It Takes a Freak to Pull Off This Sort of Winning Streak

Check out this news item: Tiger Woods is close to signing a new endorsement deal. It’s with the U.S. mint.

All right, not really, but it’s probably something he should do since he has basically become part-owner of the thing.

One week into 2000, it’s becoming clear that this Woods fellow has a bright future in golf. Look at it this way: He is already the No. 3 all-time money winner on the PGA Tour even though he is only 24 and starting his fourth full year as a pro.

Consider how Woods won his fifth consecutive tournament Sunday in the season-opening Mercedes Championships at Kapalua. He eagled the 72nd hole, saw Ernie Els tie with an eagle of his own, then forced a second playoff hole with a nervy 10-foot birdie putt and finally won it with a big-breaking, 40-foot birdie putt that Els could only stand there and watch.

“The guy is kind of a freak, you know what I mean?” Els said.

Nobody has won so many times in succession since Ben Hogan won six straight in 1948.

As a result of his Kapalua victory, Woods collected a $522,000 winner’s check, a Mercedes SL500 Sport worth $88,000 that he gave to his father, Earl, and a blazer of cashmere and silk worth $3,300.

What? No Rolex watches, Lear jets or crystal goblets?

Hogan’s streak of six victories in a row is second only to Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive victories in 1945. Woods says his streak really seems more like one in a row because his other four were in 1999.

“What Byron Nelson did and what Hogan did, they did it in the same calendar year,” Woods said. “To do it in the same season is different than having it spread over time, from one calendar year to the next.

“This is a fresh start. Granted, it’s a continuation, I guess, of a streak, you could say, but in the books, it’s already over. That’s how I view it.”

TIGER UPDATE

Woods isn’t playing this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii or next week at the Bob Hope in Indian Wells and says he hasn’t made up his mind about playing at Phoenix. But Woods has already entered the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where he is going to draw an even bigger gallery than usual.

Why? Well, early reports suggest Woods’ celebrity partner will be Michael Jordan, and Mark O’Meara and Ken Griffey Jr. will complete the foursome.

SIMPLY RED

You may have noticed that Woods wasn’t wearing his usual red-on-Sunday shirt at Kapalua. Actually, there was a small splash of red near the bottom of his shirt, and Woods says he is going to tone down the big red stuff from now on.

This is understandable. Maybe green shirts with little pictures of presidents would be better anyway.

THAT SHOULD WORK

The quote of the week comes from Catrin Nilsmark of Sweden, the defending champion in next month’s Los Angeles Women’s Championship at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, who was asked what she does to relax in the off-season: “I like to go to good parties and dance a lot.”

BUSINESS UPDATE

In the transactions department, Lynx Golf (which Goldsmith recently purchased) has signed Ben Crenshaw to play the clubmakers’ irons, although Crenshaw will also use a Lynx driver and metal woods and he’ll also carry a Lynx bag.

Cleveland Golf signed Vijay Singh to play its clubs, wear a logo visor and carry a Cleveland bag. Steve Stricker signed with Ping and will use Ping irons, driver, fairway woods and putter.

After nine years, Greg Norman and Maxfli are parting ways. Norman is negotiating a new club deal with Cobra, but he’s also talking with MacGregor and Orlimar.

Adams Golf is coming out with Tight Lies2 metal woods for women ($249 with a graphite shaft). Carol Mann is leading the product development and marketing program.

They’re painted deep blue, the first time Callaway has painted a club head, but the new Steelhead Plus woods are out and already in the bags of Jesper Parnevik, Rocco Mediate, Brian Henninger and Olin Browne. Callaway’s new golf ball will be introduced Feb. 4 at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.

HE GOT SHINGLES

A multiple choice from Dan Jenkins in Golf Digest on what actually happened last year after Norman’s roofer was charged with stealing two sets of clubs:

“(a) The man won a major with each set, matching Greg’s career total.

“(b) The roof fell in on Greg again at the Masters.

“(c) Greg botched the British Open when he reached for a sand wedge and pulled out a staple gun.”

LPGA UPDATE

The LPGA actually made some news this week with the announcement that State Farm Insurance signed a multiyear marketing deal to be the title sponsor of the State Farm LPGA Series, to be the sponsor of the LPGA’s 50th anniversary year, to become a founding sponsor of the LPGA’s Web site and to become the exclusive insurance sponsor for telecasts of the next two Solheim Cups as well as the next two PageNet LPGA Championships.

MORE LPGA NEWS

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate will serve as the official chocolate of the LPGA.

AND EVEN MORE

After LPGA players responded in a tour survey that they don’t want a dress code, Emilee Klein wrote a personal letter to the players urging them to dress better on the course.

But Becky Iverson, who wears men’s size XXL clothes, says she doesn’t want her size held against her. She told Craig Dolch of the Palm Beach Post that the LPGA should worry about rules and not fashion.

Said LPGA Commissioner Ty Votaw: “If it’s difficult to tell the difference between people inside the ropes and people outside the ropes, then there may be a problem.”

BOX SET

After 70 tour victories and 46 years as a pro, it looks as though Arnold Palmer finally has made it. Yes, he’s going to be on a Wheaties box.

Palmer is featured in a cereal box campaign to raise $1 million for the American Cancer Society. Palmer had surgery for prostate cancer three years ago. His wife, Winnie, died last month after a long battle with cancer.

