NICKLAUS BACK WITH NEW HIP.

Byline: DAVE SHELBURNE Golf

Remarkable Jack Nicklaus, who underwent hip-replacement surgery in January and was expected to be out of action six months, will return ahead of schedule next week when he competes in the PGA Senior Tour's Bell Atlantic Classic.

It will mark the 59-year-old Golden Bear's first competitive play since since he shot a tournament-best 67 in the final round of last summer's U.S. Senior Open at Riviera Country Club, while walking with a noticeable limp.

It will be great to see him back, but don't look for just a token appearance from the man who has won 28 major championships, including two U.S. Amateurs and eight Senior Tour majors, and ruled pro golf for much of his career.

``It doesn't surprise me what Jack does,'' longtime Nicklaus rival Tom Watson told the Associated Press on Wednesday. ``He has a focus about him that's better than anyone else out here. He's one of the greatest to ever play the game, if not the greatest.''

The vote here is for the latter. This is a man who, last year at age 58, shot a final-round 68 to tie for sixth in his 40th Masters, making him the oldest top-10 finisher ever at Augusta - and that with an aching hip.

Don't be surprised if Nicklaus wins again, perhaps as soon as this year.

Remembering Woods: Area golf lost one of its biggest boosters last week, when former USC coach Stan Wood died at age 79 of a heart attack while playing at Los Robles.

Woods, a former sportswriter who took over the Trojans golf team ``for one year to help you out,'' stayed 25 years after being hired by USC athletic director Willis Hunter in 1955 and wound up in the Collegiate Golf National Hall of Fame.

The Trojans won an NCAA-record 51 consecutive dual matches under Wood, going undefeated in 1957 and '59. Although he never produced an NCAA team champion, Wood coached the Trojans to seven third-place finishes in the national tournament and had a two-time individual champion in Scott Simpson (1976, '77). In 22 NCAA tournament appearances, Wood-coached USC teams were top-10 finishers 16 times.

His 57 USC All-Americans included eventual PGA champions Al Geiberger and Dave Stockton, U.S. Amateur and Masters champion Craig Stadler and U.S. Public Links champion Bob Risch.

May the course be with you: Scholl Canyon course superintendent Vincente Sanchez has the hilly Glendale executive layout in its best shape ever, with well-defined, well-manicured fairways and smooth-rolling greens. The course rewarded him recently with his second hole-in-one, both coming on the 108-yard, par-3 second.

The latest ace turned out to be a sort of a going-away present for Sanchez, who put in his final day at Scholl on Wednesday and will start as No. 1 assistant at Brookside on Monday. Glendale native Chris Peplow moves from Brookside to take over for Sanchez.

``We'll miss him,'' said Scholl general manager Mike Konjoyan. ``He's done a great job for us. But this will give him an opportunity to move up in the (American Golf) organization.''

Names in the game: Gary Finneran, the former Cal State Northridge star who is now head PGA professional at Chatsworth Golf Center, will be giving free 10-minute golf lessons on Saturday (2-4 p.m.) and May 22 (1-3 p.m.) at the Golf Center as part of Golf Digest's annual Cure Your Slice program. To register, phone [phone]. . . .

Keith Romar of Van Nuys, the Birmingham High senior who will compete in the City Section high school championship Friday and Monday at Griffith Park, shot 3-under-par 139 to win the Boys Division of the Anaheim City Junior Championship, shooting 71 at Dad Miller GC and 69 at Anaheim Hills. . . . Kyle Thurston of Moorpark won the age 12-13 boys competition, shooting 77-71-148. . . .

Ken Venturi, the 1964 U.S. Open champion who became more famous as a 31-year TV golf analyst for CBS Sports, has been named U.S. captain for the 2000 Presidents Cup. . . ..

Tiger Woods and David Duval will compete head-to-head for $1.1 million in an ABC-televised match at Thousand Oaks' Sherwood Country Club on Aug. 2. . . .

Wayne Gretzky and John Elway will play in the NBC-televised American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe GC, July 2-4. . . .

Toyota Golf Skills Challenge: Brandon Christianson, who won this year's Toyota Golf Skills challenge with a record-tying score of 10 on his home course at Vista Valencia, failed in his overall title defense at Fullerton Golf Course but wound up winning his age (12-13 kids) division. Christianson, 13, who finished fifth in last year's national final at Ojai, will advance to the final again by virtue of his Vista Valencia victory, while Barry Regimbal of Fullerton also advances as this year's overall Fullerton winner.

THIS WEEK

PGA TOUR

GTE Byron Nelson Classic

Schedule: Today-Sunday at Irving, Texas

Course: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas (6,924 yards, par 70) and Cottonwood Valley Golf Club (6,846 yards, par 70).

Purse: $3 million (Winner's share: $540,000).

TV: The Golf Channel and Fox Sports Net (Today-Friday, 1-3:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 1-3 p.m.; Sunday, Noon-3 p.m.).

SENIOR PGA TOUR

Las Vegas Senior Classic

Schedule: Friday-Sunday at Las Vegas.

Course: TPC at Summerlin (6,909 yards, par 72) and TPC at The Canyons (6,839 yards, par 71).

Purse: $1.4 million (Winner's share: $210,000).

TV: ESPN (Friday, Noon-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-4 p.m.).

LPGA TOUR

Sara Lee Classic

Schedule: Friday-Sunday at Old Hickory, Tenn.

Course: Hermitage Golf Course (6,290 yards, par 72).

Purse: $750,000 (Winner's share: $112,500).

TV: None.

CAPTION(S):

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BOX: THIS WEEK (see text)