Praise for Pros : Keen Interest in Seniors Tournament, Even in Ojai Rain, Is Par for the Course

The hunt for Chi Chi Rodriguez started early Friday for Lois Swanson and Kay Ulrich. The two Ojai residents were on the Ojai Valley Inn’s golf course by 9 a.m., searching for their favorite senior pro.

“There’s very few golfers here that I’m aware of,” said Swanson, a retiree who first became interested in golf through her late husband.

“I know (Arnold) Palmer, Rodriguez and (Tom) Weiskopf because I watched them while I was growing up,” she said. “But today I’m following Chi Chi.”

Thousands of people crossed the 18-hole course under overcast skies and an intermittent drizzle Friday as the annual Senior PGA Tour event got under way.

“The weather’s perfect,” Rodriguez said, moments after shooting a par 4 on the 13th hole, despite the light drizzle.

At the FHP Health Care Classic, 78 of the world’s best senior golfers are vying for $750,000 in prize money over the three-day, 54-hole contest, which concludes Sunday.

“This is my fourth time up here,” said Jan Janssen of Ventura, who perched at the 13th green with her husband, Art, waiting for Palmer to finish the hole.

“We play a lot of golf, so we like to watch the seniors play,” she said. “We’ve been lifelong fans of Arnie.”

The popular tournament, which was almost canceled last year when GTE withdrew its sponsorship, does more than lure golfers to the Ojai Valley, city and business leaders say.

Each year, the event pumps tens of thousands of dollars into the city’s retail economy and serves as a fund-raiser for local nonprofit organizations.

“It puts Ojai on the map,” said Mayor Joe De Vito, who, with Councilman Steve Olsen, was watching Palmer’s approach shot to the 15th green.

“It fills up our hotels and stores, so it’s definitely beneficial to the community, with the bed tax and the sales taxes,” De Vito said. “We’ve been down lately, so this helps.”

Olsen said that last year’s Senior PGA Tour event also raised $15,000 for Nordhoff High School and $5,000 for Matilija Junior High School from parking proceeds.

“That’s money they wouldn’t normally have if we didn’t host this tournament,” Olsen said.

Andrea Bloom, who owns the Tottenham Court gift store in downtown Ojai, said players’ wives already have boosted her sales.

“Those are the ones that count in this store,” she said of the wives. “One day, about 10 of them came in for lunch, and the next day, about eight more of them were here.

“Business is very good during the tournament.”

Margaret Westrom, the executive director of the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, said merchants look forward to the annual golf classic.

“Our motels are booked, our restaurants are full, and people are bustling up and down the street,” she said. “We’re very happy that FHP came in to sponsor the tournament.

“And it’s wonderful to be on national television,” she added. “People see and hear a lot about Ojai because ESPN comes to the chamber ahead of time and asks for information about the city.”

Meanwhile, up to half an inch of rain was measured in Ojai and the rest of Ventura County Thursday night and Friday. Forecasters are predicting that two more storms will hit the county within the next three days.

Steady drizzles are forecast for tonight through midday Sunday, when the second in the series of Pacific storms is expected to dissipate.

“The third storm arrives Tuesday,” said meteorologist Dean Jones of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“Of the three, it looks to be the strongest,” Jones said. “There’s the potential that you guys could get some serious rainfall out of this, but it’s too far out at this point to say for sure.”

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County Rainfall Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control Department for the 24-hour period ending at 5 a.m. Friday. Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.

Rainfall Rainfall Normal rainfall Location last 24 hours since Oct. 1 to date Camarillo 0.31 16.88 9.80 Casitas Dam 0.59 35.28 17.43 El Rio 0.43 21.24 11.16 Fillmore 0.31 23.61 14.11 Moorpark 0.20 18.26 10.70 Ojai 0.31 29.97 15.79 Upper Ojai 0.87 36.04 17.15 Piru 0.47 23.41 12.56 Port Hueneme 0.43 18.61 10.53 Santa Paula 0.51 25.24 13.24 Simi Valley 0.43 19.14 10.37 Thousand Oaks 0.24 19.42 11.21 Ventura Govt. Center 0.59 22.02 11.91