FASHIONING HIS OWN STATEMENT YOUNG GUN BADDELEY'S GAME SPEAKS AS LOUD AS CHOICE IN ATTIRE.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

From nattily knickerbockered Walter Hagen in the 1920s through color-coordinated Doug Sanders in the '50s and '60s, to virtually the entire PGA Tour in the bell-bottom pants, wide-belted, silk-shirted '70s, and now the late Payne Stewart and the retro-fitted Jesper Parnevik, professional golf has enjoyed a long and proud history of peacocks.

The game being what it is - much more about scoring ability than sartorial splendor - clothes hounds who have made the biggest impact have done so to a greater degree with their clubs than their duds.

But those who can combine both these days have a chance to wind up in both the winner's circle and a commercial.

Second-year tour player Aaron Baddeley is the latest example. The 22- year-old Australian has plenty of game - enough to outlast famed countryman Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie in winning the 1999 Australian Open as an amateur - and he also has loads of style.

The latter was difficult to miss in the opening round of last week's Buick Open at La Jolla, where Baddeley stood out at distances of more than a quarter of a mile - robin's egg-blue pants will do that for you.

``Where does he get those clothes?'' one spectator wondered.

``Nowhere that I shop,'' responded another.

By the time he reached putting distance, Baddeley proved to be even more distinctively garbed, with a white belt nearly as wide as his white shoes, and a belt buckle big enough to make a rodeo champion envious.

In Australia, the look is called ``The Full Cleveland,'' a colorful style of past-era attire that manifested itself notably in last year's Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club. There, Baddeley shot a first-round 69 attired in large-checked, pale blue-and-yellow pants.

He's back this week for another try at Riviera, where fellow garbmeister Parnevik nearly won the Nissan in 2000 wearing pink pants in the final round.

``We wear the same label,'' Baddeley said. ``We've got to make sure we don't wear the same outfit on the same day.''

The look has helped Baddeley earn a role in one of the more entertaining golf commercials of the year. In it, Badds - as he is known on his Web site - drives up to the tee in a huge convertible, accompanied by a trio of mini-skirted go-go dancers, hands a new driver to a flailing amateur, and drives off into the sunset, go-go girls swaying in the back seat and another golfing mate rescued.

``I guess it's being young and definitely being a little different with my clothes,'' Baddeley said of how the commercial came about. ``And it's my personality. I'm very much a just-have-fun, enjoy-life personality. So that sort of went well with how they scripted it.''

The golf progress also is going well for Baddeley, who had three top-six finishes in 2003 as a rookie, just missing a 20-foot putt that would have forced a third extra hole in a playoff loss to Ernie Els at the Sony Open last season. He finished 2003 ranked No. 73 in earnings to retain the tour card he had earned with a top-15 finish on the 2002 Nationwide Tour, and he proved tough under pressure last week at Torrey Pines, draining a final-hole birdie on Friday to finish one stroke ahead of the cut line.

``I'm having a great time,'' he said. ``I'm really learning a lot and my game is definitely coming along, so I'm just excited about the year. It was so close (at the Sony, his first tournament as a full-time tour member), but we were just warming up there, so this year my goal is to have a win.''

``His attitude is fantastic - he just keeps plugging away,'' fellow Aussie and caddie Simon Clarke said of Baddeley's strongest quality.

Confidence might not be far behind.

Before the first of what proved to be two consecutive Australian Open titles, Baddeley told a friend that he expected to win - despite the presence in the field of former No. 1 in the world Norman and Montgomerie, who has 27 European Tour victories.

``I thought I could win,'' said Baddeley, who was 18 at the time. ``I spoke to a friend of mine, and after seeing what was in my eyes, he thought I could win, too.''

Baddeley wound up the youngest champion in Australian Open history, winning by two strokes over five-time champion Norman, who shot a tournament-record 64 in the third round.

The latest Australian phenom gives a lot of credit to Norman for the support he has extended a young countryman.

``Greg's been great to me,'' said Baddeley, who now resides in Scottsdale, Ariz. ``Before I came out here, he opened up his house to me. He says I can call him whenever I want to. He's just helped me out, which is great - it's really cool.''

Fellow Aussie Robert Allenby, the 2001 Nissan champion, once called Baddeley ``the best putter I've seen,'' and Baddeley demonstrated that ability by leading the tour in putts per round (27.88) last year as a rookie.

``He's a fine young player, that's for sure,'' Allenby said last week at the Buick Invitational, where both Australians tied for 40th. ``And he has a bright future as long as he gets the right guidance along the way.''

Baddeley hopes just to come close to his own expectations, since they are so high.

``I'm out here on tour, playing pretty good. I had a chance to win a couple last year. That's pretty good for a 22-year-old, but to my expectations, it's not quite up there.''

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

With fashion statements like the plaid pants he wore last month at the Sony Open, Australia's Aaron Baddeley is blazing his own trail on the PGA Tour.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Box:

NISSAN OPEN