Club in La Jolla Pining for U.S. Open in 2008

If the folks at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla seem pen-minded these days, it’s probably because they are.

A major renovation project on the famed South Course at Torrey Pines began in July and organizers hope the $3.5-million project will help land the 2008 U.S. Open.

Noted architect Rees Jones is in charge of the redesign. He is lengthening the course about 400 yards, redesigning and rebuilding all 18 greens and adding dozens of new sand traps.

Jones, who has earned the nickname “U.S. Open Doctor” because of his work preparing courses for U.S. Opens, prepped Hazeltine for the 1991 Open, Baltusrol for 1993, Congressional for 1997 and Pinehurst #2 for 1999.

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“It wasn’t by accident that Rees Jones was hired,” said Dirk Kingma, president of the Southern California Golf Assn. and a leader in the push for a U.S. Open. “And we think that when he is done, this will be a spectacular venue for a major.”

Torrey Pines has a lot going for it. The length of the South Course will be close to 7,500 yards when the renovation is complete, it has plenty of space for bleachers and corporate tents, its ocean vistas make for good television and there is no shortage of first-class hotels in the area.

A group representing Torrey Pines made a presentation to the USGA during the U.S. Open in Tulsa, Okla., in June and USGA representatives have visited Torrey Pines several times during the last year. Riviera Country Club, Pebble Beach and The Olympic Club in San Francisco are also bidding for the 2008 Open.

The USGA has announced U.S. Open sites through 2005 and is close to announcing sites for 2006 and 2007. Winged Foot Golf Club in New York is reported to have the inside track for 2006 and USGA spokesman Marty Parkes said those on the short list of 2007 candidates are not on the West Coast.

“Returning to the West Coast for the U.S. Open is certainly a priority,” Parkes said. “Torrey Pines is a great site. There are only a handful of courses in the country that are U.S. Open courses and Torrey Pines seems to be serious about getting into that class.”

The 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach was the last one on the West Coast. The last U.S. Open in Southern California was at Riviera in 1948. The only USGA championship held at Torrey Pines was the 1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links.

Next year’s U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park in New York could have a significant impact on the chances of Torrey Pines. Bethpage is the first true public facility to hold a U.S. Open. Torrey Pines is also a public facility.

“We’re sort of sailing in uncharted waters next year,” Parkes said. “But if it’s a success, it can only help a place like Torrey Pines. It would say you can pull it off just as easily at a public facility as you can at a resort like Pebble Beach or a private club.”

Torrey Pines will remain open during construction with temporary greens and tees. Rates have been slashed to $17, down from $60. Course operators expect to have the course opened by the end of the year.

“No matter what happens with the Open, the city is going to end up with one of the most spectacular public golf courses around,” Torrey Pines General Manager Jim Allen said.

Closed U.S. Open

The venue for the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open abruptly changed late last month when the USGA found Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City would not be ready to hold the event.

The tournament has been moved to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in Oregon, which had been slated for the 2004 Women’s Open. A replacement for the 2004 tournament has not been named.

“As discussions progressed, Lake Merced seemed less and less comfortable with hosting the Open and we became more and more nervous about having it there,” Parkes said. “It just became evident that 2003 wasn’t going to work.”

Tiger Update

Tiger Woodsis defending his title this week in the Bell Canadian Open at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

This is significant because:

A. It’s Tiger Woods

B. Because Royal Montreal is the place where Woods last missed a cut on the PGA Tour.

Well, sort of. He has a streak of 75 consecutive cuts made dating to the 1998 Buick Invitational. He was credited with a missed cut, however, for the 1998 ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because he withdrew after two rounds.

That was the year the Pebble Beach tournament began in February and ended in August because of weather problems. Woods withdrew because he had a commitment to a youth clinic and could not return to Pebble Beach. The tour counts withdrawals as missed cuts.

“That’s the rule of the tour,” Woods said. “I can’t do anything about it.”

Woods shot 70-76 in the 1997 Canadian Open for a legitimate missed cut. If you go back to that tournament, his streak is 79.

Royal Etiquette

Woods played the pro-am Wednesday with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who apparently stepped in Woods’ putting line.

“He did it several times,” Woods said.

Woods has also played with the sultan of Malaysia, the president of the Philippines and former President George Bush.

Grounds for Divorce

Juli Inkster made 14 consecutive LPGA Tour cuts to begin this season, but has missed two of the last three and finished 56th in the other. She’s gone 12 consecutive rounds without breaking 70, and said she’s tried changing putters, putting grips and stances during the slump.

