Actually, I didn’t have to write anyway, because my parents were there.”

Only twice in her six pro seasons has Drew earned exempt status, and each time--1985 and 1987--she did so by taking the 90th and last spot. She is not exempt now, having finished 120th last year.

“I just fill in fields when they have room,” she said. “It’s very frustrating being in this position. Even if I start to play well, I won’t get into a tournament unless there’s room. Only a victory would change my status.”

Money is not a problem, at least not yet. That’s why she figures she can afford to play at least three years after this one.

“I put away what money I make,” she said. “If I could just win a tournament, though, it would mean so much to me personally. My confidence would definitely go up.

“Every time I play, I just keep hoping that will be the week I turn it around. I think I’m a better player than I’ve shown, so who knows? To win this week in front of my parents would be unbelievable.”

Skinner’s career has been even more checkered than Mallon’s or Drew’s. She was on the tour from 1975 through 1978, dropped to the mini-tour until 1982 and disappeared again in 1983 before returning to stay in 1984.

Having been around this long without really getting anywhere, Skinner has given some thought to retirement. But that thought is galling to her.

“Last year I played in only 10 events,” she said. “I won’t play many this year, either, but I’m sort of aiming toward next year. I’m not planning to retire just yet, but for financial reasons, I’ve had to cut back.

“I’m working for the March of Dimes in sports promotion, mostly golf. That makes the payments on my bills. I don’t travel much, because it costs too much. I’m trying to keep up my credit-card payments and avoid bankruptcy.”

Skinner feels that her struggle to stay out of the red has hurt her career.

“If I could only get the financial burden off my back, if I could get that monkey off my back, I’d be better off,” she said. “Sometimes when I’m down to my last dollar, I do well. Mostly, though, it bothers me to be in this predicament.”

How depressing is it?

“I’m not depressed about not winning a tournament,” she said. “Winning an LPGA event is every woman golfer’s dream. If I don’t do it, it won’t kill me. What’s depressing is not being able to make a living at the best thing I do in my life.”

Skinner has considered becoming a teaching pro but isn’t sure she has the right personality.

“The idea of teaching scares me to death,” she said. “The thought of having somebody else’s golf game in my hands is very scary. I have the patience, and I’m sure I have the knowledge, but I don’t think I’m outgoing enough.

“Still, I have to think about teaching, because I could make more money doing that than I make now.”

How much longer will she give herself to make her career profitable?

“There may come a day after I’ve been in it X number of years,” she said. “It’s not working, and I’ve got to find a way to do it. Whether finding the right sports psychologist or getting my bills paid off and starting fresh is the answer, I don’t know.

“When you’ve done something your whole life, it’s hard to think about doing something else.”

Mallon, Drew and Skinner can take encouragement from Sherri Turner, a veteran from Sugar Land, Tex. After struggling through her first four seasons without a victory, Turner won two events last year and wound up as the leading money-winner on the tour.

“I always felt my first victory would make a tremendous difference, and it did,” Turner said. “Once you win, you feel like you’re playing to win again, not just to survive.”

Golf Notes

A team led by Ayako Okamoto shot a 17-under par 54 to win the Maxell Celebrity Pro-Am, a preliminary to the Red Robin Kyocera Inamori tournament, at StoneRidge Wednesday. Amateurs with Okamoto were LPGA Commissioner Bill Blue, Kazuo Inamori, Herb Matsumoto and Kiwamu Yokokawa. Missie McGeorge’s team was second with a 55. . . . Ayako Okamoto isn’t bullish on her chances of winning the tournament for the third year in a row. “I’m not ready yet,” she said Wednesday. “Last year was a special year (she won a tournament as early as February). This year is a normal year. It takes time for me.” Okamoto was the tour’s leading money winner in 1987 with $466,034 and finished sixth last year with $300,206. This year, off to even a slower start than usual, she ranks 52nd with only $12,946.