GOLF : Grand Slam and Shootout in Southland This Week

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, so what sports season is it? Yes, golf, when birdies fill the air and there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind: money.

Sure, they have officially closed the vault on the PGA money list, but that doesn’t mean there are no more chances to cash in. Actually, there are two this week in Southern California.

The winners of golf’s four majors--Masters champion Bernhard Langer, U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, British Open champion Greg Norman and PGA champion Paul Azinger--play in the $1-million PGA Grand Slam of Golf Tuesday and Wednesday at La Quinta.

The 36-hole event, with a first prize of $400,000, will be at the Jack Nicklaus Resort Course at PGA West for the second year in a row.

Beginning Wednesday at Sherwood Country Club, the Franklin Funds Shark Shootout will be played with 10 two-man teams competing for $1.1 million. The winning team divides $250,000.

After a two-day pro-am, the teams will be paired in five foursomes. Friday is a best-ball format, on Saturday they play alternate shots and during Sunday’s final round, they play a scramble format.

Langer, Janzen, Norman and Azinger will play 27 holes Tuesday and finish with nine Wednesday. Television dictates the scheduling. Last year, PGA champion Nick Price defeated U.S. Open champion Tom Kite on the first playoff hole.

And finishing last isn’t bad. Nick Faldo, the 1992 British Open winner, was fourth a year ago, six strokes behind Price and Kite, but still won $150,000.

Kite and Davis Love III are back to defend their title at the Shark Shootout. Kite and Love won by one stroke over three teams, including Price and Billy Ray Brown.

Price is back this time with a new partner, Norman. Price is also back with the year’s fattest wallet. His $1.478 million in earnings topped the money list.

The other teams are Azinger and Payne Stewart, Peter Jacobsen and Arnold Palmer, Chip Beck and Corey Pavin, Steve Elkington and Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Bruce Lietzke, Mark Calcavecchia and Brad Faxon, Ben Crenshaw and Fulton Allem (subbing for John Daly), and Mark O’Meara and Curtis Strange.