Golf glance ahead for the weekend events

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998 | 6:25 a.m.

All Times EST

PGA TOUR

Nissan Open

Site: Valencia, Calif.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Valencia Country Club (6,977 yards, par 72).

Purse: $2.1 million.

Winner's share: $378,000.

Television: USA (Thursday-Friday, 4-6 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 4-6 p.m.).

Last year: English star Nick Faldo closed with a 3-under 68 for a three-stroke victory over 1996 winner Craig Stadler. Faldo had a 12-under 272 total on the Riviera Country Club course.

Last week: David Duval won the Tucson Classic, finishing at 19-under 269 for a four-stroke victory over Justin Leonard and David Toms. Duval, who won his final three 1997 starts, tops the money list with $533,663.

Notes: Valencia, the tournament site because of preparations at Riviera for the U.S. Senior Open, was flooded Monday by nearly six inches of rain. ... Tiger Woods made his first tour appearance in the 1992 tournament. Woods, then 16, missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 75. ... Fred Couples won in 1990 and 1992, and finished second in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Former UCLA star Corey Pavin won in 1994 and 1995. ... The Doral-Ryder Open is next week at Miami, followed by the Honda Classic at Coral Springs, Fla. ... The tour's web site is www.pgatour.com.

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PGA EUROPEAN TOUR

Dubai Desert Classic

Site: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Emirates Golf Club, Majlis Course (7,101 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.26 million.

Winner's share: $213,200.

Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 5-8 a.m. and 2-5 p.m.).

Last year: Australia's Richard Green won with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff with countryman Greg Norman and Wales' Ian Woosnam. Green, the first left-hander to win on the tour since New Zealand's Bob Charles in 1974, finished with a 4-under 68 for a 16-under 272 total.

Last event: Zimbabwe's Tony Johnstone won the South African PGA on Feb. 16, closing with a par 72 for a two-stroke victory over South Africa's Ernie Els. Johnstone had a 17-under 271 total.

Notes: Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, the 1996 winner, is making his first tour start of the season. Montgomerie, seeking his sixth straight money title, won the Andersen Consulting World Championship on Jan. 4. ... Norman also is in field along with Els, Woosnam, England's Lee Westwood and Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal. Westwood is coming off a playoff loss to countryman Edward Fryatt in the Malaysian Open. ... The tour's web site is www.europeantour.com, and the tournament site is www.dwtc.com/classic.

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LPGA TOUR

Australian Ladies Masters

Site: Gold Coast, Australia.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Royal Pines Resort (6,250 yards, par 72).

Purse: $700,000.

Winner's share: $105,000.

Television: The Golf Channel (Friday, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 8 p.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.).

Last year: Canada's Gail Graham won her second LPGA title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Australia's Karrie Webb. Graham had a 15-under 273 total.

Last week: Wendy Ward won the Hawaiian Ladies Open, parring the first hole of a playoff with Dana Dormann. Ward, the 1994 U.S. Amateur champion, closed with a 2-under 70 to match Dormann at 12-under 204.

Notes: The tournament is in its second year as an official LPGA event. ... Webb, a seven-time winner in two seasons on the LPGA tour, is winless as a professional in her native Australia. ... Swedish star Annika Sorenstam won the 1995 tournament with a record 22-under 270 total. ... England's Laura Davies won in 1993 and 1994. ... The Welch's-Circle K Championship is March 12-15 at Tucson, Ariz. ... The tour's web site is www.lpga.com.

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SENIOR PGA TOUR

Next events: Senior Slam, March 9-10, Los Cabos, Mexico; and Toshiba Senior Classic, March 13-15, Newport Beach, Calif.

Last week: Larry Nelson won his first senior title, closing with a 1-under 71 for a four-stroke victory over Dave Stockton in the American Express Invitational at Sarasota, Fla.

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AUSTRALASIAN PGA TOUR

Next event: Tour Championship, March 5-8, Canberra, Australia.

Last week: Peter O'Malley won the Canon Challenge for his first pro title in his native Australia. He opened with a course-record 63 en route to a 17-under 271 total, nine strokes better than runner-up Paul Gow.

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SOUTHERN AFRICA TOUR

This week: Swaziland Open, Thursday-Sunday, Mbabane, Swaziland.

Last week: Zimbabwe's Nick Price successfully defended his title in the Dimension Data Pro-Am, finishing with a 12-under 276 for a five-stroke victory over countryman Mark McNulty.

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NIKE TOUR

Next event: Greater Austin Open, March 5-8, Austin, Texas.

Last event: Eric Johnson won the South Florida Classic on Jan. 18, finishing at 13-under 267 for a two-stroke victory over Chris Riley.