A SPECIAL REPORT: GOLF

OUR HERO: Who is the greatest golfer to ever come out of Orange County? It has to be 34-year-old Mark O’Meara, a member of last year’s Ryder Cup team, who lost in a playoff at the Bob Hope tournament in Palm Springs last week and finished fourth in the Phoenix Open on Sunday. He has won more than $4 million on the PGA Tour, including almost $600,000 last year. . . . O’Meara grew up a chip shot away from Mission Viejo Country Club and led Mission Viejo High School to a state championship. He won the U.S. Amateur before joining the PGA in 1980, when he was rookie of the year.