HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW / GOLF : Long Shots of Amiable Gore Could Boost Hart’s Odds

If Eldrick Woods’ nickname, Tiger, is zoologically suited to his personality, then call Hart High senior Jason Gore the Teddy Bear.

When it comes to tearing up the golf course, Tiger might earn the lion’s share of publicity. Ask the nation’s best junior players to vote for whom they would rather play with, though, and Gore would win the popularity contest, hands down.

Woods and Gore have met in junior golf events across the nation. In 1991, Woods was selected the American Junior Golf Assn. player of the year.

Gore was selected the AJGA sportsman of the year, which means he never has to beg to join a foursome. Woods, a sophomore from Western High in Anaheim, is considered by some junior players to be supremely confident, if not downright cocky.

“He’s damn good,” Gore said. “He’s intimidating. Just the name is scary.”

Gore, conversely, is one of the most colorful and popular players on the junior circuit. While Woods’ demeanor is sometimes more akin to that of dour touring pros such as Bruce Crampton or Davis Love III, Gore laughs his way along like Fuzzy, Chi Chi or Lee. Can nice guys finish first?

To many, Gore already has.

“Everybody in the league likes him,” said Dave Kemp, who coaches Foothill League rival Burbank. “He’s a dominant player and he’s not arrogant at all. He’s very down to earth.

“He’s the class of the league.”

Gore is long on friends, long off the tee. Two years ago, in the Southern California Golf Assn. high school finals at El Caballero Country Club in Woodland Hills, Gore twice reached par-five holes of more than 500 yards with a driver and a five-iron. Then 15 years old, he was the definitive baby boomer.

Earlier this season, on the 240-yard, par-three ninth at Lakeside Country Club in North Hollywood, he jumped on a three-iron and hit it to the back of the green.

“I needed a two-iron, but I don’t carry one,” said Gore, a scratch player. “So I just hit it hard.”

The rest of the players in the group hit woods or one-irons. Stories about Gore’s prodigious length abound. He was winning long-drive contests against adults before he had a driver’s license. “I’d enter more of ‘em if there were any around,” he said.

At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Gore has the build to hit it a country mile. Then there is his driver, which he fondly refers to as “a telephone pole.” An extra-stiff graphite shaft is connected to a metal club head, and when Gore hits it square it sounds like a rifle shot.

His average drive is about 280 yards, he says, with occasional blasts in excess of 300. Even better, Gore seems to have found consistency.

“I’ve found the happy medium,” he said with a laugh. “I’m where I want to be.”

Which, more often than not, is in the fairway. After Hart’s first six matches, Gore is a cumulative two-over par, which is where some players stand after the first hole of the first day. Last week at the par-62 Vista Valencia Golf Course, Hart’s home course, Gore was six-under par after 10 holes and finished at five under.

While Gore is not as nationally recognized as Woods--who played in the Los Angeles Open last month at age 16--he is well-known in college recruiting circles. Gore was heavily pursued by NCAA Division I programs and received the ultimate payoff.

The NCAA limits golf teams to a maximum of 4 1/2 scholarships, which are routinely disbursed among several players. Gore was offered a full ride by several schools and took recruiting trips to Arizona, Houston, Florida, Arizona State and Texas El Paso. He accepted a full scholarship from Arizona last fall.

Soon thereafter, Woods and Gore hooked up in the Rolex Junior Classic in Tucson. In the match-play quarterfinals, Gore won holes 16 and 17 to pull even with Woods. Necks strained to follow the action as a huge gallery followed the pair down the 18th fairway. Local television video crews recorded every move.

“I got a lot of publicity in that one,” Gore said. “I was the new boy coming into Arizona and he was, well, Tiger Woods.”

Alas, Woods birdied the 18th hole to defeat Gore, 1-up. Woods, to nobody’s surprise, went on to win the event.

Gore went home with a smile on his face and a new group of admirers. “It was a lot of fun,” he said.

For Gore, there is no other way.

Teams to watch:

SOUTHERN SECTION

* Westlake (Marmonte League)--It is not the best Westlake team in recent years, but because the Warriors have established the strongest program in the area, it might nonetheless be strong enough to win a league title. Seniors Jon Talifer, Kevin Sorensen and Mark Buntz, all returning starters, form the core of the team. Both Talifer (Purdue) and Buntz (Arizona State) have earned partial college scholarships.

* Agoura (Marmonte League)--Ryan White, a senior, has held off stiff competition from freshman Mike Sepe to retain the team’s top position. Sepe already has broken par in a match and teammate Mike Joseph, another freshman, is nearly as good as Sepe. Earlier this month, Agoura beat Westlake in a three-way match at North Ranch Country Club, Westlake’s home course.

* Newbury Park (Marmonte League)--Senior Darren Humphrey, who sports a two handicap, leads a group of three returning seniors who could make the Panthers a contender for the league title. Humphrey had a superlative fall and was the national points leader on the ESPN-sponsored Junior Tour. In an event last fall at Marco Island, Fla., Humphrey shot a five-under 67 to set a course record. Seniors Brad Bronk and Ryan Martin are returning lettermen.

* Rio Mesa (Channel League)--The Scorpions have won three consecutive league titles and had bagged 28 league matches in a row until losing, 407-410, to Buena on Tuesday. While the team might not be as strong as in the past, senior Lawrence O’Neil might be the best player in Ventura County. He already has earned a scholarship to Houston. Senior Tim Herman is a returning letterman.

* Buena (Channel League)--Junior Chad Wright and O’Neil of Rio Mesa are expected to wage a fierce battle for the league’s individual title. Wright is a scratch golfer at the punitive Wood Ranch Country Club and is regarded as one of the best players in the Southland. Wright placed third last season in the Southern Section individual finals as a sophomore. The entire Buena team returns, led by senior Brett Philpott and juniors Tyler Satchwell, Mike Engle and Ralph Lake.

* Burbank (Foothill League)--Led by a pair of multisport athletes, Burbank might be the only team capable of unseating Hart as the league champion. Senior Trevor Dossen (football, basketball) and junior Mike Jonas (basketball) have been consistent.

* Hart (Foothill League)--Gore is the lone full-time starter returning from a team that arguably was the strongest in the region last spring. Seniors Adam Hill and Mike O’Brien lettered last season, but the remainder of the team is green.

* Alemany (Mission League)--Juniors Scott Heyn, Glen Musser and Jason Rosenfelt have been consistent in early matches and make the team the favorite to win the league title.

* Crespi (Mission League)--Seniors Rob Collins, Ricky Russell and Bryan Flam return for the Celts, who will field a team from a group of four seniors and four sophomores.

* Notre Dame (Mission League)--Senior Greg Gonzalez and sophomore Scott Scozzola give the Knights a good shot at the league title. Emilee Klein, a senior who won the women’s state amateur title as a freshman, also will play with the varsity on occasion.

CITY SECTION

* Grant (City 5-A League)--The Lancers emerged from the City 4-A League to steal the City team title last spring--the first in school history--and will be favored to repeat the feat. Grant has a solid nucleus of players back, including senior Corey Karpin, who placed ninth individually last spring in the City finals. Johnny Choi, a senior, placed 11th individually last year. Elise Kim, a junior who ranks among the more talented girls’ players in the region, also returns.

* Taft (City 5-A League)--A perennial contender for the title, Taft can never be counted out and should make a run at Grant. Seniors Sheldon Mink and Garrick Moscowitz, starters last season, lead the Toreadors.