With His Game in Mint Condition, Irwin Is Cashing In

Hale Irwin isn’t much for predictions. So if someone had sat him down before the year and told him he’d win more than

$2 million and nine tournaments, it could mean only one thing.

“That’s certifiably crazy,” Irwin said.

Two million dollars . . . nine victories?

“Those are numbers that are pretty hard to come by,” he said.

Irwin can add to his totals next week at the Ralphs Senior Classic and the following week at the Tour Championship, where even greater riches await.

No Senior PGA Tour player has won more tournaments and no player on any tour has won more money than Irwin in this landmark year in the over-50 league. So far, Irwin, who won four times in his first seven starts, has dominated the senior tour more than an oversized driver. He has:

* Averaged $101,483 per start.

* Won consecutive starts four times.

* Finished a total of 164 under par in 21 events.

* Won twice without making a bogey.

Said Irwin: “I’ve played great golf.”

There’s no doubt about that. If Irwin wins a 10th tournament, he will break his and Peter Thomson’s record for most victories in a year. Irwin said it’s a goal, but what he’s actually trying to do is win golf tournaments, not reach a number.

“When you’re playing like I’ve been playing, on a high, it’s easy to get up. I’m feeling good about things, but it’s hard to stay high as long as I’ve been up there. And that’s one of the things I’ve been most happy about.”

Irwin has been so dominant that it almost seems as though the tournament belongs to him each Sunday. But not to Irwin, who said there’s a nice way to take the pressure off.

“Well, I wish somebody would give it to me before I start.”

WINNING PERSONALITY?

For those who thought the Ryder Cup captains’ personalities were a huge issue, in light of the actions of Mr. Electricity Seve Ballesteros at Valderrama, there was the PGA of America telling us it doesn’t mean a thing.

Ben Crenshaw, named the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 1999 matches, is so close to Tom Kite’s Dr. Feelgood personality, it’s almost as though they live in the same city. In fact, they do.

The point is that the PGA of America easily could have chosen a livelier captain in Curtis Strange, who wanted the job, but eventually decided Crenshaw was the right guy. It could be a great choice, but the only thing that’s clear right now is that it’s the safe choice.

Crenshaw spent most of his introductory news conference answering questions about whether he’s too nice for the job. Kite’s own niceness came into question after Ballesteros took over the Ryder Cup with a management style that bordered on manic.

“Tom Kite’s personality is a little more like me,” Crenshaw said. “You cannot change something that you’re not . . . people are just different, period. I don’t know if the [personality issue] had a giant effect on the match. I know it had some.”

Irwin, who said he was never approached about the captain’s job for 1999, said Ballesteros upstaged Kite.

“We need someone with more fire and leadership,” Irwin said. “And I’m not so sure Tom Kite didn’t have leadership. Can Ben bring that to the table? I guess my reaction is I thought Curtis was going to get the nod. I don’t think Ben is a bad choice at all, though.”

Irwin said it’s up to the players to get it done in the final analysis.

“Whether it’s Ben or Curtis, those guys have a big chore ahead of them. They’ve got to get scrappy and do what needs to be done.”

TIGER TALES

Sure, it’s not like practicing your short game . . . more like practicing your high game. Tiger Woods got ready for the Las Vegas Invitational by spending 35 minutes Monday doing barrel rolls and zipping across the sky above the desert at, oh, 570 mph in an Air Force F-16 Thunderbird jet.

Woods even flew for a while by himself, with help from the pilot, Maj. Randy Lane, the Thunderbirds’ operations officer.

“I’d love to do it again,” Woods said.

TIGER UPDATE

Proving there are awards for almost anything, there is one called the Smirnoff Get Real Index, designed to identify the most pretentious person in the fields of entertainment, media and sports--all in fun, of course.

Last year’s winner was Dennis Rodman (who else?), and this year, Woods is a candidate, based primarily on the fact that after signing a $13-million deal with American Express he became part-owner of the All-Star Cafe, which doesn’t accept American Express.

Other candidates besides Woods are Riddick Bowe, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Keyshawn Johnson, Mark Messier, Rick Pitino, George Steinbrenner, Barry Switzer and Mike Tyson.

WHICH WAY IS UP?

He heard a lot of advice on which way the putts break on the greens at Las Vegas, but Tommy Tolles still was confused.

“Everybody said the putts break to the city,” Tolles said. “The only problem with that is I have no idea which way the city is.”

Then here’s a hint, free of charge: Listen carefully for the sounds of coins dropping into slots.

MONEY NEWS

Just thought you should know: Next week’s season-ending Tour Championship in Houston has a $4-million purse (a record) and the winner gets $720,000 (also a record).

Sam Snead won 81 tournaments between 1936 and 1965 and his total earnings were $620,126.

ADVERTISING NEWS

Winner of this month’s award for Tackiest Ad goes to the Ralphs Senior Classic. The newspaper ad featured the names of Arnold Palmer, Ray Floyd, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and three others, drawings of six trophies and above it this message: “These guys have won more cups than Frederick’s of Hollywood.”

LAST WISH

Dave Marr wanted his ashes spread on Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, where Marr had played as a youngster. Since it’s a municipal course, there were rules preventing dispersal of ashes, but that didn’t prevent Marr’s wife and other family members from doing just that on a visit to the golf course the night before his memorial service.

For the record, Marr’s ashes were spread on the 14th and 15th fairways.

CHIP OFF

After last year, Chip Beck said his goal for 1997 was to have a better attitude. It hasn’t been such an easy thing to do.

Beck has missed 22 consecutive cuts and has broken 70 three times all year. Beck, 41, has three PGA Tour victories, but none since 1992. He finished No. 98 on the money list last year, but he’s No. 267 this year with $10,653, a result of making only three cuts.

Maybe it will change this week for Beck at the Las Vegas Invitational, where he shot a 59 in 1991 playing Sunrise Golf Club.

LPGA: PRANKSTER

Juli Inkster, who likes to joke around, won last weekend’s tournament in Seoul, South Korea--her first victory in five years. When Inkster called her family in Los Altos to tell them, no one believed her.

The victory increased Inkster’s earnings to $532,988, which is her best year. She also moved over the $3-million mark in her career.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

Kay Cockerill, Michelle Estill, Pearl Sinn, Patty Liscio, Allison Finney, Muffin Spencer-Devlin, Robin Walton, Caroline Pierce, Connie Chillemi and Krystal Parker-Gregory are among the pros who will play in the LPGA Urban Youth Golf Pro-Am, Nov. 17 at Woodland Hills Country Club. The event is designed to introduce children between 7 and 17 to golf. Details: (310) 641-6477. . . . The 10th Frank Sinatra celebrity tournament will be held Feb. 6-7 at the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage. Details: (760) 202-4422.