CBS' FORTUNATE RUN AT TEMPORARY HALT.

Byline: Tom Hoffarth Daily News Staff Writer

After four weeks of covering some of the most compelling story lines the sport can offer, CBS' golf-coordinating producer Lance Barrow admits he's disappointed that it all has to come to a temporary halt.

Sunday's final round of the Nissan Open was the last golf CBS will do for six weeks. The network's weekend shifts back to college basketball and the NCAA Tournament. But in mid April, it is back in business with TV's jewel of golf, The Masters.

``I personally wish this all kept going because we've had four unbelievable weeks of golf,'' said Barrow.

Prior to Ted Tryba's course record Saturday and Ernie Els' nail-biter Sunday at Riviera, that would include Tiger Woods' charge to win the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines last week, David Duval's 59 the week before to take the Phoenix Open and, in the network's first event of the year, the weather-beaten Pebble Beach Pro-Am won by Payne Stewart.

If stars were what the viewers wanted, the tournament field complied in the last round. And CBS found a way to duck in at least a dozen golfers from the top of the leaderboard Sunday in between the incessant but financially necessary string of commercials that interrupted the flow even in the dramatic last 45 minutes.

``I think we showed everything we needed to show this weekend,'' said Barrow. ``I don't think we missed anything.

``The only guy who didn't come up much on the last day was Duval, but with the field they had at Riviera, to get all those guys we did get in was amazing.''

The visual highlight Sunday might have been the seamless back-and-forth coverage between Els and the threesome of Tryba, Woods and Davis Love III. But the audio highlights were again provided by Gary McCord and David Feherty, especially on the windswept par-3 16th hole.

Tryba, a shot behind Els at that point, prolonged his tee shot as he kept checking the wind swirls. It became perfect comedy fodder for McCord and Feherty.

``All through that, his hair has not moved,'' said McCord.

``He's absolutely certain that he's not sure,'' said Feherty.

``Still (using) an 8 (iron)?'' asked McCord.

``Still an 8,'' answered Feherty.

``Still no chance?'' asked McCord seconds before Tryba's tee shot skipped off one bunker and landed in another to the right of the green.

Meanwhile, McCord, who last played competitively at Riviera at the Senior PGA Championships last summer, continually predicted the roll of putts on several greens. Too bad the pros on the course couldn't hear his advice.