None has helped, but she joked that something more drastic might be on the horizon. “Maybe I’ll change my husband,” she said.

New Blood

Mark McCumber, who turns 50 Friday, will make his Senior PGA Tour debut Sept. 14 at the Vantage Championship in Winston-Salem, N.C.

McCumber, a 10-time PGA tour winner, has battled injuries since finishing third on the 1994 PGA Tour money list. He is fully exempt on the senior tour by virtue of his standing on the all-time PGA Tour money list. He is 64th.

Skins Game

Woods, David Duval and defending champion Colin Montgomerie are expected to make up three-fourths of the field for the Skins Game.

The fourth player will likely be Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples or Greg Norman. The Skins Game is Nov. 23-25 at Landmark Golf Club in Indio.

Calc Commits

Mark Calcavecchia has accepted an invitation to play in the UBS Warburg Cup, a Ryder-Cup style event between the U.S. and the rest of the world for players over 40.

Calcavecchia is so far the only Ryder Cup member to commit to the Warburg Cup. Organizers hope to get Tom Lehman for the U.S. team. Lehman was passed over by Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange.

Gary Player and Arnold Palmer are playing captains for the event. Jack Nicklaus, Larry Nelson, Isao Aoki, Hale Irwin, Mark O’Meara, Frank Nobilo and Strange have also committed.

The Warburg Cup is Nov. 12-18 at Kiawah Island Resorts in South Carolina.

King Coming to So Cal

Palmer has accepted an invitation to play in the Hyundai Team Matches Dec. 8-9 at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point.

Palmer will team with Bruce Fleisher in the Senior PGA Tour portion of the team match-play event that features two-player teams from the PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA tours competing in three separate tournaments.

Nicklaus and Tom Watson are defending champions of the senior tour portion and are expected to return. Lehman and Duffy Waldorf won the PGA portion last year and Inkster and Dottie Pepper are the three-time champions of the LPGA portion.

Palmer played the event in 1994 and ’95 with Nicklaus when it was at PGA West. Palmer and Nicklaus lost to Dave Eichelberger and Raymond Floyd in 19 holes in the 1994 final. They lost in the quarterfinals in 1995.

Ticket information: (949) 487-4150.

Who’s the Boss?

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks has created a golf division to oversee city-owned courses.

Cleve Williams is director of golf for the city and is responsible for all golf-related issues at Rancho Park, Wilson, Harding, Encino, Balboa, Woodley Lakes, Hansen Dam, Penmar, Los Feliz, Harbor Park and Armand Hammer courses.

Since 1981, the courses have had three separate managers, divided by regions.

“The City of L.A. is to be applauded,” said Craig Kessler, executive director of the Public Links Golf Assn. of Southern California. “Now there is someone who can look at what’s going on and pull the trigger on projects that need to be done. Golf matters won’t get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle.”

Kessler said the move will also help keep golf-generated money in the golf division, instead of spreading it through the entire Department of Recreation and Parks. As a result, the city plans to spend $23-25 million over the next five years on course improvements.

Living Legend

Bob Stupple, 94, of Fullerton, was honored by the Southern California PGA Tuesday for 75 years of service as a PGA member.

Stupple joined the PGA of America in July 1926 and joins Harold Sanderson of the Mid-Atlantic PGA as the only living 75-year members.

“Back [when I joined],” Stupple joked, “you could get in if you had five dollars and knew which end of a club to hold.”

He learned to play golf before World War I, won his first professional tournament seven years before Nicklaus was born and was playing senior events a year after Elvis had his first No. 1 hit.

He shot his age every year from when he turned 65 until he gave up playing after hip-replacement surgery at age 90.

Stupple qualified for the 1928 British Open. He missed the cut, but takes pride that he wasn’t the only one. “Tommy Armour missed too,” Stupple said.

SCPGA Awards

Greg Frederick of Oakmont Country Club has been named golf professional of the year by the SCPGA and Roger Gunn of Tierra Rejada has been named the section teacher of the year.

Frederick, the section president, has overseen the opening of the SCPGA golf course. Gunn, who played at UCLA and also on the European PGA and Nike Tours, has been teaching since 1993.

Other section award winners were: Johnny Gonzales of Sun Valley Golf Course (Junior Golf Leader), Kim Schilling of Bear Creek (assistant professional of the year), Michael Marcum of Empire Lakes (top clubfitter), Mark Pailthorp of Los Serranos (Horton Smith Award) and Pat Casey of Brentwood Country Club (Bill Strausbaugh Award).