They’ll Be Dueling for Dollars

Professional golf enters a brave new world today, a bounteous and wonderful place where money grows on trees, where your pedigree is your invitation and no excess is excessive.

There’s nothing like a tournament with prize money of $5 million, to be split among the elite players in the world, to get somebody’s attention.

Tournament golf’s duty is not to raise social consciousness--we all know that--but millionaires playing for millions more ups the ante in this game to a surprising level.

Sixty-four of the top players in the world check their wallets at the door--for refilling--this morning at La Costa in the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, a single-elimination event in which everybody wins, even if you lose.

First-round losers get $25,000. Lose in the second round and you get $50,000. It’s up to $75,000 for the players who lose in the third round.

Lee Westwood of England, who plays Eduardo Romero of Argentina in the first round, downplayed the free money.

“It is not what I am here for,” he said, then added, “It is always handy.”

Last week at the Nissan Open, Ted Tryba won $209,067 for second place. He is not playing here, but if he were and finished second, he would make $500,000.

Money may not be the object in the professional golf arena, but it’s a darned fine way to keep score.

“If you like money, this is the place to be,” Tryba said.

Making its debut, the Match Play Championship is something of an experiment because no one quite knows what to expect.

For instance, could some players, satisfied with their sizable guarantees, mail it in?

Television has its own problem. Match play always has been a potential horror show for television because the top draws might not be around for the weekend.

The Match Play Championship already has affected the Nissan Open and the Doral-Ryder Open in Miami, the events that precede and follow.

At Riviera, the best field in the 73-year-history of the event showed up, deciding to get ready for La Costa. Ernie Els won, with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, David Duval and Nick Price all close.

Next week none of the top seven players will be at Doral after the withdrawal of No. 2 Duval.

But there’s no dispute about the level of intrigue in the first-round matches and the potential for even more drama if form holds.

Perhaps the most intriguing first-round match features Woods, who is ranked No. 1 and at the top of his game, and Nick Faldo, who is ranked No. 65 (Jumbo Ozaki of Japan, currently No. 14, opted not to play, opening the door for Faldo) and should not play golf without a safety net these days.

Woods won the Buick Invitational and tied for second last week at Riviera, but he said Faldo’s two-year slump doesn’t mean much.

“He is still dangerous, no matter what,” Woods said. “He’s won six major titles. Even if he’s not up to his normal form, he’s still a dangerous opponent, no matter what.”

Faldo’s free fall has been breathtaking. Since he won the 1997 Nissan Open at Riviera, he has one top-10 finish in 26 tournaments, none in his last 19, and has missed six cuts.

Faldo admitted that he is an underdog, but hopes for the best.

“My golf game has been a little bit like my singing,” he said. “It’s been a mixture of karaoke and rap. It’s called crap.”

Faldo said he has been practicing a lot with his wedges and putter to try to find an edge.

Meanwhile, Woods made a change of his own. He sent his regular caddie, Mike Cowan, to the sideline and again put childhood buddy, Bryon Bell, on his bag. Bell caddied for Woods at the Buick Invitational and on three occasions when Woods was an amateur.

Of course, this event is about as far from amateurism as is possible. You can put money on that.

* PAIRINGS, PAGE 8