Ballesteros Displayed Weak Grip in Pulling Martin

The Ryder Cup doesn’t start until next week, but the European team already has a bogey--the way captain Seve Ballesteros booted Miguel Angel Martin.

A 35-year-old career scuffler who worked two years to make his first Ryder Cup team on points, Martin deserved to be part of the Valderrama scene. If he was physically unable to play because of his wrist injury, there’s no way Martin would have embarrassed

himself or his team and played anyway. All Ballesteros had to do was bring Martin along, then plug in Jose Maria Olazabal (No. 11 in the points) in place of Martin. End of story.

Does anyone think Ballesteros would have treated Olazabal, Jesper Parnevik or Nick Faldo like that if one of them were in Martin’s situation?

“It’s tragic . . . sad,” U.S. Ryder Cup team member Brad Faxon said. “Seve said all along those were the three guys he wanted. . . . Somehow he worked his way around it and got all three.”

MONEY BUSINESS

So Mark O’Meara believes the best way to make the Ryder Cup more exciting is to start paying the players. That’s interesting, since few are able to detect a flagging interest in the Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup first was played 70 years ago. Players have never been paid, except for expenses.

“My feeling is it’s become big business,” O’Meara said before last week’s Lancome Trophy tournament--a $1.1-million event in France that he won. “I don’t know the numbers, but I think the European PGA and the U.S. PGA should look at this aspect, even if some seem afraid the Cup will lose its special feeling if players are paid.

“I’ve already taken some heat for suggesting this. But I’m only trying to be honest. This is not about greed, only about the right thing to do. Other players feel the same way but haven’t spoken up.”

Faxon spoke up for the other side.

“It makes us sound like greedy, spoiled professional athletes,” he said. “The Ryder Cup nets a great deal of money for the U.S. and European PGA. But that’s a selfish way to look at it. I’ve told my friends I’d swim across the ocean to play. There’s so much to be gained in other areas besides money.

“Players are so used to getting paid for everything they do. When they go a dinner, they expect to get paid. I’m not on that side.”

SKINS GAME

The Skins Game has Tiger (Woods) by the tail once more, which means the 15-year-old made-for-TV event probably is destined to garner some really nice ratings again. Woods, defending champion Fred Couples, Tom Lehman and Mark O’Meara will compete in the two-day event, Nov. 29-30, at Rancho La Quinta and shown on ABC.

With Woods playing for the first time last year, the Skins Game produced a 6.2 rating, which was better than any other major except the Masters, which had a two-day average of 7.5.

The ratings of majors this year gives the Skins Game something to shoot for: Masters 10.6; U.S. Open 6.1; PGA 5.0; British Open 4.1. All the ratings are based on the average for the weekend.

DRIVING LESSON

Look who isn’t leading the PGA Tour driving statistics: Woods. Look who is: John Daly. Daly got in enough rounds to qualify when he played all four rounds last week at the CVS Classic. He made the weekend in typical Daly fashion, eagling the 18th hole Friday to make the cut by one shot.

Daly is averaging 301.9 yards and Woods 293.9. No one has finished the season averaging 300 yards. For the record, Daly uses a six-degree Callaway Biggest Big Bertha driver.

Daly’s 289-yard average in 1995 is the PGA Tour record.

HIT THIS FAIRWAY

Tom Kite took his first lesson from Harvey Penick at 13, so he knew the late, legendary teacher from Austin, Texas, as well as anyone.

Now Kite, along with Mickey Herskowitz, has written a book about Penick titled “A Fairway to Heaven.” In it, Kite recalls the advice Penick gave when Kite acted a little cocky after winning a junior tournament.

“You’ve been playing well and I’m very proud of you. But I want you to remember this: You are what you are, not what you do.”

A DIFFERENT TOUR

Dan Quayle, the former vice president, telephoned “The Golf Channel Academy Live” recently to speak with teacher Jim McLean but wound up answering some questions of his own.

Quayle, who has a four handicap, said he isn’t destined for the Senior PGA Tour, but said he is thinking about running for president in 2000.

“I’ll be following my political dream,” he said. “The senior tour, I’m simply not good enough to even think about it.”

GOOD PUTTER

William Rockwell, 26, lives in Santee, Calif., and he recently won a local putting title, part of the Compaq World Putting Championship. It probably is something of an upset, mainly because he doesn’t have the use of either of his arms.

