Valencia Not Up Some Pros’ Alley

Shortly after he won the Nissan Open at Riviera last year, Nick Faldo was asked about defending his title in 1998 . . . at Valencia.

Faldo laughed and started singing “Valencia!, Valencia!”

Actually, that’s probably pretty close to the reaction that next month’s Nissan Open is getting in its one-time stop at Valencia Country Club, which is about 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles and a very long way from Hogan’s Alley.

The Nissan Open made the drive from Riviera at Pacific Palisades and into the Santa Clarita Valley because the U.S. Senior Open will be held at Riviera in July and the club won’t allow two pro events on its hallowed course in the same year. The Nissan Open will be back at Riviera in 1999.

But the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, which runs the event, was forced to go on a yearlong search for a new venue. Valencia was the choice, although Pelican Hill, Calabasas, Los Angeles Country Club and Wilshire were contacted.

What effect switching from Riviera to Valencia will have on the field is going to be interesting. The Nissan Open is traditionally the last event on the West Coast part of the tour because Riviera is considered strong enough to keep many of the top players here before traveling to Florida.

Craig Stadler expects many top players to skip Valencia.

“And that’s unfortunate,” he said.

Stewart Cink, last year’s PGA Tour rookie of the year, didn’t commit to play the Nissan Open because it isn’t at Riviera. How many do the same thing as Cink remains to be seen.

Those committed to play Valencia include Faldo, Stadler, Steve Elkington, Payne Stewart, John Cook, Steve Jones and Duffy Waldorf. Players who haven’t committed, at least not yet, include Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard.

Tom Pulchinski of the Junior Chamber said Waldorf, who is a member at Valencia, has been busy lobbying for the venue. Also, the Nissan Open purse is up to $2.1 million, the club has a new clubhouse, it’s a dynamic community and there’s plenty of room for parking and corporate tents.

“Our indications are we’re going to get as good a field as we might have at Riviera,” Pulchinski said.

WATCH THESE GUYS

While the story lines this year on the PGA Tour might follow something like this--Woods winning the Masters by 20 shots, or John Daly quitting in July to concentrate on the new Olympic sport called driver-throwing or Greg Norman cutting his hair--there are a few other compelling plot lines to follow.

So in the interest of current events, here are five players to watch in 1998.

1. Mickelson.

He’s 27, has won 12 times and has had to listen while guys like Woods, Leonard, Ernie Els and even David Duval get hailed as the “young” guns.

But Woods, Leonard and Els have something Mickelson does not--a major title--and with two majors on the West Coast this year (the U.S. Open at Olympic Club in San Francisco and the PGA at Sahalee near Seattle), you’d have to say Mickelson has a shot at his first big title.

2. Corey Pavin.

Wasn’t it only three years ago that he won the U.S. Open? In 1997, Pavin had the worst year in his 14-year professional career--11 missed cuts, one top-25 finish and No. 169 on the money list.

Not only did he have to answer constant questions about his slump, he had to field questions whether his change of clubs had caused it. He said it hadn’t. He hasn’t played well in nearly two years, but if he can start getting the ball close and making putts, he’ll be back soon.

3. Jim Gallagher Jr.

In 1995, he won twice to earn a three-year exemption, which ends at the end of the year. That means Gallagher needs to finish in the top 125 on the money list or win a tournament to keep his card.

He missed 14 cuts in 28 events in 1997, but because he has a good track record--twice over $1 million in yearly earnings and a clinching victory in the 1993 Ryder Cup--he has a chance to turn it around.

4. Tommy Tolles.

At 31, he’s still regarded as one of the tour’s “kids,” probably because he has played the Tour for only three years. If nothing else and no matter his age, Tolles is one of the most consistent players out there--25 events, 22 cuts made, $825,793 in winnings.

What he hasn’t done is win (although he did finish third at the Masters). Chances are, that’s going to change, even though his Flat Rock, N.C., upbringing isn’t. Said Tolles of his tiny hometown: “You can count the stoplights on one fist.”

