GIVING KIDS SOME COURSE CREDIT; NONPROFIT GROUP HELPS ATHLETES.

Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX

Leagues for a variety of sports, from bowling to darts, have long served as outlets for our athletic fantasies.

Now add golf to the local mix.

The ATA Golf League is completing its first session at six courses in the San Fernando Valley area. About 145 golfers of all skill levels participated in the first session and a second is scheduled to begin July 15.

ATA stands for Academics Through Athletics, a nonprofit group formed to help high school athletes who are not of blue-chip caliber continue their education and sports careers in college.

``We let the colleges know that the kids are out there, the second- and third-tier athletes that are good athletes and can play at the college level and are not being recruited,'' said Bob Seagren, the former Olympic gold medalist who serves as ATA's executive director.

Seagren organized a fund-raising golf tournament for ATA last year and it was successful enough to prompt him to set up the league format.

Participants paid between $95 to $145 depending on the course they played. League competition covers 10 weeks, with matches starting about 4 p.m. on Tuesdays. The fee covers 9 holes of golf.

``It's a good deal,'' Seagren said. ``The fee is usually below what you would pay if you went out and played 10 times in a row,'' he said.

Results are published weekly in the Daily News. Other program sponsors include Air Touch Cellular, Fuji Film, Samy's Camera and Mizuno, the sporting goods company.

A league championship will be held in November at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley. Top finishers from each course will participate in a ``shootout'' tournament.

Part of the proceeds will be used to create a profile of high school athletes, including their academic and sports records, for distribution to college athletic departments.

Seagren said that ATA also provides academic tutoring, counseling, college placement and help with financial aid. The goal is to match qualified student-athletes with scholarship opportunities.

``There are other kids that are at risk that don't have the grades and may not go on to college,'' Seagren points out. ``Hopefully we can get some tutoring and guidance to find a way to get the grades up so they can qualify for a scholarship if one is offered.''

One of his most-pointed pitches is that kids can't play competitive sports if they are not sharp in the classroom.

``Kids have to realize that if they want to play sports, they have to maintain at least a C average in school to be eligible. That's a good starting point in high school,'' he said. ``And they have to realize that if they want to go onto college, they will have to have more than a 2.0 to get in.''

Courses participating in the ATA league are Brookside in Pasadena, Vista Valencia in Valencia, Van Nuys, Camarillo Springs, Knollwood in Granada Hills and Lake Lindero Country Club in Agoura Hills.

The twilight league format is patterned after a concept that has become popular back East, where many courses are packed on summer evenings with after-work players.

Seagren said that he did not have much trouble selling courses on the idea, since they were guaranteed some tee times in the evenings.

Participation also includes a handicap to even out the competition, Seagren points out. The handicaps are adjusted on a weekly basis.

He plans to take the league concept into Orange County in July and then to San Diego.

``If it brings in more money, we can find more scholarships for the kids,'' he said.

Notes: Look for Masters champion Tiger Woods in a video store near you. On Tuesday, Warner Home Video will release ``Highlights of the 1997 Masters Tournament.'' A more appropriate title might be ``Masters Field Devoured by Tiger.'' The only ``highlight'' was Woods. The 53-minute video will retail for $12.95. . . . Those long-handled putters could be swept right out of the game by 2000 by Edinburgh, Scotland-based The Royal and Ancient Club, golf's ruling body. Some players have complained that the broom-handle putters provide an unfair advantage, so a change to the rules might be discussed. The rules governing the game are reviewed every four years, so no change could come before 2000.

THIS WEEK

PGA TOUR

Colonial Invitational

Dates/Site: Today-Sunday at Fort Worth, Texas.

Course: Colonial Country Club (7,010 yards, par 70).

Purse (Winner's Share): $1.6 million ($288,000).

Television: USA (Today-Friday, 4-6 p.m., delayed) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, Noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Corey Pavin finished with a 1-under 69 in windy conditions for a two-stroke victory over Jeff Sluman. Pavin, also the 1988 winner, had an 8-under 273 total.

Last week: Tiger Woods won the Byron Nelson Classic for his third title of the year and fifth in 16 PGA Tour events as a pro. Woods closed with a 2-under 68 to match the tournament record of 17-under 263.

Notes: Fuzzy Zoeller is entered along with Woods, marking the first time they have been in a tournament together since Zoeller's racially charged comments at the Masters. . . . Woods leads the money list with $1,290,350, also tops the U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup standings, and has jumped to No. 3 in the world rankings behind No. 1 Greg Norman and No. 2 Tom Lehman.

LPGA TOUR

Skins Game

Dates/Site: Saturday and Sunday at Frisco, Texas.

Course: Stonebriar Country Club (6,285 yards, par 72).

Purse: $540,000 (Nos. 1-6, $20,000 each; Nos. 7-12, $30,000; Nos. 13-18, $40,000).

Television: ABC (Saturday, 1-3 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30-3 p.m.).

Players: Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Dottie Pepper.

Last year: Davies won a tour-record $340,000. The English star made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 14 for 10 skins and a single-hole record $300,000. Sorenstam and Pepper each earned $100,000.

Notes: Sorenstam, a three-time winner this year, finished third last week in the LPGA Championship. The Swedish star leads the money list with $606,079. . . . Webb, 22, of Australia, is second on the money list at $448,355. She earned a record $1,002,000 last year.

LPGA Corning Classic 

Dates/Site: Today-Sunday at Corning, N.Y.

Course: Corning Country Club (6,062 yards, par 72).

Purse (Winner's Share): $650,000 ($97,500).

Television: The Golf Channel (Today-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m.).

Notes: Patty Sheehan set the tournament record of 16-under 272 in 1983, and Patti Rizzo matched it in 1985. . . . The Michelob Light Classic is next week at St. Louis, followed by the Oldsmobile Classic at East Lansing, Mich.

SENIOR PGA TOUR

Bell Atlantic Classic

Dates/Site: Friday-Sunday at Malvern, Pa.

Course: Chester Valley Golf Club (6,621 yards, par 70).

Purse (Winner's Share): $1 million ($150,000).

Television: ESPN (Friday, Noon-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m.).

CAPTION(S):

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Box: THIS WEEK (see text)