Waldorf Promotes ‘Country’ Club Appeal of Valencia
If Tiger Woods and Fred Couples commit to the Nissan Open today, as expected, maybe the snickering will finally die down.
Maybe.
Skepticism abounded when the Valencia Country Club was chosen as a one-time substitute for the tournament. Riviera, the usual course, will be the site of the U.S. Senior Open in July but wasn’t interested in hosting two tour events so close together.
Defending champion Nick Faldo actually laughed.
Tour veteran Duffy Waldorf, who calls Valencia his home course, said: “You’re going from a classic course, one of the all-time great courses in the world, to an unknown. A lot of guys are going to squabble.”
As recently as a month ago, doubts persisted about the quality of the field Valencia could attract. And Waldorf, a Southern California native who lives five minutes from the club, went on something of a personal crusade.
“I told the guys it was a great course,” he said. “The greens are probably going to be the best that we play all year on the tour.”
While some bemoaned the distance from Los Angeles, about 30 miles, Waldorf pitched it as an advantage.
“It’s country enough that you don’t feel like you’re in the city,” he said. “It’s not crowded out here. No traffic. No Sunset Boulevard.”
Faldo, for his part, seems to have warmed to the idea of venturing to the hinterlands.
“I’ve heard it’s a good golf course,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting out and playing it.”
LONG DRIVE
With John Daly and Phil Mickelson as late additions, the Nissan Open now boasts a strong field, giving organizers reason to hope for something akin to the record attendance of 129,236 at Riviera last year.
So far, advance ticket sales have been encouraging. But many fans don’t buy tickets until they arrive at the gate.
Walk-up sales will depend on whether Woods commits to play. The weather, which has wreaked havoc on West Coast tournaments in recent weeks, also could be a factor.
Then there is the driving--on the freeway, not the fairway.
“For people who live north of downtown, [Valencia] will actually be closer than Riviera,” a tournament spokesman said. “The big thing will be to see how we draw from down south, from Orange County and the Westside.
“Those people are used to going to Riviera,” he said. “Will they come up to Valencia?”
HOMETOWN CROWD
Don’t think the PGA Tour takes fan attendance for granted, even in the Age of Tiger.
The desire for big galleries may have played a part in John Huston’s record 28-under-par 260 at the Hawaiian Open last week.
The Waialea Country Club, which has a long history of being scorched by the pros, remains attractive to organizers because it is located in Honolulu. There are tougher and more scenic courses on the islands, but none so close to a metropolitan area.
Besides, low scores make for good ticket sales.
PGA Tour official Glen Tait explained: “The spectators tell us, ‘We come here to see birdies.’ ”
DAMN THE TORPEDOES?
European tour officials are keeping an eye on growing tensions in the Persian Gulf, which happens to be the site of their next two events.
Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie are among the players scheduled to compete in the Dubai Desert Classic next week. The Qatar Masters follows the week after.
Tour Executive Director Ken Schofield was involved in the decision to cancel the Desert Classic seven years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Earlier in the week, Schofield insisted this year’s tournament would proceed as planned. He said the current situation is different from 1991 because Saddam Hussein is “in his lair” and the United States is acting as aggressor.
But after several days of listening to President Clinton talk tough, a tour spokeswoman said: “We’re committed to both events, but it’s one of those wait-and-see situations, isn’t it?”
MORE MARTIN
The gavel had barely come down on Casey Martin’s courtroom victory over the PGA Tour when organizers from the Doral-Ryder Open in Miami called to offer him a sponsors’ exemption.
The invitation smacked of pure promotion, but tournament director Scott Montgomery professed a more honorable motive.
“We always look to give our exemptions to promising young players,” Montgomery said. “I guess it would have impacted ticket sales somewhat, but that was not a factor.”
Either way, Martin already had committed to play the Nike Tour’s Greater Austin Open on March 5-8.
“He was very appreciative and overwhelmed, but he has been advised that he needs to concentrate on the Nike Tour,” Montgomery said. “He needs to earn his way onto the PGA Tour.”
BIG NIGHT
After Dale Eggeling came from behind to win the Los Angeles Women’s Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale last weekend, she canceled her red-eye flight to the LPGA’s next stop in Hawaii.
It was only her third victory in 22 years on the tour, so Eggeling and her husband, Mike, wanted some time to celebrate.
A fancy restaurant, perhaps? Dancing at a nightclub?
“Believe it or not, we went over to a friend’s house and watched the Olympics,” Eggeling said from Kapolei, Hawaii, where she is playing in the Hawaiian Ladies Open.
“No night on the town, nothing out of the way,” she said. “It was nice to just sit back and talk about old times.”
EASY DOES IT
The Eggelings originally had first-class seats to Hawaii, but when they changed their reservations the next morning, the airline wanted an additional $3,800.
That isn’t so much when you figure the Oakmont victory came with a $97,500 winner’s check. Still, the couple opted to pay a lesser $150 penalty to fly coach.
“There are a lot better things to do with that money than sit on an airplane for five hours,” Eggeling said.
Such as pay for the thoroughbred and quarter horse she keeps at home in Tampa. Or pay for the dragster that she and her husband--both fledgling racers--want to buy.
All of which means that, at 43, Eggeling isn’t considering retirement any time soon.
“My habits are too expensive,” she said. “I can’t retire.”
There is, however, an alternate plan.
“Someday I’d like to have a Bruce Lietzke schedule. Play 10 or 12 tournaments a year, make lots of money.”
BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS
Hale Irwin, Gil Morgan, Isao Aoki, Bob Murphy, Jim Colbert and George Archer are among those who have committed to play in the Toshiba Senior Classic on March 13-15 at Newport Beach Country Club. . . . Spectators who donate a new or used golf club to the Clubs for Kids program will be admitted free to Valencia Country Club for the Nissan Open Celebrity-Am on Sunday and the pro-am Wednesday.
