GOLF / DAN HAFNER : Trevino Makes Late $1-Million Bid

When you think of Lee Trevino, you think of a man oozing confidence. It had been that way from the time he first took up golf, through 27 victories on the PGA Tour and through three sensational seasons as a senior.

But surgery and an unruly putter can do strange things to a golfer’s confidence. They put Trevino’s at its lowest point.

After winning the Cadillac NFL Classic in May with a new long-hitting driver and despite a still sore thumb, Trevino went into one of his worst slumps. Even he’s not exactly sure how he snapped out of it and had his confidence restored.

But tournament victories the last two weeks worth $367,500 have put him within range of his third $1-million season on the Senior PGA Tour and within range of his third money title in four years.

He will go into the $650,000 Ralphs Classic at Rancho Park trailing Bob Charles and Dave Stockton in the run for the money. The Los Angeles event, Oct. 22-24, is one of only four tournaments after the one at Napa this weekend.

“Let’s face it,” Trevino said. “My game has turned around and I have momentum on my side, but Bob and Dave are a cinch to reach $1 million and I only have $810,000. I won’t play next week in Sacramento, so I need at least one more victory before we play the $1 million final event in December in Puerto Rico.

“There was no indication that I was about to make a run. I finished 16th, 23rd and 52nd before going to Georgia two weeks ago. I was hitting the ball well, but I wasn’t scoring. The putts started dropping.

“Maybe it helped that the Country Club of the South in Georgia and Tanglewood (site of the Vantage Championship last week) are courses I like. They are long, so they favor me.”

Another confidence builder has been his driver, with the 45-inch shaft that he designed. The extra two inches in length on his driver has, amazingly, added 30 yards. When you start outdriving the monster senior hitter--Jim Dent--it just has to make a fellow feel great. When the two were paired at Tanglewood last week, Dent averaged 300 yards off the tee with his driver, Trevino 303.

“Everyone wants to buy the driver,” Trevino said, laughing. “But there’s no way I’ll give it up.”

Bob Murphy, who has won two tournaments in recent weeks and will be at Rancho, was there when Trevino ended his slump.

“We were in the same threesome in the Nationwide a couple of weeks ago,” Murphy said. “On the front nine Lee hit every shot well, but didn’t sink a single putt. We’ve all been through that. He said to me, ‘Bob, can you believe it? I don’t know what to do to change things.’

“I told him there was nothing to do but try to be patient and sooner or later the putts would drop. It happened sooner. He made five birdies on the back nine and hasn’t slowed down since.”

Trevino thinks part of the reason for his recent surge is that his thumb, operated on in December, has finally stopped hurting.

“I couldn’t practice in the summer months because my thumb kept swelling up,” he said. “Last month, it stopped hurting or swelling and I was able to practice. I need to practice to play well.”

At this time a year ago, Trevino was playing in pain, trying to win enough money to hold onto the money title. Now, his thumb doesn’t hurt and he’s going for another title.

Golf Notes

Amateurs, as well as professionals are invited to play in the eighth annual PGA of Southern California Mexico Pro-Am. The popular event will be held at Guadalajara Oct. 27-31. The event, worth $5,000 to the winning pro, will be played at the San Isidro and Atlas country clubs, two of Mexico’s finest. . . . The annual City Men’s Senior golf championship will be held Thursday and Friday at Griffith Park. Defending champion for the 50 and older event is Bill Brooks of Simi Valley, who shot 80-71--151 at Rancho Park.

The Milton Berle senior pro-am, which benefits the Arthritis Foundation, will be held at the Pelican Hill Golf Club Oct. 24-25 The event celebrates the comedian’s 85th birthday. . . . Suzanne Strudwick, a 28-year-old from Stafford, England, has clinched the LPGA rookie of the year honors with two tournaments left. Strudwick, who played in 22 events and was in the top 10 twice, is the ninth foreign player to win the award. Helen Alfredsson of Sweden, who won the Nabisco Dinah Shore last spring, won it in 1992.

The 11th annual Academy of Music Celebrity Classic, hosted by Doug Stone, is Monday at De Bell Golf Course in Burbank. The event annually raises about $250,000 for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia research for children. . . . The Valley Presbyterian Hospital’s fourth Celebrity Invitational, hosted by Eddie Albert, will be held Monday, Oct. 25 at Porter Valley Country Club in Northridge.

One of the reasons Jack Nicklaus is not faring too well on the PGA tours is his preoccupation with designing courses. Recently, 12 courses designed by Nicklaus were named among the top 100 in the nation. . . . Dennis Walters, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, will put on a trick shot show and exhibition for the LPGA junior golfers at the Hollywood Park driving range at 11 a.m. Oct. 23.