There’s One School Where No One Is Exempt to Pressure

What are the most dreaded words in golf? Qualifying School, a weeklong experience in terror, where bogeys come home to roost and all that is at stake is, well, everything . . . professionally, anyway.

There are only two more tournaments remaining on the PGA Tour schedule for players to finish in the top 125 on the money list and therefore retain their fully exempt status for 2000.

Fully exempt basically means they can enter any tournament they want. Limited exemptions aren’t that good, and that’s bad news for the players on the money-line bubble, such as Billy Ray Brown (No. 125), Ronnie Black (126), Nolan Henke (127), Emlyn Aubrey (129) and Woody Austin (132).

Peter Jacobsen (131) might decide to use his one-time-only exemption of being in the top 50 in career money, but there are others who don’t have that option.

Pete Jordan, Doug Dunakey, Neal Lancaster, Brand Jobe, P.H. Horgan III, Paul Stankowski, Rick Fehr, Dave Stockton Jr. and Frank Nobilo are out of the top 125 and in exemption limbo.

Some have other exemptions, such as in the past champions category, but that’s far down the list of how tournament fields are filled. Briefly, it goes like this: the top 125 from the previous year’s money list, the low 35 and ties from qualifying school, the top 15 money winners from the Nike Tour, then past champions and major winners.

Players who finish No. 126-150 on the money list can’t enter a tournament until all players through the Nike Tour category decide if they want to enter. That’s a minimum of 175 players already--125 from the money list plus 35 from qualifying school plus 15 from Nike.

So any player who doesn’t finish in the top 125 on the money list doesn’t lose his PGA Tour card but does lose his exempt status, plus his ability to enter tournaments is limited.

About the only good thing for the players No. 126-150 is that they’re exempt into the finals of Q School--and that’s sort of like getting a hall pass for torture.

The finals at qualifying school are Nov. 17-22 at Doral in Miami.

DOLLARS MAKE SENSE

Besides the $1.2-million prize money at next week’s Pacific Bell Senior Classic at Wilshire Country Club, it’s probably going to be a big tournament for some big names: Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, Hubert Green.

The event is the last tournament before the Senior Tour Championship for the top 30 players on the money list.

Floyd is No. 31, Green No. 33 and Trevino No. 40.

DALY AND ‘MR. C’

Ely Callaway says John Daly’s departure from Callaway Golf was unfortunate and he isn’t sure Daly will be able to get his act together.

“A tragedy unfolding before our eyes,” Callaway said of Daly.

Callaway said he hopes--but remains unconvinced--that Daly can avoid “going off the deep end.”

Daly turned his back on a $3-million endorsement deal with Callaway by deciding to drink and gamble in violation of the terms of his agreement with the golf equipment company.

Also, Callaway set the record straight on Daly’s debts. It has been widely reported that when Callaway signed Daly to the endorsement contract, Callaway paid off Daly’s gambling debts. In fact, Callaway loaned the money directly to Daly, who thus owes Callaway.

MORE DALY

For what it’s worth, Daly was wearing Ancona brand apparel and using Titleist clubs last week at the Las Vegas Invitational.

Callaway said Daly is not banned from using Callaway clubs and as a nonstaff player could carry as few or as many as he wanted in his bag.

Daly on his reasons for going his own way: “Something finally told me, ‘Hey, money . . . is not always going to make somebody happy.’ ”

Daly is playing in Knokke, Belgium, this week in the Belgacom Open. He is being paid an appearance fee, possibly in the range of the $150,000 he received in July when he played the Irish Open.

TIGER THREADS

In its October issue, Sport magazine names Tiger Woods as one of the best-dressed athletes.

Really? Imagine that. All he does is make the cover of GQ and, presto, 2 1/2 years later, somebody notices.

TRAVELS WITH PETE

A chartered plane with Jacobsen aboard made an emergency landing this week in Fayetteville, N.C., landing on only its right landing gear.

Neither Jacobsen nor the pilot was hurt, but the airplane was--$700,000 in damage.

Jacobsen was on his way to Pinehurst to play in a pro-am event.

The runway was covered with foam, emergency equipment was on hand for the plane, which circled for an hour to dump fuel before the emergency landing at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

For once, Jacobsen’s comments were brief: “It was wild.”

Jacobsen has partial ownership in the jet. He went ahead and played the corporate outing Tuesday and returned to Portland . . . on a commercial airliner.

CASEY MARTIN UPDATE

If you like irony (and don’t we all?), the scene that may unfold Sunday afternoon at the end of the Nike Tour Championship at Dothan, Ala., may be one for the books.

