Golf Glance

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

PGA TOUR

Tucson Chrysler Classic

Site: Tucson, Ariz.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Omni Tucson National Resort (7,148 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.3 million.

Winner's share: $234,000.

Television: ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 4-6 p.m.) and ABC (Saturday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 4-6 p.m.).

Last year: Phil Mickelson won his second straight title in the event and third in six years, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Bob Tway. Mickelson, who won as an Arizona State junior in 1991, had a 14-under 273 total for three rounds at Tucson National and one at Starr Pass.

Last week: Paul Stankowski birdied the fourth hole of a playoff with Jim Furyk to win the Hawaiian Open. Stankowski, who also won the 1996 Bell South Classic in a playoff, finished with a 2-under 70 to match Furyk and Mike Reid at 17-under 271. Reid was eliminated on the first extra hole.

Notes: Tiger Woods, who tied for eighth last week in the Australian Masters, will return to the tour next week for the Nissan Open in Los Angeles. ... Johnny Miller is the only four-time champion, winning in 1974, 1975 and 1976 at Tucson National and 1981 at Randolph Park. He set the Tucson National record with an 11-under 61 in the final round of the 1975 tournament. ... Mark O'Meara, the Pebble Beach and Buick Invitational winner, leads the money list with $710,460. Jesper Parnevik is second at $414,307, followed by Woods at $403,450. ... John Daly has a tour-best 308.5-yard average for the two measured drives per event. Woods is second at 293.8. ... The tour opens its Florida swing in two weeks with the Doral-Ryder Open at Miami.

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LPGA TOUR

Hawaiian Open

Site: Honolulu.

Schedule: Thursday-Saturday.

Course: Kapolei Golf Club (6,069 yards, par 72).

Purse: $650,000.

Winner's Share: $97,500.

Television: None.

Last year: Meg Mallon closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Australia's Karrie Webb. Mallon had a 4-under 212 total.

Last week: Terry-Jo Myers, pushed to the brink of suicide four years ago by the bladder disease interstitial cystitis, finished with consecutive 6-under 66s for a two-stroke victory over Sweden's Annika Sorenstam in the Los Angeles Women's Championship. Myers had a 10-under 206 total.

Notes: Sorenstam leads the money list with $175,510, followed by Michelle McGann ($128,408) and Webb ($127,855). ... The tournament moved to Kapolei last year after six years at Ko Olina. ... Barb Thomas won the 1995 event for her first tour title. ... The Alpine Ladies Masters is next week at Gold Coast, Australia. ... The USGA extended special exemptions to the U.S. Women's Open to two-time U.S. Amateur champion Kelli Kuehne and past winners Amy Alcott, JoAnne Carner and Hollis Stacy. The tournament is July 10-13 at Pumpkin Ridge in Cornelius, Ore.

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SENIOR PGA TOUR

American Express Invitational

Site: Sarasota, Fla.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: TPC at Prestancia (6,927 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.2 million.

Winner's Share: $180,000.

Television: ESPN (Friday, 2-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 5:30-7 p.m.).

Last year: Hale Irwin won the inaugural tournament, closing with an 8-under 64 for a five-stroke victory over Bob Murphy. Irwin, who had a bogey-free 19-under 197 total, won the MasterCard Championship and LG Championship in his only starts this year.

Last week: Australia's David Graham won the GTE Classic for his first senior title, finishing with a 6-under 65 for a three-stroke victory over Bob Dickson. Graham, 50, the 1979 PGA winner and 1981 U.S. Open champion, had a 9-under 204 total on the TPC of Tampa Bay.

Notes: Irwin will join fellow 1996 major championship winners Jack Nicklaus, Ray Floyd and Dave Stockton in the Senior Slam on Monday and Tuesday at Los Cabos, Mexico. Irwin won the PGA Seniors' Champion, Nicklaus took The Tradition, Stockton the U.S. Senior Open and Floyd the Senior Players Championship. ... Irwin leads the money list with $336,000, followed by Graham ($263,800) and Gibby Gilbert ($169,500) ... The TPC of Prestancia was the site of the Chrysler Cup matches from 1987-94.

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PGA EUROPEAN TOUR

FNB TOUR SOUTH AFRICA

South African PGA

Site: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Houghton Golf Club (7,035 yards, par 72).

Purse: $486,000.

Winner's Share: $81,000.

Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 8-11 a.m. and 8-10 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8-11 a.m. and 9-11 p.m.).

Last year: Germany's Sven Struver won the rain-shortened tournament for his first European tour title, closing with a 9-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over South Africa's Ernie Els and Northern Ireland's David Feherty. Struver had a 14-under 202 total.

Last week: Zimbabwe's Nick Price won the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Sun City for his first victory since the 1995 Zimbabwe Open. Price had a 20-under 268 total for an eight-stroke margin over South Africa's David Frost.

Notes: The tournament ends the European tour's three-event swing through South Africa. ... Houghton was the site of Southern Africa's 1994 victory over Australasia in the Alfred Dunhill Challenge. ... Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, sidelined for more than a year by rheumatoid arthritis in both feet, is considering playing next week in the Dubai Desert Classic. ... Spain's Seve Ballesteros made his first start of the year last week, shooting 82-72 to miss the cut in the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

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OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Nike Tour: Inland Empire Open, Thursday-Sunday, Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club, Moreno Valley, Calif.

Australasian PGA Tour: Canon Challenge, Thursday-Sunday, Terrey Hills Golf Club, Sydney, Australia.

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