TOP U.S. PLAYERS SKIPPING SPAIN.

Byline: Greg Wilcox Golf

The big problem with this new World Championship Golf series is readily evident at the American Express Championship, which started today at the Valderrama links in Sotogrande, Spain.

There are 65 golfers, supposedly the best from their respective tours, competing for a $5 million purse, including $1 million to the winner.

But despite the lucrative payout, seven of the world's top 50 players, six of them Americans, took a pass.

It seems that holding one of these ``World'' events anywhere in the world but the United States is one big inconvenience.

David Duval, the world's No. 2 player, decided his fly fishing form needed more attention than his bank account. And what was he gonna prove, anyway? That he's almost as good as Tiger Woods?

Mark O'Meara didn't want to take his game out in public because his swing has gone on hiatus.

Davis Love III, who battled Woods for the Tour Championship last weekend, waffled about going to Spain on almost every hole.

He went, but only because it's his last chance to win this year and thus get an invite to the lucrative winners-only event that kicks off the PGA Tour season next year in Hawaii.

Greg Norman also passed, but he's got his own tournament in Thousand Oaks to get ready for and there is always guy stuff to do.

This series, otherwise known as the World Corporate Championships, consists of the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad and the NEC Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

It is sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the PGA Tour, European Tour, Southern Africa PGA Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and the Japan Golf Tour.

Winnings count as official money on players' home tours and has a bearing on the world golf ranking.

So that makes it at least seem worthy of jet lag.

Still, this is a big-deal tournament with a couple of subplots worthy of prime time.

Woods is trying for his fourth consecutive win and eighth official victory of the year. He also won a tournament in Germany that isn't considered official even though the money is probably commingled with his other earnings.

He'll be taking on Colin Montgomerie, who rates his own chances as great, and will be renewing the rivalry with Spain's Sergio Garcia.

Plus, there is still that Ryder Cup bad blood that might surface.

The fact that some big American names decided to stay home miffed some of the European players, who made the effort to compete over here.

And money is an issue.

The series features huge payouts. But American golfers compete for heaps of cash every weekend. For example, Montgomerie set a European money record this year, but seven Americans won almost as much or more on the U.S. tour.

Stirring the pot: Sweden's Jesper Parnevik, the world's 18th-ranked player and Ryder Cup star, caused a stir when he decided to stay home in Florida. That decision cost him his European Tour card because he only played in 10 events on the continent instead of the required 11. Some European Tour officials considered Parnevik's action rude, and their reaction was swift.

Parnevik's decision was also prudent.

His American manager, Clarke Jones, said Wednesday that Parnevik stayed home because of an irregular heart beat.

The condition is not supposed to be serious, but Parnevik won't go to South Africa for a tournament next month, either.

This week in golf

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF PGA TOURS World Golf Championships

Site: Andalucia, Spain.

Schedule: Today-Sunday.

Course: Valderrama Golf Club (6,830 yards, par 71).

Purse: $5 million.

Winner's share: $1 million.

Television: ESPN (Today-Friday, 6-11 a.m., tape) and ABC (Saturday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., tape; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., tape).

Last year: This is the inaugural event.

Last week: Tiger Woods, pictured, won his third straight tournament and his seventh PGA Tour title of the year, the Tour Championship in Houston. Woods beat Davis Love III by four strokes. Several players wore knickers to honor Payne Stewart, who died in a plane crash before the tournament. . . . Brian Henninger won the rain-shortened Southern Farm Bureau Classic in Madison, Miss. . . . Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Volvo Masters in Jerez, Spain, by two strokes over Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer and Retief Goosen.

LPGA TOUR

Mizuno Classic

Site: Otsu-Shiga, Japan.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: Seta Golf Course (6,423 yards, par 72).

Purse: $800,000.

Winner's share: $120,000.

Television: None.

Last year: Japan's Hiromi Kobayashi won, beating Tina Barrett on the third hole of a playoff. Kobayashi closed with a 2-under 69 to match Barrett at 11-under 205.

Last event: The United States LPGA defeated the Japan LPGA, 15.5-8.5, to win the Nichirei International in Chiba, Japan, for the 15th straight year.

SENIOR PGA TOUR

Senior Tour Championship

Site: Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Schedule: Today-Sunday.

Course: Dunes Golf & Country Club (6,965 yards, par 72).

Purse: $2 million.

Winner's share: $347,000.

Television: ESPN (Today-Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m., Last year: Hale Irwin closed with a 7-under 65 for a five-stroke victory over Gil Morgan. Irwin finished the season with a tour-high seven victories and record earnings of $2,861,945. He had a 14-under 274.

Last week: Joe Inman won the Pacific Bell Senior Classic in Los Angeles. Inman shot a 14-under-par 199 to beat Bruce Summerhays and Dave Stockton by two strokes.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

PHOTO no caption (Tiger Woods)

BOX: This week in golf (see text)