James Makes Sure It Won’t Be the Same Old Story for Europe

Hurry, hurry, cast your ballot in the referendum on Mark James, the European Ryder Cup captain.

Here are your choices:

A. Knuckle-

head.

B. Genius.

There’s plenty of time to vote because the U.S. doesn’t get a chance to see whether James’ youth movement is going to work for about a month, until the Sept. 24-26 Ryder Cup matches at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

But so far, you would have to admit that James has gone out on a limb. He ignored Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Costantino Rocca and chose Jesper Parnevik (no problem with that) and Andrew Coltart (big problem if Europe loses).

Basically, James’ players are so young, they don’t need caddies, they need chaperons.

Seven of the 12 players have never played in the Ryder Cup: Coltart, Sergio Garcia, Paul Lawrie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jarmo Sandelin, Jean Van de Velde and Padraig Harrington. And three others--Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Parnevik--have played in only one.

For this reason, most experts believed that James would surely select Langer, and if not Langer, then Faldo (no matter how poorly he has been playing).

At last week’s BMW International tournament in Munich, Langer was asked how much he wanted to be on the team, on a scale of 1 to 10.

“Eleven,” he said.

Have a nice weekend, Bernie.

Faldo’s is a good story too. He said he bumped into James during the BMW event and asked him about the wild cards. James told Faldo that even if he won the tournament, he still wouldn’t choose him.

Said Faldo: “I hope he’s got more motivating lines for the rest of the team.”

Colin Montgomerie, the team leader, had lobbied hard for Faldo, but nothing could deter James, a crusty sort, from the notion that it was time for a changing of the guard. He could be right, but Montgomerie was still busy mourning Faldo’s loss.

“The team that plays in Brookline will be weaker without Nick,” Montgomerie said.

We’ll see. Nothing lasts forever, even if it seemed these guys would. After all, Faldo, Langer, Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros and Sandy Lyle were Europe’s Fab Five and at least one of them played in every Ryder Cup since 1977. That’s over now.

And now, the bigger question: How does this affect the U.S. team? The answer: Who knows with these guys?

The facts are that five of the top 10 players and eight of the top 13 in the official world ranking are on the U.S. team, which has only one Ryder Cup rookie--David Duval--on it.

And, once again, the U.S. will be heavily favored.

But Europe has won or retained the Ryder Cup five of the last seven times it has been up for grabs.

TIGER UPDATE

Today’s question is pretty basic. What does Tiger Woods need more than anything else?

A third house to match the ones he has in Orlando, Fla., and Manhattan Beach? A third major? Sergio Garcia a third less talented?

Nope, nope and nope. The answer, obviously, is money.

Woods’ contract with Nike is being restructured to about $90 million--more than double its current value--even though it has two years left, according to Golf World Business.

Woods, who wears Nike apparel and shoes, signed a five-year, $40-million deal in 1996 when he turned pro after winning a third consecutive U.S. Amateur.

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent at IMG, confirmed the restructuring, but Nike officials would not comment.

Steinberg also said the timing was tied to the controversy over two recent Nike TV ads in which Woods hits balls at a driving range and bounces a ball off the face of his club.

Titleist urged IMG to ask Nike to change the “billboard” ending from Nike Golf to the Tiger Woods Nike logo, which was done, but Acushnet Co. President and Chief Executive Wally Uihlein still isn’t happy.

“I am continuing to pay out [Titleist] dollars to watch Nike use Tiger to sell their golf balls,” he told Golf World Business.

Titleist sued Nike in U.S. District Court in Boston two months ago.

In the meantime, Titleist is cutting in half its deal with Woods to $10 million over five years to play its clubs and use its ball. Uihlein has decided that his company simply hasn’t gotten enough exposure for its investment because Woods wears the Nike swoosh on the two prime advertising spots--cap and shirt.

There is also speculation that the Titleist logo will soon disappear from Woods’ bag and be replaced by one of his other sponsors.

And there’s more speculation: Nike is looking for somebody to replace Michael Jordan as its endorsement centerpiece and that somebody might be Woods. We’ll believe that when Tiger co-stars with Bugs and Tweety in “Space Jam II.”

Nike certainly looks healthy, Thursday reporting a 57% increase in revenue for the fiscal year ending May 31.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED

For what it’s worth, Nike’s golf business has stepped up a decimal or several in the money department since Hughes Norton negotiated the company’s first two shoe and apparel deals in 1985, for IMG clients Peter Jacobsen and Curtis Strange. Their combined endorsement income: $17,500.

