This Golfer Gives New Meaning to Term ‘Tearing Up the Course’

Former Indianapolis 500 winner Tom Sneva spends most of his time these days on his golf course, The 500 Club, north of Phoenix, but he can’t keep away from his racing instincts. He rides around on what he calls the world’s fastest golf cart.

“It’s a Yamaha golf cart with a 750cc motorcycle engine in it and a five-speed transmission,” Sneva says. “We’ve got a nitrous oxide bottle mounted in one of the golf bags, a World of Outlaws (sprint car) wing on the top, and a parachute behind. We’ve clocked it at 104 m.p.h.”

When Sneva is on the move, everyone on the course knows where he is from the roar that echoes across the Salt River valley.

Trivia time: When was the last 0-0 tie in the NFL?

The perfect match: Phil Mickelson, asked by Tom Callahan of Golf Digest which golfer he would most like to imitate: “I’d like the demeanor of (Fred) Couples, the patience of (Nick) Faldo, the course management of (Jack) Nicklaus, the imagination of (Seve) Ballesteros, the short game of (Tom) Watson, the putting of (Ben) Crenshaw and the power of (Greg) Norman.”

Anything else?

Horning in: Remember the old Orange County Rhinos, a semi-pro football team that played in Anaheim and Santa Ana many years back? There almost was another club called Rhinos. Two groups competing for ownership of an NFL expansion team in Baltimore tentatively had agreed to call the team the Rhinos if the city gets a franchise.

Boogie Weinglass and Malcolm Glazer came up with the name at the request of the NFL, which is eager to have merchandise ready to sell when the winning cities are announced in October.

However, Baltimore fans were so upset by the name that the NFL told the prospective owners to try again.

Capitalist game: Vietnam’s first golf course in 18 years of Communist rule was opened last week by a private Thai joint venture with the Vietnamese government. Memberships cost $7,500 for individuals, a huge sum in one of the world’s poorest countries.

No wimps: Scott Fletcher, the feisty Boston Red Sox second baseman, says Christian athletes are misunderstood. He explained to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

“People think if you’re a Christian, you’re wimpy and you don’t care. Well, if you know God, you know that’s wrong. That’s way wrong. God is a winner. God never loses. That’s why he’s God. He wants you to go out there every day, never give up, take courage and strength out there and always win. You always think about the victory.”

Bad vibes: Steve Emtman, last year’s No. 1 NFL draft choice for the Indianapolis Colts, isn’t too pleased with the holdout of quarterback Jeff George.

“He needs to be the leader, not pulling this kind of crap,” the former Washington defensive tackle said.

Tough assignment: Getting into the LPGA Hall of Fame requires a player to win 30 tournaments and two major events. The Good Doctor, the answer man for letters to Inside Sports, suggests that a non-golfer should qualify if “you’ve actually watched 30 LPGA tournaments.”

Trivia answer: On Nov. 7, 1943, between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

Quotebook: Greg Patton, Newport Beach World TeamTennis coach, on 40-year-old Jimmy Connors: “He’s the most dangerous dinosaur in Jurassic Park.”