Ron Kantowski and Mike Trask debate whether a pop star can breathe life into a moribund golf tournament

Monday, Nov. 19, 2007 | 7:07 a.m.

Overheard at the supply cabinet - we don't have a water cooler in the newsroom - the morning after the Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children became the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open:

Sun sports columnist and resident old coot Ron Kantowski: Young man, because I am old enough to be your dad and to have a record collection that actually consists of them, I need somebody who collects MP4s to tell me why Justin Timberland - er, lake - is going to be the savior of our PGA tour stop, now that he has added his name to all the others on the trophy. Is he your generation's Bing Crosby? I thought it was that Kanye West dude.

Sun general assignment reporter and resident young gun Mike Trask: Bing Crosby ... isn't he the guy who fathered Melissa Etheridge's baby? Oh, never mind, that was David Crosby, or so says Wikipedia. I don't have time to explain it to you, old timer. If Bing Crosby was the most famous pop star of his generation, then, yes, he was like Justin Timberlake. People know who he is, which is more than can be said for George McNeill, D.J. Trahan and Cameron Beckman, who were the top three finishers last month.

Old coot: That's the problem, junior. Unless whoever is running the tournament this week can swap tournament dates with the AT&T Pebble-Beach Pro-Am - the good walk spoiled formerly known as the Crosby Clambake - McNeill, Trahan and Beckman are still going to be making birdies by their lonesome on Sunday. I don't see how Justin Timberwolf - er, lake - swinging a 9-iron in Wednesday's Pro-Am is going to affect the size of the weekend gallery.

Young gun: This is the New Vegas, Grandpa. Paris Hilton guest-hosts a night at Pure and it fills the joint. They bring in Pam Anderson for magic shows, Hulk Hogan for trade shows and Ron Jeremy for other shows. Celebrity sells better than any golf that doesn't involve Tiger Woods. Justin Timberlake swinging a 9-iron will make the gossip columns on a weekend when everybody's watching the NFL or the baseball playoffs.

Old coot: They'd be better off getting the guy who finished 13th in the previous week's NASCAR race to sign autographs at the clubhouse turn. Now that would attract a crowd.

Young gun: But Timberlake's name already has people, even old guys like you, chatting about golf. Timberlake recently brought sexy back. He can certainly revive a sluggish golf tournament.

Old coot: Sexy? You mean like Jan Stephenson? Have fun hanging out with the boy bands. I think I'll just stay home and watch Great Finishes at the Jamie Farr Classic on the Golf Channel.

Top 10 rejected names of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open:

10. Not Exactly the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am

9. John Daly and a Bunch of Guys You've Never Heard Of

8. A Good Choreographed Spin Move Spoiled

7. The Protective Tin Cup Classic

6. Happy Gilmore's 3-Tour Challenge

5. The Poulan Weed Eater Bowl

4. The Joey Fatone Putt Putt Invitational

3. Yet Another Buick Open

2. The Hey Tiger If We Did Something to Make You Mad We're Truly Sorry So Please Come Back Classic

1. The Wardrobe Malfunction Open