SACC trio on Fox TV

BRYCE ALDERTON

Comments PGA golfer Greg Norman made earlier this week in which he

announced to the world that he was against women being allowed to

play in men’s golf events struck another chord in the seemingly

bubbling brew-ha-ha that has evolved since Annika Sorenstam teed it

up in last year’s Colonial, a PGA Tour stop in Texas.

First it was Vijay Singh denouncing Sorenstam’s entry into the

Colonial and now Norman’s latest vent on golf’s gender front.

“If the girls come out and think they can play against the guys

and fail every time, that can’t be very positive,” Norman said.

I am not even going to enter an opinion on this, but here is a

question: Why all the negativity?

Well, not all is down-trodden when the words, “men,” “women” and

“golf” come up in the same sentence, especially in Newport-Mesa.

Case in point: Santa Ana Country Club.

Three of the club’s own will tee it up in a made-for-television

event next week and all have an equal chance of contributing to the

team’s success.

Mike Reehl, the club’s director of golf, along with Marianne

Towersey, a 19-time women’s club champion and six-time men’s club

titleholder Boyd Martin, will compete against a team from San Gabriel

at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert Wednesday in the first

round of the 12th annual Fox Sports TV team challenge.

In January the Santa Ana trio shot 66 at Candlewood Country Club

in Whittier -- playing a best-ball format -- to notch one of the 14

qualifying spots out of 88 teams.

The group will play nine holes of match play using a unique

scoring system. The best score of the three golfers (termed “best

ball”) will be used for the first eight holes while the two lowest

scores on the ninth hole will count toward the team’s aggregate

score.

Eight out of 16 teams -- two teams who received sponsor’s

exemptions were also added -- will advance to the next round with the

field cut in half after each subsequent round until a champion is

named. Teams competing hail from Southern and Northern California and

Hawaii.

Tentative TV dates for the matches to air on Fox Sports Net 2 will

be May through August and September through December.

“This is the first time in a few years we’ve been back in it,”

Reehl said. “I think we made it to the semis one year.”

Here’s hoping Towersey, Martin and Reehl go a few steps further.

Thanks to them for adding a little positive light to an otherwise

sticky and contentious situation in the golfing world.

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Volunteers are needed for the 10th annual Toshiba Senior Classic

March 15-21 at Newport Beach Country Club.

Tournament co-chairman Jake Rohrer expects at least 1,000

volunteers to do everything from driving sponsors and players to and

from the airport to assisting in golfer registration along with

keeping score on giant leaderboards.

Volunteers must work at least two days, but can work more if they

want to. The $59 volunteers must pay helps offset the costs of the

golf shirts, meals, a week-long grounds badge and other items they

receive.

Committee training sessions will be held March 8-14.

For questions and to obtain a registration form, contact the

tournament office at (949) 660-1001.