BARNES BATTLES GREENS.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer

The Brit was back in full bloom Friday and only too happy to discuss the bloomin' greens, his claim to bloomin' fame and the effects of his last bloomin' round in Los Angeles.

First things first for chain-smoking Brian Barnes, the big and colorful Briton whose opening round of 3-under-par 68 left him two strokes off the lead in the Pacific Bell Senior Classic at Wilshire Country Club.

Just how fast were those greens?

``Very much like Masters speed,'' said Barnes, who played in a threesome with Bob Charles and watched Charles four-putt No. 16 after his approach shot hit the green eight feet from the pin.

``Riviera's greens weren't this fast at the Senior Open,'' said Barnes.

Speaking of Riviera, how long did it take Barnes to recover from his bittersweet final round in the Senior Open? That day, he shared the lead with seven holes to play before incurring a penalty for failing to re-mark before a putt on No. 12, and then, steaming, bogeyed the next hole and wound up three strokes back of winner Hale Irwin.

``I haven't got over it yet,'' Barnes said. ``You don't get that many chances to win a major title. Doing what I did at the U.S. Seniors cost me the British Senior (which he had won in '95 and '96) because I went though the motions in that particular event and lost by a shot.''

Barnes admits mental replaying is futile but still wonders what might have happened had he not forgotten he'd moved his ballmark out of an opponent's putting line.

``Had I not made that faux pas, if I'd finished as I had done without that, it would have meant Hale would have had to hole from 15 feet to tie instead of holing to win - which is a little more difficult.

``You only get a few chances to win one of the majors, and that was one of the better chances I've had.''

As for chances to play regularly on the Senior PGA Tour, where access is the most important element for many tour newcomers, Barnes long ago enhanced his chances - by defeating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day during the 1975 Ryder Cup.

It was the kind of watershed event that has earned Barnes numerous sponsor exemptions on the senior tour.

``Beating Jack twice in one day still, over here, is a passport,'' he said. ``I personally feel I've done things a little bit more important than that (the U.S. won that '75 Ryder Cup despite Barnes), but if that's a passport I'll take it and be more than happy.''

The scent of victory: Golf's most distinguished elder statesman was honored again Friday on the first tee at Wilshire Country Club, when 69-year-old Arnold Palmer was presented a bouquet of roses by a young fan.

While Palmer was palming the petals, John Glenn, the equally high-profile space-program elder, was catching a few good-natured thorns from wise-cracking senior golfer Lee Trevino, teeing off one group ahead of Palmer:

``He's 77 years old,'' Trevino said of the legendary astronaut now circling the earth aboard Discovery. ``He should be sitting on a porch rocking. Whatever he learns in space in nine days, he'll forget it two weeks after he gets back.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Golf legend Arnold Palmer smiles after receiving flowers from a fan at the Pacific Bell Senior Classic at Wilshire Country Club.

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press

(2) BARNES