ORANGE COUNTY GOLF NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : Bob May Finds Goats About Par for This Course

Bob May knew a golf career might take him to exotic destinations, but he never expected to be playing where there were goats on the fairways.

Yet that was just one of the oddities he encountered on the Asian Tour last spring. The goats on a course in India were apparently meant to serve as fairway lawn mowers. The greens were cut by men using a push mower.

“One guy would push, the other had a rope around his neck pulling,” May said. “They were pretty big greens, so they would mow about three a day. It’s about like putting on your front lawn.”

May became accustomed to such golf hardships--locals also bathed in water hazards on some courses--but he never got used to the poverty he witnessed. In the Philippines, May saw families living in squalid cardboard boxes by the side of the road.

“It was pitiful,” he said. “The only way to do it justice is to take a picture. Otherwise, there’s no way anyone would believe people live there.”

All in all, it was an eye-opening experience for May, 23, of La Habra, in his first year as a professional. May set off for Asia after failing to qualify for his PGA Tour card last November. He’s now competing on the Ben Hogan Tour.

After completing a successful collegiate career at Oklahoma State by helping the Cowboys win the 1991 NCAA title, May was the runner-up to Gary Wolstenholme at the British Amateur and was a member of the United States’ winning Walker Cup team.

Though May never finished higher than 14th in the 10 tour tournaments in Asia, he won about $23,000, which easily covered his expenses of about $12,000.

In only five Hogan events, May has won $23,940, to move into 43rd place on the money list.

May is a non-exempt player, which means he must often qualify for tournaments on Mondays. After finishing a tournament this month in Springfield, Mo., May drove the six hours to Wichita, Kan., and played seven holes of practice before it got too dark.

The next morning he shot five-under par 67 at Reflection Ridge to qualify and preceded to go 13-under after the first two days.

Jeff Woodland of Australia caught him on the final hole on the final day, sinking a 20-foot par putt to force a playoff. The players matched each other on the five playoff holes--birdie, par, birdie, par, birdie--before they were forced to stop by darkness. The next day Woodland birdied the sixth playoff hole to win the $25,000 first-place prize.

May got $14,375 for second, but missed out on the one-year Hogan exemption and the life exemption from the first stage of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.

“You have goals but you can’t plan too far ahead because you never know how well you’re going to do,” May said. “I’ll keep doing it until I make (the PGA Tour). I think it’s just a matter of time.

“I’ve proved to myself that I can play with the guys who do have their PGA cards. A lot of it is self-confidence. Confidence can take you there or out of there.”

May is currently taking a break from the Hogan Tour. Friday, he’ll play in the Oklahoma Open in Edmond and next week he will marry his fiancee, Brenda Rice, whom he met at Oklahoma State.

After a European vacation, the couple plans to move to Anaheim Hills, near Yorba Linda Country Club, where May is a member.

May plans to rejoin the Hogan Tour in October for the final three tournaments--in Sonoma County, Bakersfield and Fresno.

Another local golfer, Mike Miles, is making a go of it on the Hogan Tour. Miles, who played at Cypress High School and Cal State Long Beach, ranks 68th on the money list with $15,506. His best finish was eighth last month at the Dakota Dunes Open in South Dakota.

Tom Sargent, the head professional at Yorba Linda Country Club, finished third at the Southern California PGA championship last week at La Costa. Sargent had a three-round total of 215, six shots behind winner Jeff Fairfield of Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells and two behind Todd Yoshitake of Alhambra Municipal.

Hole of the Week: Anaheim’s Dad Miller Golf Course has mostly simple holes, but the one exception is No. 12, a 341-yard par 4.

Distance isn’t the challenge on this dogleg left. The main trouble comes from a ditch that divides the hole. The best way to avoid an ugly score is to lay up between the bridge on the left side and the telephone pole on the right side of the fairway.

Off the tee, anything too far left is out of bounds. A well-placed tee shot leaves between 150 and 170 yards to the green, which slopes from back to front. The second shot is usually into the wind.

It takes a drive of about 220 yards with a slight hook to clear the ditch.