GOLF : Touring Pros May Become Worldbeaters

A world-wide golf tour, operated by a federation of associations from the United States, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia-New Zealand, may be in operation before the year 2000, foresees Pat Rielly, president of the Professional Golfers’ Assn. of America.

“The success of the Ryder Cup, both competitively and organizationally, plus the growing strength of golf associations abroad, points in that direction,” Rielly said as he reached the midway point in his two years as the PGA’s president. “And when it happens, we want the federation to follow the leadership of the R&A; (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland) and the PGA.”

Rielly, professional at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena, also believes that golf will return to the Olympic Games in another expression of its global growth. It was last an Olympic sport in 1904 in St. Louis.

“The IOC (International Olympic Committee) is considering it as a demonstration sport in the near future and I am sure it will wind up in the Games,” Rielly said. “Golf is the last truly pure sports competition.

“I find it embarrassing to pay money to watch professional sports today and see the brawling, the cheating, the rioting you see in football, basketball, hockey, baseball, tennis, you name it.

“Can you imagine a lineman in the Super Bowl game going up to the referee and saying, ‘I had so-and-so by the face mask. You didn’t see it, but I want to call the penalty on myself.’ Or John McEnroe saying, ‘That last shot was good. You called it out, but I think I should lose the point because it landed inside the line.’

“In golf, players call infractions on themselves. Greg Norman recently called a violation on himself during a major Australian tournament that caused him to be disqualified. He was quoted as saying, ‘From my point of view, I had to disqualify myself. The game of golf has rules to abide by.’

“So do other sports, but participants are more anxious to get around them than to live by them.

“And look at so-called amateurism. Some amateur athletes make more money than professionals with their endorsements and appearance guarantees. No such thing happens in golf. In the Ryder Cup matches, where we had the finest professionals in the United States and Europe playing, all they played for was their country and cups. There was no purse money. I see that competition as being in the true spirit of the Olympic Games.”

Looking ahead in another direction, Rielly is concerned that the growth of golf is not being matched by a growth in golf courses.

There are 24 million players and 14,000 courses--counting nine-hole sites--today that contribute an estimated $2 billion to the golf industry. A study by the National Golf Foundation projects 35 million players and a $4 billion industry by 2000.

“To satisfy the needs of the next decade, we need another 4,000 courses,” Rielly said. “Last year, between 200 and 225 were completed. Every year we keep falling behind.

“Cost, of course, is one major factor. Twenty years ago, you could build a complete course for $1 million. Now an irrigation system alone can cost that much.”

Under Rielly’s direction, the PGA has created a new division, PGA Golf Services, Inc., to assist and foster the growth of facilities.

“Golf Services has a two-fold goal,” he said. “First, we want to enable the growing number of potential amateur players to enjoy the game, and second, we want to give the 17,000 members of the PGA an opportunity to take advantage of that growth.”

One area in which the PGA may reduce, rather than expand, its position is in its own tournament, the PGA Championship.

Forty club professionals have been included in the field with PGA Tour players--men who make their living playing golf rather than teaching it. Rarely do any of the 40 make the halfway cut. Jay Overton did in 1988, but no one did last year.

That has caused criticism of the PGA in its status as one of the four so-called majors, along with the U.S. Open, British Open and the Masters.

Rielly bristles at the inference that the PGA is not top rank.

“We have had the strongest fields of any major in the last five years,” he said. “We have no amateurs and all the others do. We also have a strong representation of foreign players. Curiously, I have heard no complaints from the tour players about having club professionals in the tournament.

“They realize that at one time all the players were club professionals, so tradition dictates that they have representation.”

Nevertheless, Rielly acknowledged that the number may be cut from 40 to as few as 10 at the next board meeting. “A reduction is under consideration, that’s right, but I think 30 would be a more appropriate number,” he said.

This year’s PGA will be played Aug. 10-13 at Shoal Creek, Ala., where the missing club pros may be the fortunate ones not to be playing in muggy, 90-degree weather.

Golf Notes

Dinah Shore will receive the Golden State Award for “her significant contribution to golf in California” Tuesday night at the California Golf Writers Assn. dinner in Pebble Beach. Also being honored is John Geertson, a noted golf instructor. . . . Prize money for the Nabisco Dinah Shore LPGA tournament has been increased to $600,000, up $100,000 from last year. Winner of the March 29-April 1 event at Mission Hills will receive $90,000, the highest payoff in LPGA history.

Amateur participants in the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Feb. 1-4 include Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser, former Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal, former San Francisco 49er center Randy Cross and actors Tom Selleck and Michael Keaton. . . . Golf Expo, the first major consumer golf show in Southern California, will open Feb. 9 for three days at the Anaheim Stadium Exhibition Center. It will include free instruction from PGA professionals Derek Hardy, Tom Sargent and Gregg McHatton; club fitting, seminars on new handicapping procedures, rules, construction and selection of balls and clubs, and long drive and putting contests, according to Don Sandefur, director of professional services for the SoCal PGA. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 10 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 11.

Eddie Merrins, professional at Bel-Air CC for the last 28 years, and Billy Casper, former Masters and U.S. Open champion from San Diego, have been inducted into the SoCal PGA Hall of Fame. . . . Two former USC players, Kemp Richardson, 43, of El Niguel, and Craig Anderson, 32, of Vista Valley CC in Fallbrook, are the amateur qualifiers for the Shearson Lehman Hutton Open Feb. 15-18 at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

The $100,000 Bakersfield Open will open the Ben Hogan Tour this week at the Bakersfield CC. A qualifying round Monday will set the field for the 54-hole tournament starting Friday and concluding Sunday. . . . Eleven old-time Southland professionals have been named charter members of the PGA Half Century Club. They are Harry C. Boyer of Huntington Beach, Marvin Clawson of North Hollywood, Bob Gutwein and Al Zimmerman of San Diego, Walter Keller and Joe Norwood of Los Angeles, Stan Kertes of Santa Monica, Bud Oakley of Palos Verdes Estates, Paul Runyan of Pasadena, and Harold Wiley of Inglewood. The oldest member is Gene Sarazen, 87, who has been a member of the PGA since 1921.

Actor Dan Ryan shot 147 to win the Hollywood Hackers’ 27th annual championship at Rancho Mirage CC. Low net was producer-writer Arthur Kean. . . . Cliff Litts, 67, shot his eighth hole-in-one, using a four-wood on the 211-yard 12th hole at Braemar CC.

Tour pros Steve Pate and Sam Randolph will be co-hosts of the 17th annual St. Francis Hospital Robert Vaillancourt pro-celebrity tournament Monday at Santa Barbara Community GC. There will be a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. with proceeds going to the hospital’s X-ray department. . . . Louise Grogan is newly elected president of the Beverly Hills Women’s Golf Club, which will hold an organizational meeting Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. at the La Cienega Park Community Center.