Rockwell was in a motorcycle accident when he was 19 and the injuries were serious. His left arm was amputated and his right arm paralyzed.

To compensate, Rockwell grips the putter between the toes on his right foot and braces the shaft with his upper thigh while balancing on his left foot.

It works. His putter is not modified, but the grip is lowered on the shaft so he can use his toes.

“I could never putt as well with my arms,” Rockwell said. “Now I’m able to get a better stroke.”

Next is the regional competition, Oct. 19 at Torrey Pines, where 50 golfers are expected. The winner gets to the finals in November in Orlando, Fla.

CASH AND KARRIE

Karrie Webb, who won the Safeco Classic last week in Kent, Wash., has 18 top-10 finishes in 21 events. Last year’s leading money winner also is getting close to this year’s leader, Annika Sorenstam. Webb has $885,493 and Sorenstam has $965,039.

HE EAKS OUT A LIVING

Last week’s winner in the San Jose Open on the Nike Tour was R.W. Eaks, the only player to maintain full-time status on the Nike Tour since it began in 1990. Eaks, 45, has made a Nike Tour record $430,883 in a record 191 starts and said there’s a good reason why he stays.

“It’s the only way I know how to make a living,” Eaks said. “The only other thing I ever wanted to be was a basketball coach.”

Known on tour as “Gramps,” Eaks played basketball at Northern Colorado.

HAIL HALE

With his victory last week at the Boone Valley Classic, Hale Irwin not only set a Senior PGA Tour record for earnings in one season ($1,706,989), he is closing in on Peter Thomson’s 12-year-old record of nine victories in a season.

Irwin, who has won seven events and broke Jim Colbert’s money mark of $1,627,890, has eight tournaments left to try to catch Thomson.

TIGER UPDATE

Attention Web-Heads: Sportsline USA Inc. has signed Woods to an exclusive agreement to develop a Web site. The online provider signed Michael Jordan three months ago.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

Duke Snider, Brooks Robinson, Stan Mikita, John Havlicek, Gale Sayers and George Blanda will be among those playing in the Drysdale Hall of Fame Golf Classic on Dec. 3-6 at Indian Wells Resort, Desert Falls and Desert Willow. The event benefits Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership. Details: (760) 778-4300. . . . Parnevik, Jim Furyk, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, Peter Jacobsen, Billy Andrade and Faxon will play in a made-for-TV event--the $500,000 EMC Golf Skills Challenge--Nov. 3 at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. NBC will air it Dec. 13-14. Details: (888) 800-1226. Furyk, by the way, is setting a record for most money in one year without winning. Furyk has $1.16 million. Faxon had the old record of $1.05 million, which he set last year. . . . The Jazz ‘n Tee charity tournament will be played Oct. 10 at Los Serranos in Chino Hills. Portions of the proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society, the National Osteoporosis Foundation and Adventures in Flight. Details: (310) 225-1912. . . . Randy Peterson and Mike Bielsik of Alondra Park won the Southern California Titleist and Foot-Joy Pro-Assistant Championship at Mission Hills Country Club and Desert Princess Country Club. . . . The fourth Jorge Jarrin golf classic will be played Oct. 6 at La Canada Flintridge. The tournament benefits AltaMed Health Services. Details: (213) 889-7323. . . . Oklahoma State is No. 1 in the latest MasterCard men’s collegiate golf rankings and Brad Elder is the No. 1 player. USC is ranked No. 19. Arizona leads the women’s rankings with UCLA No. 9. Grace Park of Arizona State is the top individual and UCLA’s Amandine Vincent is tied for No. 14. . . . The Help Brain Injured Children charity pro-am will be played Monday at Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra Heights. Details (562) 694-5655. . . . The Adidas Group has acquired controlling interest in Taylor Made Golf of Carlsbad.

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Fading at the Finish

In recent Ryder Cup play, the U.S. team has not played well when an individual match has been decided at the 18th hole: *--*

Year W-L-T Overall Winner 1995 3-5-1 Europe, 14 1/2-13 1/2 1993 4-4-3 U.S., 15-13 1991 3-1-4 U.S., 14 1/2-13 1/2 1989 5-8-2 Europe, 14-14 1987 3-7-4 Europe, 15-13 1985 2-5-3 Europe, 16 1/2-11 1/2 1983 3-2-5 U.S., 14 1/2-13 1/2 Total 23-32-22 Europe leads, 4-3

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