IT'S A LONG WAY FROM SIMI VALLEY FOR LEHMAN RYDER CUP CAPTAIN HAS EXCELLED SINCE DAYS AT WOOD RANCH.

Byline: JILL PAINTER Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - Mark Singer caught the first big break of his golf career by qualifying for the U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in 1993.

He had just arrived in New Jersey, and since he'd never played in one of golf's most prestigious events, he didn't know what to do or where to go. He didn't even have a hotel. But when he got to Baltusrol, he found someone familiar, former co-worker Tom Lehman.

The PGA Tour pro sent word that he wanted to play a couple of practice rounds with Singer. It was a pleasant, yet unexpected, surprise.

``I didn't call him, but I guess he saw who was in the field and saw my name and asked me to play,'' said Singer, an assistant pro at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley. ``We played a couple of practice rounds together. I thought that was really nice of him.''

When Lehman and Singer knew one another, Lehman was an assistant teaching pro at Wood Ranch in 1987. He was struggling to revive his golf career. Singer worked the bag room then and was playing for Ventura College.

Now Lehman, well known as one of the nicest guys on the PGA Tour, is better known as captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Play begins Friday at the K Club in Ireland.

The U.S. hasn't won in five of the past six Ryder Cups, so Lehman has a difficult job. His former pupils and colleagues believe he's the consummate leader.

``He was very earnest,'' said Jerry Label, a longtime member at Wood Ranch. ``I don't remember that much because that was a long time ago. But he was a quiet guy. He really knew a lot about golf. He came back for some drinks while he was on the Asian Tour. I watch him all the time on TV.''

Many Wood Ranch members follow Lehman if he's playing in the Target World Challenge - which he won in 1999 -- at Sherwood Country Club.

``He was friendly and warm to us,'' said member Joe Gardner. ``Of course, he definitely remembered the guys. He called many of the people by name.''

Lehman wasn't chosen Ryder Cup captain because he's won the most tournaments or commands the biggest galleries, and he's well aware of that. Those credentials belong to guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who are playing on the team.

Woods and Mickelson were stars from the start. Lehman was not. He played three ho-hum seasons on the PGA Tour from 1983-85 and lost his card. For the remainder of the 1980s, he played in Asia, South Africa, Wood Ranch and other places in an attempt to get his game on track. He nearly took the job as the golf coach at the University of Minnesota.

He earned his PGA Tour card again in 1992 and has been one of the top players in the world since.

``I think the thing I'm most proud of is when I got back on Tour in '92, I set five goals: I wanted to win, I wanted to win a major, I wanted to be on a Ryder Cup team, I wanted to be the PGA Tour Player of the Year and I wanted to be No. 1 in the world,'' Lehman said. ``Those were the five goals I set for myself in '92 and by '97, I accomplished all of them.''

Ryder Cup captain wasn't on that list but he accomplished that, too.

Lehman is an experienced veteran who has played steady golf throughout his career. He's won five PGA tournaments, including one major -- the 1996 British Open. In 1994, he had a breakthrough year on the PGA Tour, winning the Memorial Tournament and finishing in the top 10 nine times.

He has played on three Ryder Cup teams (1995, 1997 and 1999) and teamed with Duffy Waldorf to win three Hyundai Team matches.

This year, Lehman, 47, is ranked 29th on the money list with $1.6 million. It's impressive, especially because he has had so many Ryder Cup engagements.

He has flourished as the captain thus far, even though no match has been played. Lehman successfully orchestrated a trip to Ireland with all 12 Ryder Cup team golfers and their caddies. They played a couple of rounds and bonded in early September. Rearranging the schedules of America's top players must have been a logistical nightmare.

Lehman has sought plenty of advice, too. When he played in the Nissan Open in February, he made a trip to see John Wooden at his Encino condo. Ryder Cup team chemistry has been questioned in the past (a disastrous 2004 pairing between Woods and Mickelson?) and Lehman wanted to pick Wooden's brain on the subject. He wanted to know Wooden's theory on the quickest way to botch team chemistry. Wooden's answer was cliques within the team.

Interestingly enough, Lehman also has had many conversations with Bernhard Langer, the captain of Europe's Ryder Cup team in 2004. Even Ian Woosnam, the Ryder Cup captain of the European team, hasn't consulted Langer yet.

Lehman will be well remembered around the world if he can lead the U.S. to a win in the Ryder Cup. But that won't change the way Wood Ranch members feel about him.

``He was a very nice man,'' said Gardner, who took lessons from him nearly 20 years ago. ``He was very humanistic. He really took a long time with me. He seemed like he really cared about what he was doing. I really appreciated that.''

Many pros believe if they try to help someone else work on their swing, it messes up their own. If that were the case, Woods would never help Charles Barkley. Lehman found the opposite to be true.

``I think teaching really helped me clarify things in my own swing,'' Lehman said at a recent press conference in Burbank to promote the Ryder Cup. ``It was great. When you teach other people, there's a simple and logical explanation for the way their swing is. There's not just one method. Each person has their own unique swing.

``Then I started thinking about my own swing and how I could simplify it. It helped me. I ended up learning a lot about the golf swing by explaining how it works to other people.''

There are no pictures of Lehman in the Wood Ranch clubhouse or awards in his name, but he's not forgotten, even though he worked there for less than a year.

Wood Ranch membership director Dave Scheiffler talks about Lehman all the time.

``I use his name when I give my membership presentation,'' Scheiffler said. ``I talk about how he taught here and worked here. Of course, people know who he is.''

Singer was just in his 20s when he benefited from Lehman's tutelage. And it wasn't just about golf.

``Tom and I had a lot of nice talks,'' Singer said. ``He's a really religious guy. We talked about religion and politics. We didn't always see eye-to-eye, but it was fun discussing these things with him.''

Whether Lehman's dedication to his captaincy will translate to a U.S. victory in the Ryder Cup is another matter. But he clearly has captured the attention of golf's premier players.

``He wouldn't be in the Ryder Cup if he wasn't respected in the world of golf,'' said Scott Verplank, who is on the U.S. team.

Lehman has already earned a world of respect at Wood Ranch.

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CAPTION(S):

24 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Tom Lehman, captain of the USA Ryder Cup team, was an assistant teaching pro at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley in 1987.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2) U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, left, will be counted on to get the most out of players like Tiger Woods.

Doug Mills/Associated Press

(3) Tiger woods

(4) Phil Mickelson

(5) Jim Furyk

(6) Chad Campbell

(7) David Toms

(8) Chris DiMarco

(9) J.J. Henry

(10) Zach Johnson

(11) Brett Wetterich

(12) Stewart Cink

(13) Scott Verplank

(14) Henrick Stenson

(15) Luke Donald

(16) Sergio Garcia

(17) David Howell

(18) Colin Montgomerie

(19) Paul Casey

(20) Robert Karlsson

(21) Paul McGinley

(22) Jose Maria Olazabal

(23) Darren Clarke

(24) Lee Westwood

Box:

(1) U.S. TEAM

(2) EUROPEAN TEAM

Associated Press