Not All Are Made to be Broken : GOLF

Sure, records are made to be broken, but there are a few in golf that probably never will be.

Even though professional golfers may be better than ever as a group, playing the finest-conditioned courses in the world and using equipment so technically advanced there probably are computer chips stuffed inside, there are several golf standards that seem certain to be left standing when titanium eventually turns to rust.

* Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive tournament victories.

In 1945, from March 11 to Aug. 4, Nelson won every tournament he played. No one else has won more than three straight in the 43 years since.

* Sam Snead’s 81-victory career.

Snead won tournaments in four decades, including his eighth Greater Greensboro Open title when he was two months short of 53. Nobody plays four decades anymore. There’s no need because the prize money is so huge--and available.

For his 81 victories, Snead won $620,126. For winning the PGA Championship and the Sprint International this summer, Vijay Singh got $900,000.

* Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championship titles.

Among active players, Tom Watson has the second-highest total, eight.

* Nelson’s 18 tournament victories in one year.

Nobody has won more than eight times in a year since Johnny Miller in 1974.

* Nicklaus’ 17 consecutive years in the top 10 on the money list.

There will be fewer and fewer careers that last 17 years.

If consistency were a number, it would look like this: In the 17-year period from 1962 through 1977, Nicklaus won 65 tournaments--or nearly four a year. Once again, few if any players are going to be around long enough to challenge.