Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 24, 1991

Arnold Palmer always has had a hit-or-miss relationship with Rancho Park Golf Course. . . .

He won the Los Angeles Open on the Pico Boulevard municipal layout in 1963, 1966 and 1967. . . .

But his most famous--rather, infamous--day at Rancho came in 1961, when he put four consecutive shots out of bounds and finished with a 12 on the par-five ninth hole. . . .

Palmer, 62, has returned to the scene of the crime and the championships this week for the $500,000 Security Pacific Senior Classic. He has not won a tournament on the senior tour since 1988 in Richmond, Va., and ranks 45th on the money-winning list this year. But he is expected to draw the biggest galleries Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the 54-hole tournament. . . .

Sign of the times: Palmer’s most lucrative year on the regular tour was 1971, when he won $209,603. In 1988, he earned nearly that much, $185,373, on the senior tour. . . .

Rancho, whose property was acquired by the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department in 1964 for $225,000, is played by more golfers than any other municipal course in the nation. The daily average is 400. . . .

George Archer, who will be among the favorites this weekend, shares the course record of 61 with Bobby Howe. Archer’s was in the 1983 Los Angeles Open and Howe’s in a club championship match in 1968. . . .

Given the opportunity by the lack of the designated hitter rule, the Minnesota Twins’ Tom Kelly overmanaged in Game 3 of the World Series. . . .

I mean, something is wrong when you have to pinch-hit with a pitcher, Rick Aguilera, with the bases loaded in the 12th inning of a tie game. . . .

The switch from an artificial field indoors to a grass field outdoors was refreshing. . . .

CBS is replaying me to death. . . .

Field reporting is worthwhile when the reporter is Jim Kaat. . . .

When Reggie Jackson’s home was razed in Oakland, it was the third time that he suffered a major loss to fire. Jackson lost many vintage cars in a warehouse fire a few years ago. . . .

The game at Arizona State Saturday could be pivotal for UCLA. A victory over the hot-and-cold Sun Devils would give UCLA a 5-2 record, a good chance to play in a bowl game and momentum for the stretch drive against Washington State, Stanford, Oregon and USC. . . .

Terry Donahue is 4-0 against Arizona State in Tempe, where he began his collegiate head coaching career with a 28-10 victory in 1976. . . .

USC Coach Larry Smith on Notre Dame: “They’re very controlled. They block well and tackle well. It’s nothing fancy. . . . good, old-fashioned Midwestern football.” . . .

It seems as though one team or the other always is dominant in this series. Notre Dame was 9-2 from 1951-61. USC was 12-2-2 from 1967-82. And now Notre Dame is 8-0. . . .

Statistics don’t always tell the story: Desmond Howard of Michigan, perhaps the most valuable college football player in the nation, ranks third in the Big Ten in pass receiving yardage. . . .

The dominant wide receiver in the Pacific 10 is UCLA’s Sean LaChapelle, who has caught nine touchdown passes this season and will equal the school record with his next. . . .

The change from excitable Jerry Glanville to calm Jack Pardee has helped turn the Houston Oilers’ Cris Dishman from a cornerback with the reputation of an Andre Waters to a Pro Bowl candidate. . . .

How does Minnesota Viking Coach Jerry Burns keep his job? . . .

Cleveland Brown quarterback Bernie Kosar hasn’t thrown an interception this season. . . .

Harvey Williams is doing to Barry Word in Kansas City what Harold Green is doing to Ickey Woods in Cincinnati. . . .

That wasn’t a bad idea Cincinnati Coach Sam Wyche had in Buffalo Monday night, taking as much time as possible between plays to keep the ball away from the Bills’ explosive offense. The trouble was that the Bengals didn’t execute well enough. . . .

Another example of the unnecessary instant replay reviews in the NFL this season came when the replay showed that Eddie Brown of the Bengals took three steps in bounds in the end zone on a catch that was properly ruled a touchdown. . . .

Green Bay Packer Coach Lindy Infante’s job should be safe now that management has refused to give him a vote of confidence.