PUTTER PLEASES STADLER\Walrus' weapon is hastily chosen.

Byline: Johannes Tesselaar Daily News Assistant Sports Editor 

Here it was moments before his tee time Thursday morning and Craig Stadler was "running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

Stadler was a worried walrus because he was missing a vital club from his bag - his putter.

Following a pro-am event on Wednesday, Stadler left his putter outside a tent. He realized his blunder about eight minutes before his scheduled 7:36 a.m. tee time.

But thanks to a guy named Keith, Stadler had another putter. And thanks to that putter, Stadler has the lead after the first round of the Nissan Open.

"I must say it worked pretty well," Stadler said after his new putter helped him shoot a 4-under-par 67 at Riviera Country Club. "It deserves another chance."

That'll come today when Stadler begins as the co-leader with Robert Wrenn and Steve Elkington.

"If anyone could lose a putter, it's not surprising it was Craig," said Scott Simpson, a college roommate of Stadler's at USC and a playing partner Thursday. "I figured he'd putt pretty good with that other goofy-looking thing."

That goofy-looking thing came courtesy of a stranger.

"Some guy wanted to know if he could stick (a putter) in my locker yesterday for me to look at," Stadler said.

That stroke of good fortune allowed Stadler to keep his stroke count down.

Of course, it wouldn't have been necessary had Stadler followed his instincts.

"The minute I left it on the tent, I said to myself, 'Don't leave it sitting here,' " he added. "But I did."

Confusion had a lot to do with it. One of the amateurs asked him to sign something, the scorer came into the tent and wanted his attention and it was raining.

Stadler's B-60 putter of the last 2-1/2 years was a memory.

"Somebody," he said, "has it."

Upon discovering his dilemma, Stadler went to the pro shop.

"Any B-60's?" he asked.

"No, only Pings," was the reply.

If was off to lost-and-found.

"There were about eight to 10 clubs but not mine," Stadler said.

Then it dawned upon Stadler that "Keith," last name unknown, had left a putter.

Stadler grabbed it, took a few practice putts and headed for the first tee.

He chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 hole, leaving his first test with the new putter to come at No. 2.

But even after three-putting the second hole, Stadler wasn't about to pooh-pooh the club.

"It has a little narrower head than the one I normally use," he said. "Putters are replaceable, like caddies."

The last comment came with a smile, something the 42-year-old could afford after his day. Stadler had four birdies and two bogeys along with his eagle.

Stadler's 15-foot birdie at No. 18 left him one shot ahead of Simpson, who bogeyed the final hole.

"He was rolling it real well with that new one," Simpson said of Stadler.

Not that Simpson was surprised. Stadler and Simpson lived together for nearly four years before and during their careers at USC. Both earned All-American honors as Trojans.

"We lived in this old house that had four bedrooms," Simpson said. "We had a driving range in one room where you could hit balls into a big old net. We broke that immediately.

"Then we'd hit balls at night with nine irons."

The results often were broken windows, "especially when you've been out having a few," Simpson added.

And when they really wanted to have fun?

"We'd microwave cockroaches," Simpson said.

Stadler furnished the place by visiting a flea market, according to Simpson.

"I think he spent about $300," Simpson said. "We had to bomb the place afterward."

Since then, they've left their marks on the PGA Tour. Stadler has 11 Tour wins, including the 1982 Masters. Simpson counts the 1987 U.S. Open among his six victories.

Simpson's last win came in 1993, Stadler's in '94.

They're hoping a new putter changes that.

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PHOTO

Photo (1--color) Craig Stadler is pleased by his putting in the first round of the Nissan Open. "The Walrus" shot a 67 with an untested putter. (2) It didn't surprise Scott Simpson that playing partner and ex-USC roommate, Craig Stadler, lost his putter. John McCoy / Daily News