GREATS OF GOLF ADMIRE WOODS : IMPACT APPROACHES PALMER'S.

Byline: Bloomberg News

Sam Snead likes what he sees in Tiger Woods.

The 84-year-old Snead, a PGA Tour pioneer and one of the most revered figures in golf, said the young star has given the sport a tremendous boost.

``I think Tiger Woods coming on the scene has golf turned on a super-high gear,'' said Snead, whose 81 PGA Tour victories is a record. ``He's really done great things for the game of golf.''

As the 1997 PGA Tour approaches the Masters, several successful Senior Tour members said the 21-year-old Woods is raising the level of competition since he turned professional and joined the PGA Tour in August.

Woods, who will play in this week's Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Fla., after a three-week break, has won three events in the U.S. in 11 tries and a tournament in Thailand last month.

Snead has won six majors and captured 14 seniors titles after turning 50. The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, played at the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West in La Quinta, is one of the few events in which Snead still competes.

While Woods has signed endorsement contracts for golf equipment and clothing that are worth more than $60 million, Snead remembers earning $600 for winning the 1946 British Open after paying $2,000 to get to the tournament. Snead also won $2,000 for his 1942 PGA Championship. Today, players on both the PGA and Senior tours chase top prizes of several hundred thousand dollars every week and can make much more in appearance fees and endorsements.

While Snead and fellow legend Chi Chi Rodriguez said they are impressed by Woods, they are reluctant to put him at the level of Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer yet.

``There's nobody who ever made an impact in golf like Arnold Palmer, but I think Tiger Woods is close to that,'' said Rodriguez, who's won eight times on the PGA Tour and 22 Senior Tour events. ``Arnold Palmer is a man who put the tour ahead of everything.''

Palmer and Nicklaus brought millions of new fans to the game with their head-to-head battles in the 1960s. Woods, who is of African and Asian descent, might have a similar impact, bringing younger people and minorities to golf. Nike Inc. and the Acushnet golf equipment division of American Brands Inc. are hoping Woods's popularity will translate into sales that let them recoup the more than $60 million combined they'll pay Woods to endorse their products over the next five years.

``Tiger Woods is a terrific player,'' Rodriguez said. ``Sports needs somebody like him. Michael Jordan is like that in basketball and Arnie is still like that in golf.''

While Woods's potential makes him wealthy now, his long-term success depends on his game and how well he can adjust to changing conditions.

``He has the ability to play all kinds of shots like Jack did,'' said Mike Souchak, who holds the PGA Tour's scoring record for a 72-hole tournament of 257. ``I think he's got everything under control, especially the mental aspects.''

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Photo: (1-2) ``I think Tiger Woods (right) coming on the scene has golf turned on a super-high gear,'' said Sam Snead (above). ``He's really done great things for the game of golf.''

Associated Press