Fans Up to Par : Some Golf Enthusiasts Ignore a Light Rain to See Their Heroes at Ojai

Donna Nahas and Mary Foley were not about to let a bit of rain stop them from watching Chi Chi Rodriguez play golf in Ojai on Thursday.

Although a heavy drizzle was falling on the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club, the two Santa Barbara nurses were determined to wait out the storm to watch Rodriguez tackle the par-three 14th hole.

They donned raincoats, popped open umbrellas and hunkered down under an empty television tower to await Rodriguez and the four amateurs accompanying him during the day’s pro-am round.

When tournament play officially begins in the GTE West Classic today, the TV tower will be swarmed with camera crews and spectators. But for now, Nahas and Foley were practically alone.

“We’re here to watch Chi Chi,” Nahas said. “We saw him win here last year, he’s just a lot of fun,” she said, proudly adding that he had given her his autograph earlier in the day.

“We’re really here to see his Chi Chi dance,” Foley confided, alluding to the histrionics that have made Rodriguez a fan favorite on the PGA Senior Tour.

Defending champion Rodriguez is one of the key draws of the GTE West Classic, which is now in its fourth year in Ojai. But he seemed to be off his game when the rain began during the latter part of Thursday’s round.

After missing successive birdie putts, he stopped giving autographs, refusing several requests that he sign golf balls, hats and posters.

“He’s not too much fun today, because he’s not playing too well,” said GTE Chairman Rocky Johnson, who was part of Rodriguez’s fivesome.

Attendance was a bit sparse Thursday, but tournament director Skip Whittet predicted crowds of 10,000 or more for each day of the professional event--provided the weather holds up.

Last year, one full day was rained out, but Whittet’s philosophy mirrors that of the umbrella-toting fans: “There’s not a thing you can do about the weather,” he said.

“We will do the best we can. The only time we will quit playing is if the golf course becomes unplayable or dangerous.”

The weather, and its impact on business during the special event, was one of the main topics of conversation in the stores that line the Ojai Arcade, a shoppers’ mecca not far from the golf course.

“If it rains, the men will still play golf and there will be plenty of spectators,” said Elizabeth MacDonnell, who owns The Red Poppy, a clothing and curio store. “But their wives will come downtown to shop.”

Virginia Layfield, a sales clerk in a clothing and jewelry shop called Helga and Helmut, Wearable Art, agreed. “If they get rained out this weekend, though, that will really bring them down here,” she said.

All the town’s accommodations have been rented for the tournament weekend, a spokeswoman for the Ojai Chamber of Commerce said. “We haven’t really seen too many tourists in town yet, but as the tournament gets going this weekend, business is bound to pick up a lot,” said office manager Vanda Clements.

On the golf course, the galleries surrounding most players were also small during the off-and-on showers.

Drew Weilbacher, an 11-year-old fan from Oxnard, made the most of the situation, getting close enough to a number of professionals to snare their autographs on golfer trading cards that his father gave him.

Late in the afternoon, Drew proudly displayed his autograph collection. “I got Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez . . . ,” Drew said.

The highlight of the tournament was not the autographs, Drew said, but watching the players’ form and style.

“I really like coming out here and watching their swings,” the young golfer said, adding that he plays every weekend and already shoots in the mid-80s.

Players on the regular PGA Tour are expected to shoot par, in the low 70s, or better but scores on the seniors tour often reach the low 80s.

In Thursday’s pro-am round, high scores were almost the norm, especially for the amateurs. The non-professionals had to shell out $2,500 for two rounds, but most were sponsored by corporations, Whittet said.

Joe Musolino, a Dallas businessman who was one of many pro-am players sponsored by GTE, played his rounds with Huey Johnson, whose golfing heyday was more than 30 years ago.

“He played pretty well, but nothing like this guy,” Musolino said, as Gary Player belted a 250-yard drive down the middle of the fairway.

Nostalgia reigns in seniors golf, and the highest accolades Thursday were saved for Arnold Palmer. The galleries following Palmer around the course Thursday dwarfed those of his fellow golfers.

During a news conference after his round, Palmer was asked what’s different about golf today.

“Some of the younger players today . . . approach it more like a business,” he said. “Golf has always just been a game to me.”

MAIN SPORTS STORY: C2