Stockton Shoots a Few Holes and Then Aims a Little Higher : Golf: From Diners Club to duck club, he stays in the hunt on both fronts.

This match-play golf is a serious business, all right. Kahlua, Dave Stockton’s dog, trotted along as his master played the front nine Saturday at PGA West. He was obviously there to give advice on the dogleg holes.

Then there was Laura Davies, who, in a television interview, was asked about today’s final in the Diners Club matches against Tammie Green and Kelly Robbins.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter who wins,” Davies said.

Oh yes, it does, especially to Stockton, who teamed with Hale Irwin to rout Raymond Floyd and Dave Eichelberger, 5 and 3, which means they play Jim Colbert and Bob Murphy in today’s Senior PGA Tour final.

Stockton would like to win, preferably in a hurry, so he can get on to something equally meaningful, duck hunting.

After Tuesday’s pro-am, Stockton and his son, Ronnie, took off for a duck club at the Salton Sea. They headed there again Saturday afternoon, soon after Stockton-Irwin made short work of the defending champions.

Irwin made seven birdies and they meant only one thing to Stockton: ducks.

“I’m out there going as fast as I can so I can go duck hunting,” he said. “Hopefully there’ll still be some more ducks.

“Obviously, this isn’t duck-hunting weather. You picture duck hunters all bundled up. We go out there in Bermuda shorts.”

They also go out there with Kahlua, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever, who was brought along to chase ducks as well as trot the front nine. She spent the back nine in Stockton’s car.

Actually, the drivers’ seat got crowded at the $2.11-million match-play event on the Nicklaus Resort Course.

Kenny Perry and John Huston, who had eight birdies on their way to an easy 5-and-4 victory over Jim Gallagher-Steve Lowery, will play Tom Lehman-Duffy Waldorf in today’s PGA Tour final.

Lehman-Waldorf went 23 holes for a victory over Bob Tway-Scott Verplank. The match ended on the fifth extra hole when Lehman missed the fairway, missed the green and then chipped in from 40 feet on No. 10.

“Could be the best strategy on that green,” Waldorf said.

But the honor of the longest match of the day went to Colbert-Murphy, who required 24 holes and 6 1/2 hours to defeat George Archer-Dale Douglass.

How Murphy reached the 18th green the four times he played it showed the toll his match took. He went from an 8-iron to a 7-iron to a 6-iron to a 4-iron.

“That’s how tired I was,” Murphy said.

The 3-and-2 victory by Green-Robbins over Nanci Bowen-Annika Sorenstam continued the winners’ five-match Diners Club streak of never having played the 18th hole. If they need directions, it’s that one by the clubhouse.

“That’s our goal,” Robbins said. “To win and not play 18.”

Robbins had an eagle on the par 5 second hole after knocking a three-wood to within five feet, then watched Green birdie No. 7 and No. 9.

“Then she went two holes without a birdie,” Robbins said. “I thought maybe she was sleeping.”

Not really. Green chipped in from 40 feet on No. 12 and all that stands between them and $250,000 is Davies and Mardi Lunn.

Davies made eight birdies and Lunn made one, but it won the match.

“I didn’t play well, but it doesn’t seem to hurt so much with Laura knocking the pins out,” Lunn said.

It’s golf’s answer to bowling for dollars.