5. Robert Damron.

This unheralded 25-year-old from Orlando, Fla., made the most of his rookie year, finishing 53rd on the money list with $455,604 and tied for third at the Buick Classic. Even though he played only four Nike Tour events before making it through PGA Tour qualifying school for 1997, Damron is obviously a quick learner.

His family moved from Kentucky to Orlando after his dad retired from the coal business. At Bay Hill, he met Arnold Palmer, who gave him some early advice and helped get him a sponsor’s exemption into last year’s Bob Hope.

P.S. Tom Kite/Ben Crenshaw/Curtis Strange/Tom Watson/Lanny Wadkins.

They are the next big wave of Senior PGA Tour players and aren’t holding their breath to blow out 50 candles really soon, but the day’s getting closer, and you have to wonder how much longer they’re going to remain competitive on the big tour.

Kite is 48 and coming off one of his better years, in spite of the Ryder Cup duties that ruled much of his time. Watson, 48, played only 16 times, but he had five top-10s and finished fourth at the Masters and 10th at the British Open.

Strange, 43 this month, and Crenshaw, who is 46, might be more interested in working on their television careers than their golf swings. And Wadkins, 48, has had three top 10s in the last four years, but he enjoys an exemption as a lifetime member (15 years on PGA Tour and at least 20 victories).

PHIL ‘ER UP

Mickelson’s victory at La Costa wasn’t merely his 12th. It also marked the sixth consecutive year that Mickelson has won a tournament, which ties him with Norman for the best current streak.

MORE PHIL

For what it’s worth, Mickelson required 138 events to win 12 times. That works out to one victory every 11.5 tournaments.

Only three other players have averaged a victory in fewer than 20 starts: Woods (six wins, 44 starts, a win every 7.33 starts), Norman (18 wins, 253 starts, a win every 14.05 starts), Els (five wins, 78 starts, a win every 15.6 starts).

It should be noted that Jack Nicklaus won once every eight tournaments, Palmer once every 11.8 events and Watson once every 15.6 events.

ARNIE UPDATE

He turns 69 this year and he’s coming off his worst showing on the Senior PGA Tour since he first started playing it in 1980, but Palmer is still teeing it up and hoping for the best.

He’s playing the Bob Hope for the 38th time in 39 years after arriving last weekend to practice and get ready.

As far as his game goes, Palmer is realistic.

“I’m encouraged, but not overly encouraged,” he said. “I would like to be scoring better. Part of that is being able to keep my concentration for a longer period of time. But when I take it from the practice tee to the golf course, I can’t sustain the kind of shots that I hit on the practice tee. That’s what I’m working on.”

Palmer, who is playing the Senior Skins Game in Hawaii on Jan. 24-25, plans to play Senior PGA Tour events at Naples, Tampa and Sarasota in February.

NAME THAT TUNE

And now, just to prove that if you wait long enough you’ll see everything, “Jake Trout and the Flounders” are releasing a new recording.

Yes, that’s right. Jake Trout is really Peter Jacobsen, who along with Stewart and Mark Lye, put down their clubs and stood behind some microphones long enough to make golf parodies of some popular songs.

Thus, Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” is the Flounders’ “I Love to Play.” Steven Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” is “Love the One You Whiff.” Otis Redding’s “Knock On Wood” is “Metal Wood.” And Huey Lewis and the News’ “Heart and Soul” is “It’s in the Hole.”

Consider yourself forewarned.

HACKER IN HALL

Jim Crooker, 71, a retired Chevrolet dealer from Long Beach, is the only person to have played in each one of the 39 Bob Hope Chrysler Classics.

Crooker, a 12-handicap amateur, is being inducted into a Hall of Honor reserved for those important in the event’s history. The list includes Palmer, Hope, Gerald Ford, two-time winner Cook and now Crooker.

“I’m in rather heady company for a hacker,” he said. “Well, with Ford there, I guess there are two hackers.”