SKINNED

The Skins Game will have neither Woods nor Greg Norman this year. Both have said they’re not available because of other commitments. Mark O’Meara is the defending champion.

AMATEUR HOUR (OR SO)

The next several months are going to be busy for 20-year-old David Gossett, who won the U.S. Amateur last weekend at Pebble Beach. But how busy?

Well, that’s up to Gossett. He’s back in school for his sophomore year at the University of Texas, where he can help atone for flaming out in the NCAA tournament. But there are a few other tournaments that might mean even more to Gossett, namely the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open.

Gossett has invitations to all three, providing he remains an amateur, so you can expect him to remain an amateur until next summer. But after that, you can just about color him gone.

Gossett and his dad, Larry, are going to be very familiar with agents, if they’re not already. Early speculation gives the edge on Gossett to Vinny Giles of Pros Inc., who already has former Texas players Tom Kite and Justin Leonard on board.

Leonard, who turned pro in 1994, was so wrapped up by Pros Inc., influenced largely by Kite, that he never even gave any other management firm a thought.

Add it all up and there is surely a Pros Inc. motto for Longhorn golfers. Hook ‘em.

HOW TO SAVE $2,700

Hunter Haas, the U.S. Public Links and Porter Cup champion, didn’t fare as well in the U.S. Amateur, where he lost in the semifinals.

But it wasn’t a total loss for Haas, who played nine rounds, including three practice rounds at Pebble Beach. The usual green fee is $300 a round.

Said Haas: “So at least I got my money’s worth.”

IT’S MONEY TIME

Do you think Tom Watson goes to sleep counting money in his head? Or listening to the sounds of cash registers? How eager do you think Watson is to make his Senior PGA Tour debut in two weeks?

Let’s just say he’s probably ready. You have to believe that the senior tour is out there waiting for him to take over.

Consider the fact that there have been eight first-time winners this year--none of them anywhere close to Watson’s ability: Bruce Fleisher, Allen Doyle, Gary McCord, Bob Duval, Tom Jenkins, John Mahaffey, Christy O’Connor and Tom McGinnis.

TIGER TRAVAILS

Sometimes, it’s hard being Tiger. For instance, the day after he won the PGA Championship in suburban Chicago, he was in Aspen, Colo., for singer Glenn Frey’s children’s charity dinner and auction. The next day, he played in Frey’s charity tournament and the next day, he had a 7:30 a.m. tee time in the pro-am for the Sprint International, which began the next day.

Said Woods, facetiously: “I’ve had lots of rest.”

For that reason, maybe it’s not surprising that Woods missed the cut. Then again, maybe it is.

It was the first cut Woods has missed in 17 tournaments this year and only the third one he has missed in 56 events since he turned pro.

HISTORY LESSON

For what it’s worth, if Woods and David Duval win again this year, it will be the first time there have been two players winning five tournaments since 1963, when Arnold Palmer won seven and Jack Nicklaus won five.

A MOVING EXPERIENCE

Following the bouncing golf ball: The 3-year-old Los Angeles Women’s Championship that was renamed the Valley of the Stars Championship and was played at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale is moving to Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley and is back to being called the Los Angeles Women’s Championship.

The $750,000 LPGA event will be played Feb. 11-13. Group Dynamics Inc. of Santa Monica signed a three-year deal to promote it.

GRAND SLAM TEAM?

One thing about the LPGA team just announced for the Wendy’s Three Tour Challenge--it knows how to win majors. In fact, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Dottie Pepper won all four of them this year.

In the event, the LPGA team will compete against teams from the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour at Lake Las Vegas on Dec. 18-19.

HIT ME

Is cyberspace big? Duh. The https://www.pga.com Web site of the PGA of America reported 201 million hits during the PGA Championship.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

The Cadillac Invitational will be played Sept. 13 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. The event benefits the National Kidney Foundation. Details: (800) 522-9559.

The 10th PacifiCare/SAFE tournament will be held Sept. 13 at Cypress Golf Course to benefit the Southern Area Fostercare Effort. Details: (323) 583-8755.

The 11th Doug DeCinces Orangewood Classic will be held Sept. 20 at Strawberry Farms at Irvine. The event benefits the Orangewood Children’s Foundation to combat abuse. Details: (714) 636-4781, Ext. 206.