Pate of Late an Accidental Tourist

A year ago, Steve Pate was driving home to North Ranch from the Phoenix Open, where he had finished tied for 59th.

He was thinking about getting home. He was thinking about the $2,873 he’d won. He was not thinking about running into the back of a truck, but that’s what happened.

“I was going about 75 and I met up with a truck that was going about 25,” Pate said matter-of-factly.

The impact totaled Pate’s car, broke his wrist and hand and ended his golf for the year. It was Jan. 28.

“I was lucky,” Pate said. “I walked away from it. The bad news was, I was just done for the year.”

And now he’s back. The 36-year-old former UCLA All-American who has five victories in 12 years on the PGA Tour returned to the Phoenix Open last week and tied for 46th. The week before, he tied for 61st at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

“I’ve actually played halfway decent,” Pate said. “My only concern is when I’ll get a full range of motion.”

At least he has his problems narrowed down to the golf course. Running into the back of that truck was only the start of a strange run of bad luck.

He cracked a bone in his left wrist when he fell on a boat dock at Lake Powell. He fell off his bicycle at the end of his driveway when a deer ran into him.

So far this year, Pate has remained injury-free, which is a great relief to him. He sees a therapist regularly, takes acupuncture treatments and wears an herbal wrap on his wrist when he plays golf.

Pate last won in the 1992 Buick Invitational. He fell to No. 168 on the money list in 1995 and played only three times last year because of his injury.

His exemption for 1996--top 50 on the all-time money list--was deferred until this year, which means Pate must win a tournament or finish among the top 125 money winners to retain his playing privileges for next year.

“That’s what I’m figuring on,” Pate said. “My hand is getting stronger. It’s just hard to swing well when your hand is stuck and can’t bend.”

During his forced layoff, Pate discovered that he missed playing golf much more than he thought he would. He also learned to cook and gained 30 pounds, to 205.

“I got to be a wizard in the kitchen,” he said. “With the kids gone to school, I just opened the refrigerator and pulled things out. Anything you can make with potatoes, I did.”

Pate’s weight is down to 185 now and his once-volcanic demeanor on the course seems to have mellowed. Peter Jacobsen has noticed.

“There are two ways to age on tour after an injury,” Jacobsen said. “You can do it gracefully or you can do it cynically and moan about everything and fall on your face and disappear from the face of the earth.”

Pate says he isn’t planning to go anywhere.

“At least I’m healthy, and that’s a pretty good place to start,” he said.

GOLF LIMBO

We detect a trend here in the par department.

John Cook ripped apart the miniature golf courses at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic with a score of 33 under par, then Steve Jones torched the Phoenix Open, finishing 26 under.

If the scores get any lower, instead of handing out pencils to keep score, they’re going to have to use sonar.

“Thirty-three under, 26 under, we can’t really go much lower than that,” Cook said.

He listed a few possible reasons for the scores going deep: better equipment, improved course conditions and better players.

Cook said Indian Wells, the host course for the Hope, simply isn’t tough enough, and not only because he shot 62-63 there the last two rounds.

“If it had more rough, it would make the course more difficult, but it isn’t,” he said. “Maybe the players have just passed Indian Wells by.”

Tom Kite, who holds the Hope record of 35 under, said there’s only one reason for the low-score binge.

“Tiger Woods,” Kite said. “He’s come out here and everybody else has had to step it up a notch.

“I think you’ll continue to see some very, very low scores. Those golf courses that tended to be defenseless before, they’re going to see an assault like never before.”

RYDER MENU

Further proof that it’s a Ryder Cup year: Kite, the U.S. captain, probably knows the standings as well as his phone number.

There is a decent chance that Kite will field a team with five or six or even more players in their 20s--such as Woods, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Tommy Tolles, Justin Leonard, David Duval and Jim Furyk.

“Heck, these kids could be my sons,” said Kite, 47.

TIGER STRIPES ADD UP

When Woods signed an endorsement deal with Nike for a reported $43 million, the question wasn’t how he would spend it, but how he could be worth it.

Well, for the first two quarters of the fiscal year, Nike reported a 102% increase in golf apparel sales and a 115% increase in golf shoe sales over the same period a year ago.

The fiscal year began June 1, but Woods didn’t sign with Nike until Aug. 28, which is when the “Hello World” campaign began.

Rod Tallman, Nike’s director of golf, said Nike will spend $30 million on golf-related advertising, or twice as much as it spent in 1996.

As for Woods, wearing all those Nike swooshes isn’t that big a burden and he hopes it stays that way.

“They’ll make more of a profit if they leave me alone and let me play and practice instead of hounding me all the time,” he said.

HINT: 33 UNDER

Proving you can just never underestimate helpful advice, we give you Ken Venturi.

Cook, who won the Bob Hope Classic with his near-record score, flew to Florida last week and met with Venturi, his longtime teacher.

“He said to me, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing,’ ” Cook said. “I said, ‘Thank you. That’s good coaching.’ ”

SENIORS: BIG BERTHA

What’s bigger than a clubhead and smaller than a toaster?

Why, it’s the new titanium driver that Callaway introduced last week at the PGA Merchandise Show. The Biggest Big Bertha is 15% bigger than the Great Big Bertha and both Bob Murphy and Jim Colbert already have the club.

The big news sure to come next: The Even Bigger than the Biggest Big Bertha.

LPGA: ON THE WEBB

Karrie Webb celebrated her 21st birthday in Cairns, Australia, by jumping out of an airplane. Most people stick to blowing out candles on a cake.

Webb is taking a month off after two second-place finishes in the first two tournaments of the year, which gives her time to indulge in another high-energy activity--driving fast.

She is going to drive in a celebrity race before a Grand Prix racing event in Australia. Webb said she’s looking forward to it.

“At least I won’t have to worry about the police being behind me,” she said.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

Woods didn’t putt very well last week at Phoenix, where he said more than his share of putts lipped out of the hole. His explanation: “I had a bad case of liprosy.”

When Woods aced the 16th hole Saturday at Phoenix, he performed an impromptu fist-pumping, arm-waving, knee-raising celebration. Jacobsen saw it on television.

Said Jacobsen: “If I jumped around and got that excited, I’d throw my back out.”

Custom clubs once owned by President Eisenhower are for sale in Columbus, Ohio.

The clubs, nine irons and four woods, were given by Eisenhower to a former Secret Service agent.

How much are the clubs worth? Last year, an unmatched set of woods and irons that belonged to President Kennedy sold for $1.16 million.

Amy Alcott, who broke a kneecap when she slipped on wet concrete in December, is recovering at her home in Santa Monica and hopes to be back on the LPGA Tour in March.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said three new world events--a stroke-play tournament, a match-play event and a team competition--will be added to the Tour schedule in 1999.

Finchem also noted that 1999 would be the first year of new television contracts for the tour. Just guessing, but when the negotiations start, do you think the name Woods might come up?