Everybody’s Wallet Is a Winner at Dove Canyon : Golf: Zoeller takes home $205,000, and even fourth-place finisher Rodriguez is $65,000 richer.

It wasn’t always great golf, but everybody seemed to be having a good time. The possible exception was 2-year-old Donny Burke Jr., who ran onto the 18th green during the final moments of the Pro Stakes Golf Championship at Dove Canyon and picked up Chi Chi Rodriguez’s ball.

Rodriguez took the ball back, autographed it and then handed it back to the boy. Then he autographed his glove and put it on the boy’s hand. The whole time, Burke stood frozen, looking as if he was about to cry.

Nobody was crying in the end though, not even Rodriguez, who finished last in both medal play and the challenge portion of the $500,000 event. For two days and 18 holes of four-over golf, Rodriguez won $65,000.

They played this one mostly for laughs . . . and a lot of money. Low score for the 18 holes was worth $40,000 and the winner of the challenge event got $175,000. And the ever-smiling Fuzzy Zoeller had the biggest grin when it was over.

Zoeller finished second in the medal play with an even-par 71, won the challenge event with 16,650 points and took home $205,000. Stadler won $140,000 for winning the medal play at one-under and finishing second in points (9,050). Peter Jacobsen, who shot a 73 and had 3,100 points, won $90,000.

The banter among the golfers--the best feature of this designed-for-television event--continued after the event ended.

“This is the first time you’ve played on a weekend in a long, long time,” Rodriguez said to Zoeller during a press conference. “When was the last time you made a cut?”

Saturday, the players earned points on the front nine in categories such as longest drive in the fairway, closest to the pin, birdies, pars and a host of others. Going into Sunday’s final nine, where the players were allowed to challenge (bet) their points against each other in the same categories, Stadler had the lead with 7,650 points. Zoeller was second with 7,450, Jacobsen third with 7,400 and Rodriguez had 4,500.

Heading to the tee at the 385-yard, par-four 18th, Zoeller led with 10,650 points and Rodriguez, who had the “challenge honors,” trailed with 4,200. Rodriguez challenged the field to closest to the pin for 2,000 points apiece. Had he been closer to the hole than the other three, he would have gone from last to first.

But Rodriguez, who hit his approach shot first, went over the green and everyone else hit the green, dropping Rodriguez to -1,800 points.

“I’m the only pro golfer to ever finish a tournament and have to give out I.O.U.’s,” he said.

Jacobsen then challenged Zoeller, wagering 2,000 points that Zoeller couldn’t make a 15-foot putt. Zoeller rolled it into the heart of the cup, however, ensuring his victory. Then, showing more gamesmanship than sportsmanship (he would have won, anyway), Zoeller made the same bet on Jacobsen’s putt. Jacobsen’s 12-footer slipped just past the right edge of the cup.

“Santa Claus can rest easy now,” Zoeller said of his winnings. “This was really a lot of fun. I got so tied up in the challenge part of it that I almost forgot the medal play.”

Zoeller, who won back-to-back Skins Games, said, “I don’t know what it is about these funny deals, but I seem to be pretty good at them.”

Sunday, the shot making wasn’t always great, but the shot taking continued at full volume.

On No. 13, Jacobsen wagered 500 points against the field on closest to the pin on the green. When his tee shot rolled through the green and a couple of inches onto the fringe, Zoeller said, “I just hate to see that,” and then burst into laughter.

And Rodriguez kept the gallery giggling. When he had an awkward stance in a trap on No. 10, he said, “Chester could have played that shot if he took his wooden leg off.”

Rodriguez challenged the field to closest to the pin for 1,000 points on the 202-yard, par-three No. 10. Stadler was the only player to hit the green so he won the wager, but all of the players bogeyed the hole.

Rodriguez got 1,000 points from Jacobsen on No. 12 when he wagered that Jacobsen couldn’t get up and down from a green-side bunker. Jacobsen had a bad lie near the back of the bunker and very little green to work with. His blast from the sand carried 20 feet past and he missed the putt.

Jacobsen dropped another 1,000 points on the 138-yard, par-three 13th and Stadler lost 1,000 on No. 14 when he challenged the field to 500 points for closest to the pin. Rodriguez, who birdied the hole, and Zoeller were the only two to hit the green.

Zoeller won 1,000 points on the 16 and 17 closest-to-pin challenges to take a commanding lead into No. 18.

Rodriguez was out of it by the time the foursome reached the 18th green, but he was still in the mood to have some fun with a 2-year-old.

“This is the youngest thief I know,” Rodriguez said, holding the youngster.

When someone asked him if it reminded him of his youth in Puerto Rico when he used to run onto the fairways and steal balls, Rodriguez had one final quip, one almost as bad as his round of golf.

“I never stole golf balls, I stole hubcaps,” he said. “And that’s why I’m a big wheel today.”