If Putter Looks Good, Garner Feels Good : Golf: El Toro teen-ager buys a new club, corrects a few flaws, then wins three junior tournaments in a row.

It might not be the answer for a nation of frustrated golfers, but Ben Garner has solved his own putting problems and part of the solution was an aesthetically pleasing putter.

An explanation is in order: Late last summer, Garner’s putter--a bulky model that Garner said was downright ugly--failed him. Tied for the lead in a junior tournament, Garner took three putts on each of the final three holes and dropped far off the pace.

For the next nine months, Garner continued to struggle with his putter. He had some success--he won the South Coast League championship as a freshman at El Toro High School--but he wasn’t satisfied with his consistency.

After some searching, Garner bought another putter and rediscovered his game. The new putter--a “Zebra”--has stripes that help Garner line up his putts, but he likes its looks best.

“You like to look down at something that looks good first of all,” he said. “And at something you can putt well with.

“(Actually), it doesn’t matter what you use. You could use an iron or even a wood. All that matters is you make the putts and beat everybody else.”

Lately, that’s what Garner has been doing. Since buying the new putter and correcting a few flaws in his driving, Garner has won three consecutive American Junior Golf Assn. tournaments.

At 14, Garner is already a three-year veteran of the AJGA, which sponsors a series of national junior tournaments. “It’s the pro tour for kids under 18,” said Garner, whose brother Joe, 16, also plays junior golf.

Because Ben Garner will turn 15 in September, this is his final summer in the 13-14 age group and he is taking full advantage of it. In his first tournament of the year, February in Texas, he played poorly and finished ninth. He finished fourth in May in Phoenix, then started his streak with a victory in June at Aspen, Colo.

After a 10-stroke victory in Palm Springs last month, he defeated Ted Oh of Torrance in the second hole of a playoff Friday to win in Henderson, Nev. On Tuesday, he will try for victory No. 4 at a tournament in Chicago.

“I can’t really be thinking about (continuing the streak) because it adds extra pressure,” Garner said. “But I hope it keeps up because I know when I turn 15, it’s going to stop really quick.”

That’s because the 15-18 division is dominated by Tiger Woods, a 15-year-old from Cypress who is currently the most celebrated junior golfer in the nation.

Garner knows the perils of competition against Woods. Garner remembers finishing second to Woods in tournament after tournament when he was 10.

“We’re friends, but when we are on the course we are raging enemies,” Garner said. “It’s like that with everyone in the AJGA. You want the other guy to choke. But that’s the only way to beat Tiger--if he plays really bad and you play good.”

But because of his competitive desire, Garner soon might be ready for the challenge.

“Ben would always find some way to beat you on the baseball field,” said his father, Jan, who coached Ben and his older brother Joe on Little League baseball teams.

Jan Garner remembers a league championship game in which Ben scored the winning run from first base on a groundball to second. The throw got away from the first baseman and Ben ran through a stop sign from the third base coach--his father--and beat the tag at the plate with a headfirst slide.

That headlong approach to athletics serves Garner well in the competitive world of junior golf. He says he looks forward to pressure situations and thrives on them.

In last week’s tournament near Las Vegas, for instance, Garner started the final round a shot behind Oh and trailed by three strokes with nine holes remaining. He was two down before playing the 17th hole, but made up those strokes with a par and a birdie, forcing the playoff that he won on the second hole.

“Going into the playoff, I was pumped and really looking forward to it, and, well, his peace of mind wasn’t good,” Garner said.