GOLF : Red-Hot Lopez Refuses to Baby Her Game

Nancy Lopez is on a hot streak. She has the won the last two tournaments on the LPGA tour, which isn’t unusual, considering her status as an active Hall of Fame player.

But Lopez also has other priorities. She must balance her golf commitments with raising a family.

Lopez and her husband, former ballplayer Ray Knight, have three children--all girls: Ashley, 8; Errin, 6, and Torri, 11 months.

“With all three children, I quit playing when I was about five months pregnant,” Lopez said. “Basically, I probably could have played another month. But I thought, ‘What’s another month? I might as well go home, relax and enjoy my pregnancy to do things to get ready for the baby.’ That’s part of my life that I wanted to enjoy.

“So I didn’t play as long as I probably could have. The last (child), I played until I couldn’t. At five months with Torri, I was pretty much ready to go home. It was so hot and I felt sick because of the heat. And I knew I wasn’t going to perform. I was just beating my head against a wall.

“If I’m playing just to play, that’s not what I’m here for.”

Lopez, 35, began her pro career in 1977. In 1978 she won nine tournaments, including a record-setting five in a row.

In 1987, Lopez got her 35th victory, qualifying for the Hall of Fame.

She is playing in the Safeco Classic in Kent, Wash., this weekend. Her next LPGA event is the Los Coyotes Classic, starting Thursday in Buena Park. She won the Los Coyotes tournament in 1989 and 1900, but couldn’t defend her title last year because of her pregnancy.

As for her current winning streak, Lopez said, “You probably learn a lot about yourself with two wins in a row. What I haven’t coped, or dealt, with all year, is making 10-foot putts I should have made--and the last couple of weeks I have.

“It’s just getting the positive attitude and my nerves back into the game.”

Lopez said that she has no immediate plans for an even larger family.

“I’d love to have more children, but to make them live on tour is not fair and it wouldn’t be fair to me to be away from them,” she said. “If I stayed home, I’d definitely have more children.”

Lopez, who lives in Albany, Ga., says she isn’t putting any time limits on her career.

“I’m just playing it by ear,” she said. “As long as I feel can perform and win, then I’m going to play.”

She is impressed by the relatively new players on the tour, such as Dottie Mochrie, who has won four LPGA events this year; Michelle McGann, Brandie Burton and Danielle Ammaccapane.

“They are all quality players,” she said. “They’re the type players we need on the tour because there is a lot of personality there, too.

“Dottie is a tough competitor who people can latch onto. It’s the same with Michelle McGann. She has the colorful hats, and she is a big girl and hits it a long ways. The depth of our tour is so much better than it used to be.”

The LPGA tour has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and Lopez credits Commissioner Charles Mechem for the tour’s enhanced image.

“Our new commissioner has been a shot in the arm for us,” she said. “The sponsors respect him; what he says goes. He’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes is good for the tour. We needed him. Players respect him and would do anything for him. We’ve never had anybody that has affected the players that way in the years I’ve been on tour.”

A few years ago, Knight, who had played with five major league teams, caddied for his wife. But Nancy said he was only a fill-in.

“He was only caddying for me because my regular caddie (Tom Thorpe) was out of commission for a few weeks. It wasn’t going to be his job,” Lopez said.

Lopez has won 46 tournaments in her productive career.

“Ray (once) said he would like to see me win 50, but now he has upped it to 65,” Lopez, said, laughing.

She had been planning to take some time off, but winning changed her mind.

“I was going to go home, but I have a chance to win the Vare Trophy, so I have to play the next two weeks.

The Vare Trophy is awarded to the LPGA player with the best scoring average. Lopez has won it twice.

As she continues to strive for additional achievements this week at Los Coyotes, she will have her own family gallery. Her girls will be with her.

Golf Notes

The Board of Supervisors is split on whether L.A. County golf course green fees should be raised $3 across the board. They are scheduled to vote on the matter again Tuesday. Jon Wade, president of the Southern California Public Links Golf Assn., said that if the board approves the increase, it would be a 41% weekday fee increase and a 30% weekend increase.

A $1-million hole-in-one shootout to benefit the Southwest Children’s Museum will be held Thursday through Saturday at the Moreno Valley Ranch golf course. Thirty finalists will get one opportunity each to shoot for an ace on Sunday. . . . The second Greater Los Angeles tournament to benefit the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine is scheduled Oct. 19 at the Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley.

Ted Egan, Robert Ingram, Wade Jackson and Steve Kleinhans, the winning foursome from the Los Angeles tournament of the Irish-American Partnership championship series, will compete in final rounds on three courses in Ireland starting next Saturday. . . . Lee Trevino, the leading money winner on the Senior tour, will play in the Ralphs Senior Classic Oct. 23-25 at Rancho Park. John Brodie is the defending champion. . . . The Taylor Made club professional tournament will be held Oct. 1-4 at PGA West, La Quinta and Mission Hills CC. Larry Gilbert is the defending champion. An estimated 350 club pros will be competing.

The 41st Los Angeles Senior men’s tournament will be held Oct. 15-16 at Griffith Park. Bobby Darnell of Rancho San Joaquin CC is the defending champion. . . . The sixth annual Norm Crosby/Merchant Club tournament is scheduled Oct. 5 at the Calabasas Golf and Country Club. . . . The 1992 PGA Assistant Professional Championship will be played Tuesday through Friday at PGA West in La Quinta.