One Chip Shot Has Made the Difference for Pavin : Golf: Winning last year’s Bob Hope Classic in a playoff has given his game a charge.

Corey Pavin probably realized that 1991 was going to be a very special year when he beat Mark O’Meara at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in an improbable manner.

They were tied after 90 holes, and on the first playoff hole at Indian Wells, O’Meara was on the green, 15 feet from the cup. Pavin was in heavy rough, about 45 feet off the green.

The situation certainly favored O’Meara, but Pavin’s wedge shot found the green, took a couple of bounces and went into the cup for a birdie and a stunning victory.

“I had been playing well up to that event,” Pavin said. “I finished second at Pebble Beach, but I didn’t really have a chance to win there.

“I knew I was playing well going into that week, and I had won the Bob Hope tournament before (in 1987). So I had confidence.

“When things like that happen, like chipping in to win in a playoff, it kind of gives you an interesting perspective, such as maybe things are going to happen like that (all) year, and it gives you a lot of confidence to try things you might not have tried before.

“It gave me a whole lot of confidence in chipping the ball. I probably chipped better than I had in a long, long time.”

That victory was the catalyst in Pavin’s outstanding season. He also won the BellSouth Atlanta tournament in another playoff and was among the top three in four other tournaments.

Pavin, a former UCLA star, wound up as the PGA Tour’s leading money-winner with $979,430 and was the PGA of America’s player of the year

Moreover, he barely missed winning the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average, finishing second to Fred Couples, 69.63 to 69.59. He was even closer to winning the putting title, barely losing to Jay Don Blake.

Pavin, who will defend his Hope tournament title starting today, reflected on his memorable year in 1991 and how it might affect 1992.

“It was very exciting and, when you have a year like that, your expectations are very high to do the same things, or even better,” he said.

“But I don’t want to expect too much, only to learn things from last year and play as well as I can.

“Last year was a year I had been waiting for, for a long time. I had a lot of opportunities to win, and it’s a year I’ll always remember, especially the Ryder Cup.

“That was the highlight of the year. It’s the most tension and excitement that I’ve ever felt on a golf course. It was a wonderful week and a hard week all in one. One of my goals is to be on the team again.”

Pavin stands only 5 feet 9 and weighs 140 pounds. He is not exceptionally long off the tee, but Tom Kite describes him as “a gutsy player.”

He is also very competitive and when asked to analyze his game, Pavin said:

“I hit the ball straight, straighter than most, which makes up for not hitting it as far. I don’t get in trouble very much. My double-bogey count is very low. I like to think of myself as a smart player. I don’t think I make silly mistakes.”

Pavin hadn’t won on the tour since 1988 until he chipped in to beat O’Meara. His game was sort of in remission, partly because he had moved from California to Orlando, Fla., losing contact with his longtime teacher, Bruce Hamilton.

“I just didn’t have confidence in my swing,” Pavin said. “I thought I could do it on my own, but I couldn’t.”

Pavin re-established contact with Hamilton, and the results have been rewarding.

And it all goes back to that stunning chip shot from the rough.

“That one shot really meant a lot,” Pavin said. “It gave me confidence that I could do a lot of funny things and still come out OK.”

Of course, it wasn’t funny to O’Meara, who had lost some frustrating matches to Pavin while he was at Cal State Long Beach and Pavin was at UCLA.

In any event, they each played impressively in last year’s Hope, finishing the regulation 90 holes of the tournament in 29 under par, a tour record at the time.

“When I was 29 under, I birdied an average of every three holes, which is scary when you think about it,” Pavin said. “If I thought about it before the week started, it would be impossible.”

The Hope tournament will be held on four courses--Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, the Palmer course at PGA West and Indian Wells.

Three amateurs will play with a pro partner for four days, then the pros will play alone Sunday at Bermuda Dunes, the host course.