Here’s how it would go: Casey Martin finishes in the top 15 on the Nike Tour money list to win a PGA Tour card for next year and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is the guy who hands it to him.

Actually, that’s exactly what will happen if Martin stays in the top 15 (he began the event ranked No. 12). Finchem awards the tour cards in a ceremony afterward.

To say this is a little weird is an understatement, since Finchem and the PGA Tour have been battling it out with Martin in the courts over Martin’s use of a golf cart for nearly two years. And it’s not over yet. Martin could get his tour card and then never get to use it if the tour’s appeal of his court victory is upheld.

SHOE-IN TO SHOE-OUT

Nike’s announcement that it’s pulling out as the sponsor of the developmental Nike Tour is expected to be made this weekend at the Tour Championship.

The Internet company Buy.com has been mentioned as a potential replacement.

Nike’s interest in extending its agreement to sponsor the tour has been on the wane for several years, according to insiders, who said the attitude was based on the belief that “it doesn’t move product.”

OF COURSE

And now here’s an idea that had to happen: Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are getting together to co-design a course called the King & the Bear Golf Club at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.

MONTYMANIA TO WANE

This is bad news for all you Colin Montgomerie bashers. He says he’s cutting back on his playing schedule in the United States in 2000.

Montgomerie told Reuters he’s doing it because of all the insults showered on him at last month’s Ryder Cup.

Said Montgomerie: “I just don’t need the personal insults I tend to get over there, I just don’t need that.”

Good point. Actually, what Montgomerie needs over here is a win.

He has played 58 PGA Tour events since 1992 and he remains winless, not that he’s bothered by it.

“If it happens that I don’t win in the U.S., then so be it,” Montgomerie said. “It’s not something I have to do or want to do so badly.”

The seven-time leading money winner on the European PGA Tour and the No. 3-ranked player in the official world ranking, Montgomerie played only 11 PGA Tour events in 1999. He had one top-10 finish, a tie for sixth at the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club.

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Once again proving that money is everything, we bring you the new, Andersen Consulting Medal that goes to the player who earns the most money in the World Golf Championships each year.

With the medal goes the money--a cool $250,000. A like amount will be donated to the First Tee program in the winner’s name.

Two of the three World Golf 1999 events have been played--the American Express Championships are Nov. 1-7 at Valderrama in Spain--and the leader in the money derby right now is Jeff Maggert ($1.154 million). Woods is second ($1.150 million).

PUTTERS GO TO WORK

Virtually certain to make your boss happy, it’s Take Your Putter to Work Day, scheduled for Nov. 16.

Now, we’re not quite sure how Take Your Putter to Work Day will stack up against such long-standing faux office holidays as National Secretaries Day and National Hangover Day, but it definitely has potential.

The brainchild of Golf Digest, Putter to Work Day coincides with the magazine’s excerpt of a new book called “The Complete Office Golf.”

A suggestion: Before your boss can object, dig up the number of the Human Resources department.

HAWAII UPDATE

The 2000 PGA Tour begins with the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua, but the Maui resort is also making news for amateurs. The Kapalua Golf Academy, featuring an 85,000-square-foot grass tee area, will open soon.

OJAI UPDATE

For more than half a century, after the U.S. Army took over the place as a training camp, two holes at the George Thomas-designed Ojai course at what is now the Ojai Valley Inn were lost.

Well, they’re back.

Using old photographs from Thomas’ “Golf Architecture in America,” the exact location of the original third and fourth holes was found and reconstructed as the course’s seventh and eighth holes.

The grand opening of the new “old” Ojai is Dec. 1.

BUSINESS UPDATE

Vijay Singh is on the verge of leaving Wilson for Cleveland on the equipment side, and David Duval is close to leaving Tommy Hilfiger for Mossimo in the apparel business, according to Golf World Business.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

Don Pooley is helping raise funds for Biola University at the school’s 21st annual tournament, Monday at Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier. Details: (562) 906-4521.

The 1999 Catalina Island Conservancy classic will be played Nov. 8 at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach. Details: (310) 641-6477.

The Pacific Bell invitational will be played Nov. 22 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. The event benefits the Los Angeles County Public Library Foundation. Details: (310) 641-6477.

Bruce Fleisher-David Graham and Allen Doyle-Dana Quigley join Gil Morgan-Jay Sigel and Jack Nicklaus-Tom Watson as the senior tour teams in the Diners Club matches to be played Dec. 11-12 at Pelican Hill.

Nicklaus, Watson and Hale Irwin will make up the senior tour team in the Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge to be played Nov. 16 at Reflection Bay Golf Course at Lake Las Vegas.