GOLF / STEVE ELLING : Bordwell on a High, Puts Up Some Low Numbers

Some guys can’t get enough.

Tony Bordwell of Cal State Northridge played five rounds of golf in three separate tournaments over a four-day span last weekend. The score card:

First place. First place. Second place (and still plugging).

The names and sites changed, but the results were similar. What’s more, Bordwell still has a shot at winning the last event, because it concludes this weekend.

Bordwell, a 1990 graduate of El Camino Real High, has taken on professionals and amateurs alike in the streak.

“It’s been a great experience,” Bordwell said. “You’re not really competing against the pros, but you can still put your score up with theirs.”

Technically, Bordwell did compete with the professionals. And he whipped them. He just doesn’t get to cash any paychecks.

* The winning spree started Thursday, when Bordwell fired rounds of 71-67 at Mountain View Golf Course in Santa Paula to win the regional qualifier for the U.S. Public Links Championship, scheduled for July 12-17 in Brighton, Colo.

It was no easy feat. He was one of 167 golfers seeking four available berths.

* The following day, Bordwell entered a one-day Golden State Tour event at Costa Mesa Country Club, and won with a four-under 68.

Bordwell beat dozens of professionals. The top pro, who finished second, received $650 in first-place prize money nonetheless.

Bordwell, who as an amateur isn’t allowed to accept cash prizes, settled for $220 in scrip, redeemable for booty at a golf shop chain.

* Saturday, Bordwell took the first step toward winning the L.A. City Men’s Championship by firing a two-under 70 at Harding Golf Course in Griffith Park to grab a share of the first-round lead.

Sunday, Bordwell shot 74 at Wilson and is two shots behind Scott Gibson of Tulsa, Okla. During the round, Bordwell hit 16 greens in regulation.

He knows the Griffith Park courses fairly well. As a high school senior, he finished second in the City Section individual tournament at the same site.

The 72-hole L.A. City Men’s Championship resumes Saturday at Rancho Park Golf Course in West L.A. The final round is Sunday at Rancho Park.

“I’ve just been working real hard on my game,” said Bordwell, who has one year of eligibility remaining at Northridge. “I hadn’t been playing real well before.”

*

It’s contagious: Whatever bug Bordwell caught seems to be spreading.

The symptoms: Making every putt in sight, hitting every fairway and green. High expectations, low scores.

Bordwell and several other Cal State Northridge products--past and present--played well in the first half of the L.A. City tournament. In fact, five of the 46 players who made the cut have Northridge ties.

Mike Turner, a left-hander who played at Northridge and won the City men’s title in 1987 and 1990, shot 71 and 78.

Kevin Bailey, another former Matador, shot 71-76. Rick Sessinghaus, who played at Burbank High and is still on the Northridge team, shot 70-77.

Everybody wanted in on the fun, it seems. Even Northridge Coach Jim Bracken advanced with rounds of 71 and 78.

*

High stakes: Mark Singer of North Hollywood, who played last week in the U.S. Open in Springfield, N.J., found the pressure every bit as oppressive as advertised.

Playing alongside high-profile veterans such as Seve Ballesteros of Spain and David Frost of South Africa, Singer put together several good practice rounds early in the week.

“I hit it good,” Singer said. “I was right with those guys.”

Singer shot rounds of 77 and 82, missed the cut and finished third-to-last.

“The tension level wasn’t the same,” Singer said after the first round.

*

Cruising the fast lane: Let’s quash this rumor right now--Westlake Golf Course is not retooling the holes that parallel the Ventura Freeway.

For motorists on the 101, stay alert. Those right-angle slices onto the westbound lane won’t be going away any time soon.

Somehow, folks in the golf grapevine heard that the holes located near the freeway were being turned around.

Plenty of people slice, you see. If the holes went the other direction, well, darn few players hit screaming duck hooks. The thinking was, if the greens were located where the tee boxes are, and vice versa, the problem would disappear. Too costly, it seems.

“We though about (turning the holes around) for about five minutes,” said Westlake general manager Chris Vatcher. “Word got out anyway.

“Sometimes I wonder if people intentionally try to see if they can clear the fast lane.”

The course is undergoing renovation, however. Vatcher said an estimated $3 million will be spent to remodel the clubhouse, expand the practice range, parking lot and cart barn and add an instructional facility. The irrigation system also will be overhauled.

As for changing the holes around, there will be one slight alteration. The 18th green will be moved 20 yards, but it will still be a 200-yard par three.