A Hole in One Is a Golf Gift That Insists You Keep On Giving

A hole in one is a goal, however unrealistic, of every hacker. However, in Japan it is to be avoided because it’s too expensive.

“A glorious hole in one would seem a gambler’s dream,” writes Quentin Hardy in the Wall Street Journal. “But in gorufu (as golf is called in Japan) it is cause for alarm.

“A hole in one obligates the golfer to buy expensive gifts for his fellow players, throw a drinking party and plant a commemorative tree near the tee to mark his ‘joy.’

“So golfers struggle to hit the ball close to the hole--but not too close.”

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Trivia time: When was the last time an English player won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon?

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Wrong uniform: From columnist Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Examiner: “Dallas Green has been starting Anthony Young to enhance his chances of breaking his losing streak, which would make a lot more sense if Green could figure a way for Young to pitch against the Mets rather than for them.”

Wait a minute: Columnist Lowell Cohn of the San Francisco Chronicle virtually applauded Golden State’s acquisition of Chris Webber in a trade with Orlando.

“By getting Webber, (Warrior coach Don) Nelson has transformed the Warriors from a bunch of shrimps in search of a big man into a complete team, one that has legitimate championship hopes and the ability, at the very least, to make it into the late rounds of the playoffs for many years.”

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Add Webber: Of the trade that gave Orlando three first-round draft choices and the rights to Anfernee Hardaway, Magic General Manager Pat Williams said: “We kept asking for the world, and darn if they (Golden State) didn’t give it to us.”

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Only flaw: The success of Michael Jordan’s downtown Chicago restaurant prompted Alan Goldstein of the Baltimore Sun to write: “Just about everything Michael Jordan touches, save for a golf club, turns to gold.”

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Add Jordan: Charles Barkley, commenting on his rounds of golf with Jordan: “Michael is a better golfer than me. But judging by his gambling losses, I must be the only guy he beats.”

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FYI: From the SportsLetter of the Amateur Athletic Foundation: “Of the millions of people who watched the 1993 Super Bowl on television, 82.2% were watching in a country other than the United States.

“The NFL estimates that 750 million people in 103 countries viewed the game, with 133.4 of those viewers coming from the U.S.”

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Snake-eyes: Last week, Las Vegas was on the wrong side of the numbers. The Pacific Coast League team lost three consecutive games by scores of 23-12, 18-3 and 11-1, in which Stars’ pitchers gave up 75 hits.

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Trivia answer: Fred Perry in 1936.

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Quotebook: Former Dodger Steve Sax on spring training workouts: “We were given a choice. We can either run around the field three times or around Tommy Lasorda once.”