It’s Not Really Something to Lose Your Shirt Over

Topless female caddies were used during a charity golf tournament at a Centreville, Va., country club last week, but officials at the Ridgeview Country Club told the Washington Post that they didn’t know in advance that there would be topless women at the tournament, which was billed as a benefit for the American Heart Assn.

Wayne Janvik, general manager of the club, said it had been rented for the day by tournament organizers and that if he had known about the topless caddies, “I would have asked them to leave. Probably the golfers too.”

A spokesman for the heart association said it would return a $975 donation from tournament organizers.

“Obviously, the event is not credible in terms of the image we want to be associated with,” said Richard Summers, executive vice president of the association’s Northern Virginia chapter.

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Trivia time: What was the first major league baseball team to travel by air?

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Fire away: Reggie Miller is considered a gunner in the NBA, but he’s a slowpoke compared to Fred Newman, the assistant basketball coach at Caltech.

Newman is in the Guinness Book of Records for making 1,888 free throws in an hour, a record he later raised to 2,034 baskets in a hour. During that time, he tried 2,243 shots.

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Likes sunshine: The New York Yankees’ Andy Pettitte, who is the American League’s first 16-game winner, is 10-0 in day games and 6-6 in night games.

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Different Dennis: Don’t count former pro basketball coach Chuck Daly among Dennis Rodman bashers.

“I’ve seen him get on the bus at Christmastime and hand the assistant coaches gifts, which I’ve not seen many players do,” Daly said. “I’ve seen him come to my house and do the same thing for my wife. He’s a terrific kid.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1952, Satchel Paige, at 47, became the oldest pitcher in major league history to pitch a complete game or shutout when he beat Virgil Trucks and the Detroit Tigers, 1-0, in 12 innings.

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Two views: Gary Player became upset when he learned that three snakes found on the Arizona desert course during the first round of the Tradition were killed. Player explained that if the snakes were left alone, they would not bother anyone.

To which Dave Stockton remarked: “They won’t bother you if they’re dead, either.”

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Trivia answer: The Cincinnati Reds flew from St. Louis to Chicago on June 8, 1934, after owner Larry McPhail decided to spare his team a Pullman ride during a heat wave. Six players chose to take the train.

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And finally: Legendary drag racing car owner Roland Leong says the driver-owner relationship is like marriage, in some ways.

“In the beginning . . . everything is happy,” he said. “But somewhere down the line, the novelty might wear off.”