GOLF / THOMAS BONK : Pavin Experiencing Life of a Champion

Corey Pavin has been the U.S. Open champion for only two weeks but already there are changes. For instance, there’s a new question to hang around his neck.

Instead of, “When are you going to win a major?” it’s, “What took you so long?”

“Good question,” he said.

“I don’t know why it didn’t come sooner. It just didn’t happen. I felt deep down that I was going to win a major, it was just a matter of time.”

The new national champion took last week off in Orlando but held a mass news conference Friday at Bay Hill Country Club to deal with his many interview requests.

He did the same thing before the Canon Greater Hartford Open, where he handled the post-Open distractions well enough to finish in a tie for 11th. Pavin is second on the money list at $991,767, his personal best. He also leads the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings.

“I’m still riding pretty high,” he said.

Who can blame him? He and his manager, Rocky Hambric, watched replays of his U.S. Open victory at Shinnecock Hills the night of his victory, then stayed up to watch the Open highlights on ESPN.

“We wanted to make sure it was news and not a dream,” Pavin said.

He fulfilled a commitment to play in a benefit in Kansas City on Tom Watson Day the Tuesday after the Open, then had a 7 a.m. tee time Wednesday for the pro-am at Hartford. Then he played all four rounds.

Pavin earned his time off last week.

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Pavinometer: Pavin will play in the Motorola Western Open at Cog Hill in Lemont, Ill., beginning Thursday, then will take a week off to get ready for the British Open.

Maybe some of the U.S. Open hoopla will have died down by then, he said.

“The next couple of weeks will be chaotic,” he said. “Nick [Price] said you have to say no a lot more. I don’t like to say no, but I’ll have to do it. I know I have an obligation to make myself available, but I’ll try to balance it the best I can.”

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Pavin tidbit: He is good friends with San Antonio Spur center David Robinson, whom he met at a game six years ago. Robinson named his son after Pavin: Corey Matthew Robinson.

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Pavin tidbit II: Pavin has exceeded $900,000 in yearly earnings four times. He led the money list in 1991 with $979,430--about $12,000 less than he’s already won this year.

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FYI: Greg Norman has replaced Price as the No. 1 player in theworld, according to the Sony rankings.

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Golf Notes

The third Bill Moore Invitational celebrity-amateur golf tournament will be played July 17 at Brookside’s No. 1 course. The event benefits the New Revelation Outreach Center of Pasadena. Details: (818) 386-2790. . . . The Griffith Park golf range has been renovated to include synthetic grass, sand pits and water hazards. The range is dedicated to the late Jerry Barber, the 1961 PGA champion who became the pro at Griffith Park in 1965. The range is run by Barber’s sons, Tom and Roger.

Nick Faldo is the 8-1 favorite to win the British Open, according to Golf Digest. Ernie Els is the next choice, then Fred Couples and Greg Norman. Pavin is a 40-1 shot, but the odds were posted before he won the U.S. Open. . . . The fourth Bobby Hatfield Celebrity golf classic will be held Aug. 21 at Los Coyotes. The event benefits the Southern Caliornia Lupus Foundation. Details: (714) 833-3239. . . . A golf tournament to benefit the Whittier Area Parents’ Assn. for the Developmentally Handicapped will be played July 17 at Los Coyotes. Details: (213) 943-0291.