Golf: McGwire goes deep at Toshiba Pro-Am

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Instead of launching tape-measure home runs, future

Baseball Hall of Famer Mark McGwire spent one of his first days away from

spring training crushing golf balls in the Toshiba Pro-Am Monday at

Newport Beach Country Club.

McGwire, who arrived unannounced and with no fanfare, displayed

unbelievable length off the tee -- surprise, surprise -- but struggled at

times around the green.

“It’s a lot harder than baseball,” McGwire said of golf, which was

actually his first sport as a 5-year-old. “There’s no margin for error in

golf. In baseball, you have that margin for error.”

McGwire said he’s “just trying to enjoy life” in his first year of

retirement after his record-setting career that included 70 home runs in

1998 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

McGwire, who plans to remarry this year -- “she’s a good Midwestern

girl,” he said -- has purchased a sizable lot at Shady Canyon, the

high-end Irvine Co. development with a Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

McGwire, a former Costa Mesa resident, said he isn’t fielding any

questions about baseball. “I told myself I’m going to go one or two

months without any baseball questions,” said McGwire, after posing for

pictures with amateurs in his group and signed a few autographs at the

10th green before an otherwise unassuming gallery, which included two

newspaper reporters for part of the round.

“Actually, I haven’t played golf in 5 1/2 years and I just started to

play again in October,” added McGwire, who eagled the par-5 510-yard No.

18, ripping his tee shot to within 167 yards, then using a 7-iron to

reach the green in two.

On the par-4, 407-yard No. 9, a dogleg right, McGwire, whose tee shots

reached 350 yards, came within 70 yards of the hole, a difficult hole

that elevates from the fairway to green.

McGwire, who opened his round on No. 11 with Senior PGA Tour Larry

Ziegler and three other amateurs, including Toshiba head Mark Simons,

wrapped up his day at the par-5 439-yard No. 10, where his tee shot left

him less than 100 yards to the pin.

McGwire showed he was human, however, when his putt from the fringe

flew across the green to the other fringe.

On the par-4 339-yard No. 1, McGwire ripped a thunderous drive to a

bunker just to the right of the green. But he couldn’t get up and down

and carded a five.

McGwire, though, isn’t concerned about his golf game or playing on any

celebrity circuits. But he does enjoy playing with his buddies, like Bill

Mitchell of the Irvine Co. at Shady Canyon, where McGwire, who wore

uniform No. 25 on his back for St. Louis, received the 25th Shady Canyon

membership in honor of his jersey number.

“It’s spectacular,” McGwire said of Shady Canyon, where his home is

expected to be completed in “a couple of years.”

McGwire, who still lives in Huntington Beach, has lived in Orange

County for several years, a great misnomer, he said.

“People are still surprised when I tell them I live in Orange County,”

McGwire said. “They think I live in Oakland or St. Louis ... I’ve been

living here since 1982 or ’83.”

McGwire turned down the Cardinals’ $30-million contract extension

offer last October and, instead, retired with unheralded class. He

finished with 583 career home runs, including his celebrated 70 in 1998

to break Roger Maris’ 37-year-old mark. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs last

year for the San Francisco Giants to break McGwire’s record.

McGwire grew up playing golf at Sierra La Verne Country Club, Glendora

Country Club and Mountain Meadows Golf Course in Pomona.

In his retirement, McGwire also spends more time with his 14-year-old

son, Matt, who greeted him at home plate during most of his

record-breaking homers in ’98.

“He’s not a baseball player,” McGwire said. “He wants to be the best

guitarist in the world. He wants to be a musician and I’m very proud of

him.”

Amateurs Bob Stegner and Mike Van Gieson also played in McGwire’s

group Monday.

McGwire will also play in the Toshiba Senior Classic Pro-Ams Wednesday

and Thursday, tournament publicist Chris Premer said.