CYBERSPORTS EVEN THE HACKERS CAN SWING AT THIS TITLE.

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

The PGA Tour's B.C. Open doesn't stand for Begging for Charity, but it might as well as it pursues in eBay way to save itself from extinction.

For just $1.1 million - as an opening bid - you can be the title sponsor of the event.

Net Tour Strategies, which promotes more than 20 PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA events, is behind trying to auction off this Endicott, N.Y., tournament in time for July 2002. There's also a presenting sponsorship (for $600,000) plus foursomes in the pro-am before it starts.

It's worth looking at the eBay item number 1157534297 just to learn what goes into a sponsor's entitlement to a relatively mundane event like this.

``Auctioning off a professional-sports-event sponsorship is unprecedented,'' said Kirk Pagenkopf, president of NTS (www.nettourstrategies.com). ``The B.C. Open is built on mass sponsor formula. It has never had a title sponsor.

``What has happened is that a lot of people are being exposed to the B.C. Open who have never been aware of it before. We really weren't expecting to get bids, because I am not sure that a $1 million decision can be made in just 10 days.''

The bidding ends Thursday, but as of Sunday, where were no starting bids. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

--The official Wimbledon site (www.wimbledon.com) does enough to keep updates flowing from its event that starts today, but CNNSI.com adds more interest with a ``Racket Bracket Challenge'' (cnnsi.com/wimbledon), turning this into something of an NCAA men's basketball pool - pick who's going to advance and win a prize.

--Nikco Sports will donate $10 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation from each sale of a $99 limited-edition Lakers championship commemorative basketball that's available only via the Web site (www.nikcosports.com) of the sports-memorabilia company. Only 5,000 balls will be produced.