Palmer, 70, is playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic next week and then the Senior Skins game, but he isn’t sure what his schedule will be afterward because of his wife’s death.

“I feel reasonable physically, but the mental anguish, I don’t know when I’ll get totally free of that. It’s something I’m reminded of constantly.”

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

The 12th Frank Sinatra Celebrity tournament will be played Feb. 18-19 at Indian Wells Country Club. The event benefits the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. Details: (760) 202-4422.

Bill Murray has committed to play the Hope, where he will join fellow celebrities such as Emmitt Smith, Tom Glavine, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Boomer Esiason, Roger Clemens, Yogi Berra, Rush Limbaugh, Alice Cooper, Glen Campbell and Rick Dees.

Want to play golf with Fred Couples? Six winners will be selected from entries who visit the Web site of PartMiner Inc. at www.partminer.com. Next fall, the six will play with Couples at his San Juan Oaks Golf Club, located between San Jose and Monterey.

The new season of “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” begins with Couples playing Phil Mickelson at the Arthur Hills-designed Gaillardia Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City on Sept. 12 on ESPN.

The Los Angeles Junior Chamber and Riviera Country Club signed a deal to keep the Nissan Open at Riviera through 2005.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PGA 2000 Schedule

Jan. 6-9--Mercedes Championships (Tiger Woods)

Thursday-Sunday--Sony Open, Waialae CC, Honolulu

Jan. 19-23--Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, PGA West-Bermuda Dunes-Indian Wells-Tamarisk, Indian Wells

Jan. 27-30--Phoenix Open, TPC of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Feb. 3-6--AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach-Spyglass Hill-Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach

Feb. 10-13--Buick Invitational, Torrey Pines CC, South Course-North Course, La Jolla

Feb. 17-20--Nissan Open, Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades

Feb. 24-27--Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad

Feb. 24-27--Touchstone Energy Tucson Open, Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, Tucson

March 2-5--Doral-Ryder Open, Doral Resort and Country Club, Miami

March 9-12--Honda Classic, TPC at Heron Bay, Coral Springs, Fla.

March 16-19--Bay Hill Invitational, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.

March 23-26--The Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

March 30-April 2--BellSouth Classic, TPC at Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga.

April 6-9--Masters, Augusta National GC, Augusta, Ga.

April 13-16--MCI Classic, The Heritage of Golf Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

April 20-23--Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, Forest Oaks Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.

April 27-30--Shell Houston Open, TPC at The Woodlands, Texas

May 4-7--Compaq Classic of New Orleans, English Turn Golf and Country Club, New Orleans

May 11-14--GTE Byron Nelson Classic, TPC Four Seasons-Las Colinas-Cottonwood Valley, Irving, Texas

May 18-21--MasterCard Colonial, Colonial CC, Fort Worth

May 25-28--Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio

June 1-4--Kemper Open, TPC at Avenel, Potomac, Md.

June 8-11--Buick Classic, Westchester CC, Harrison, N.Y.

June 15-18--U.S. Open Championship, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach

June 22-25--FedEx St. Jude Classic, TPC at Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

June 29-July 2--Canon Greater Hartford Open, TPC at River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

July 6-9--Advil Western Open, Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, Lemont, Ill.

July 3-16--Greater Milwaukee Open, Brown Deer Park GC, Milwaukee

July 20-23--x-British Open, St. Andrews, Scotland

July 20-23--B.C. Open, En-Joie GC, Endicott, N.Y.

July 27-30--John Deere Classic, TPC at Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.

Aug. 3-6--The International, Castle Pines GC, Castle Rock, Colo.

Aug. 10-13--Buick Open, Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich.

Aug. 17-20--x-PGA Championship, Valhalla GC, Louisville, Ky.

Aug. 24-27--NEC Invitational, Firestone CC South Course, Akron, Ohio

Aug. 24-27--Reno-Tahoe Open, Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno

Aug. 31-Sept. 3--Air Canada Championship, Northview Golf and Country Club, Canada

Sept. 7-10--Bell Canadian Open, Glen Abbey GC, Oakville, Canada

Sept. 14-17--Pennsylvania Classic, Waynesboro CC, Paoli, Pa.

Sept. 21-24--Westin Texas Open, La Cantera GC, San Antonio

Sept. 28-Oct.1--Buick Challenge, Callaway Gardens Resort, Pine Mountain, Ga.

Oct. 5-8--Michelob Championship, Kingsmill GC, Williamsburg, Va.

Oct. 12-15--Las Vegas Invitational, TPC at Summerlin-Desert Inn GC-Las Vegas CC

Oct. 19-22--Presidents Cup, Robert Trent Jones GC., Gainesville, Va.

Oct. 19-22--Tampa Bay Classic, Westin Innisbrook Resort, Tampa, Fla.

Oct. 26-29--National Car Rental GC, Walt Disney World Resort, Magnolia-Palm, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Nov. 2-5--Tour Championship, East Lake GC, Atlanta

Nov. 2-5--Southern Farm Bureau Classic, Annandale GC, Madison, Miss.

Nov. 9-12--American Express Championship, Valderrama GC, Spain

Nov. 25-26--y-Skins Games, Landmark Golf Club, Indio

Dec. 10-12--y-Diners Club Matches, Pelican Hill GC, Newport Coast

x-Tour co-sponsored; y-Unofficial

* LPGA, SENIOR PGA SCHEDULES: PAGE 11