HE SAID, SHE SAID.

Byline: Jill Painter

HIS TAKE

BRIAN CREPS,

Director of golf at the Sepulveda Golf Complex

You want to hit a bomb right down the middle. The only place you don't want to hit is left or right. The green is guarded by three traps. It's a very reachable par-5 if you hit a good tee shot. It's a straightforward hole. When there's tournaments here, the tee can be about 550 yards. The pin is back right. It shouldn't be that difficult of a hole. It's one of the birdie holes out here if you can hit a decent drive.

His hole: I had told Creps before we played that no pro had made a birdie since the Daily News' hole of the week feature started in June. Creps was determined to birdie. He hit his driver about 275 yards WAY left of the fairway in the midst of a bunch of pine trees. ``This is called jail,'' Creps said. But Creps grew up in Oregon and was used to tree-lined courses. He did his best Tiger Woods impersonation and hit an 8-iron to get over the trees and back in the fairway, about 80 yards out. He hit his lob wedge on the green 20 feet from the hole, leaving him a makeable -- yet pressure-filled -- putt with a right to left break. Creps sank the putt but what was more impressive was his four-step dance that followed.

HER TAKE

JILL PAINTER

Daily News golf columnist

I already was out of birdie contention after an errant 85-yard drive to the right in the trees. I remembered Creps' tip to just get the ball back in the fairway and not try to hit a miracle shot, so that's what I did. I was hitting three from 200 yards out. I dabbled around the fairway with a couple of iron shots and then hit a shot over the green on the fringe. I was 25 feet above the hole and hit a chip shot 18 inches from the cup. What a rush! Creps gave me a high-five and I made the putt for a 7. After my chip shot, I couldn't have been happier with a double bogey.

TEEING OFF WITH ...

Tony Cardenas, L.A. city councilman

Los Angeles city councilman Tony Cardenas (who represents the 6th district), was born and raised in Pacoima. He first picked up a golf club as a student at UC Santa Barbara. Cardenas didn't fall in love with the game until he was involved in the real estate business and began to play with a group of colleagues on a weekly basis. He has made it his mission to help children (most of whom can't afford it) learn the game of golf. Cardenas has a 15 handicap.

DAILY NEWS: Why did you decide to go into politics?

TONY CARDENAS: Someone told me that no one from Pacoima had ever been elected to the state legislature in the San Fernando Valley. I said, `That's ridiculous! You have to live in the area you represent.' I was a little naive about politics then. ... I know what it's like to be looked at and told by teachers that you're not going to make it and that it's OK not to try. I was a stubborn kid. I didn't like that. As an adult, I can say that's not right. People should have an opportunity. I've been motivated by that.

DN: Do you golf with any city councilmen or women?

TC: Yes. When (Councilman) Alex Padilla worked for me, I told him he needed to pick up golf. He wanted to be more involved in the professional world and politics and I told him golf is a good way to meet people and socialize.

DN: Do you think there are ample opportunities for less fortunate children to learn the game?

TC: I think people fool themselves into thinking that a kid can walk onto a golf course and hit a bucket of balls for $5 and that's good enough. If a poor kid hits a bucket of balls, that's not playing the game of golf. You have to pay about $20 to play public courses in L.A. ... When I see kids who are serious, I go out of my way to try to help them.

DN: Who do you play most of your golf with?

TC: The last few years, I've played in a lot of fund-raising tournaments. Now, as an elected official, I have an opportunity to play in a lot of charity tournaments.

DN: What's your most memorable moment on a course?

TC: I've been fortunate to play in a lot of golf tournaments. I played one-on-one with Oscar de la Hoya. He's a good athlete and a funny guy.

DN: Any weird quirks in your game?

TC: Not really, but I try to always wear white shirts. I have a lot of dark ones but I hardly ever wear them. It's too hot for the dark-colored shirts.

DN: What's your favorite course?

TC: One of my favorites is Pebble Beach. I've played three times. It's so intimidating. But my favorite is Riviera (Country Club). I've played there four times.

DN: What's your most embarrassing moment on a course?

TC: There's a lot of those. I haven't hit anybody, thank God. I was playing in a tournament with (San Fernando High golfer) Angela Villela in the (pro-am) at the SBC Classic. Angela eagled the second hole and her dad (Gus) was there with a camcorder. They announce your name (before the round) and everyone hit the ball well. The next hole I swung my driver and hit the ball about 20 feet. (Gus) got it on tape. Everyone was watching. They had a good time with that.

DN: Who would be in your dream foursome?

TC: Tiger Woods -- I admire his tenacity and work ethic and dominance. He's definitely the best player to ever play golf. Chi Chi Rodriguez -- He's so much fun to watch and he has such an unorthodox swing. Nancy Lopez -- she was the best. Angela Villela -- I would want her to meet these people and play with them.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, 7 boxes

Photo:

(1) no caption (Tony Cardenas)

(2) no caption (Jason Allred)

(3) no caption (Mikaela Parmlid)

(4) no caption (Kevin Stadler)

(5) no caption (golf course)

(6) SEPULVEDA'S ENCINO COURSE: No. 2, Par 5, 474 yards from the blue tees

Box:

(1) PRO'S SCORECARD

(2) TOUR PERFORMANCE

(3) ON THE CALENDAR

(4) THEY SAID IT

(5) TIP OF THE WEEK

(6) STAT OF THE WEEK

(7) IF YOU GO ...