GOLF / STEVE ELLING : Heat, Hunger, Hankering for the PGA

From the beginning, the notion of playing golf on the Asian Tour was a major pain in the posterior for David Berganio Jr.

Heck, Berganio felt light-headed long before he played in such exotic locales as the Philippines, where he lost 14 pounds in three weeks.

Maybe he should have tabled the idea of playing abroad while he was lying face down on a gurney, getting a series of vaccinations before making the trip. Berganio has executed some memorable shots in his career, but this time, he was on the receiving end.

Emphasis on the end.

“I passed out,” Berganio said. “I told the nurse after the second or third shot, ‘Hey, I’m feeling a little nauseous.’

“Next thing I know, I wake up with a cold towel on my forehead. And my drawers were still down.”

Berganio, a 1988 graduate of Alemany High, was pretty much caught with his pants down in Asia, where he played for five weeks last winter before returning home, sweet home.

This week, Berganio will play in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Make no mistake: He is definitely glad to be back.

“Now I appreciate being an American, know what I mean?” said Berganio, 25.

An All-American, actually. For years, Berganio was a major player on the amateur scene. He twice won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, was an NCAA All-American at Arizona and was selected the Pacific 10 Conference’s most valuable player in 1993.

After participating in the Walker Cup last summer, Berganio turned pro and enrolled in the PGA Tour’s qualifying school. It was the obvious step for Berganio, whose goal since his hardscrabble days growing up in the East Valley has been to play on the PGA Tour.

Berganio won the first leg of a qualifying school tournament in Dallas with a 72-hole total of 10-under par. Yet in the second and final leg of qualifying in Napa, he finished five over and missed earning his tour card by one measly shot.

For those who fail to earn a tour card, there are several viable--if less attractive--options, including playing abroad, joining the Nike Tour, or competing on mini-tours throughout the United States.

Of course, Berganio’s misadventures on the Asian Tour should motivate him to shave several strokes during his second run at qualifying school in October.

He longs to play with the PGA purebreds. Thanks to a 36-hole total of 143 in an Open qualifier last week in Purchase, N.Y., he temporarily will.

“There were lots of guys who just weren’t any good (in Asia),” said Berganio, known for his spontaneous, outspoken nature. “I didn’t want to stay there too long because I was afraid it would rub off.

“Sometimes, you have to realize that you’re not good. . . . Some of those guys were losers.”

So was Berganio, actually. He lost weight quickly in the oppressive heat and humidity. After five weeks, Berganio had his fill of Asia. His stomach, however, was anything but full.

“There was no red meat and no French fries,” he cracked.

Irene Vasquez, Berganio’s mother, was alarmed when her son phoned home with a report.

Said Berganio to his mom: “You know, in college they tell you to concentrate on golf. Over here, you’re thinking about what kind of water you’re going to brush your teeth with.”

His best brush with success in Asia was an 11th-place finish in Hong Kong--an event won by South Africa’s David Frost. But the Philippines made the biggest impression on Berganio.

Poverty was overwhelming. People practically begged to caddy in the pro tournaments. They could earn $20 a day, well above the average daily wage.

“I had one kid that I really liked,” Berganio said. “I finally gave him a day off, but he didn’t want to go (because of the money).”

Since returning to the States in March, Berganio has played on the Nike Tour, though he missed a month because of a pinched nerve in his hand. The Nike is a second-tier tour, but it includes several former PGA Tour standouts and many players fresh out of college.

Last weekend, he tied for 27th at the $200,000 Nike Cleveland Open at the Quail Hollow Resort in Concord, Ohio. He pocketed $1,346.

Make no mistake, while the Nike Tour is a huge improvement over Asia, it is no substitute for the big leagues. To use a baseball comparison, call the Nike the triple-A of golf. Call Berganio a hungry prospect.

“The Nike Tour is run as well as or better than the big tour,” he said. “The competition’s stiff, but the money’s not really there.

“It’s not really where I want to be, but it’s somewhere to play until I get where I want to be.”

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Title search: Trifecta, anyone?

The L.A. City Men’s Championship begins this weekend at two courses in Griffith Park.

Earlier this year, Darren Angel of Granada Hills High won the L.A. City Junior Championship and Andrea Gaston of Canoga Park won the L.A. City Women’s crown.

The 72-hole men’s event opens Saturday at Harding Golf Course. On Sunday, the tournament moves to Wilson. The field will play the final 36 holes at Rancho Park Golf Course in West L.A. on June 25-26.

Included in the field is Mike Turner of Sherman Oaks, a left-hander who won the L.A. City title in 1987 and 1991.

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Trivia time: When the 17-year-old Angel shot a nine-under-par 63 last spring at Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills, he set a course record. Which prominent local player held the old record of 64? (Answer below).

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An altered State: The Monterey Peninsula will be abuzz next week, thanks to the California Golf Assn.

Three amateur state championships are scheduled during the same time frame, which could make for a spectator boon. Only during the PGA Tour’s stop at the Pebble Beach Golf Links is the famed course as accessible to fans.

Next week, there will be no gallery ropes, no throng of elbowing fans--and no charge. Just the scenery, sea gulls and sea lions.

“If anybody ever wanted to walk Pebble Beach, this is the week to do it,” said Bob Thomas of the Southern California Golf Assn.

The 83rd State Amateur runs Monday through Saturday at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The Senior State Amateur runs Wednesday through Friday at Poppy Hills Golf Course, and the State Amateur Handicap Championship at Poppy Hills and Old Del Monte runs Monday through Thursday.

The Senior Amateur and State Amateur have never before been run concurrently.

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Trivia answer: David Berganio Jr.

The women’s course record of 70 is held by former LPGA Tour standout Donna Caponi.