VENTURI VENTURES BACK TO L.A.

Byline: TOM HOFFARTH The Media

A nearly life-sized painting of Ken Venturi is on display in the clubhouse near the first tee at Riviera Country Club, home again this weekend to the PGA's Nissan Open. Venturi won the then-Los Angeles Open in 1959, but it wasn't at the famed Pacific Palisades course.

On a cold, windy and rainy day at Rancho Golf Course 42 years ago, Venturi made up 10 shots in the final round and went from eight strokes back to a victory by two shots over Art Wall. Venturi's round of 63, which included back-to-back eagles on the front nine, was six shots better than the second-best score on that otherwise miserable afternoon.

Venturi had barely been a pro golfer at that time - he joined the tour in June 1957, although he nearly won the Masters as an amateur in '56.

Although Venturi played Riviera a few times - more as an honorary entry when the PGA Tour event was called the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open in the mid-1970s - his missing the cut three times wasn't much news. It came far past the height of his career, when between 1957 and '60 he won 10 PGA Tour events. In '64, he won the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion, outlasting dehydration, and was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

The reason any of this matters today is that, after 32 years working for CBS on its heralded golf coverage, Venturi has picked Riviera as one of the six places he'll visit this year for the network.

Venturi, who turns 70 in May, retired from the 19-event schedule after last season. CBS Sports president Sean McManus worked it out so that Venturi can do as many or as few tournaments as he wants.

Two of them, The Masters and the PGA Championship, were pretty easy decisions. Along with the AT&T at Pebble Beach two weeks ago, the Sprint International in Denver and the World Golf Championships later in the year, this weekend's Nissan Open made the cut.

``Riviera has always been one of my favorite golf courses,'' said Venturi, a member at nearby Bel-Air Country Club. ``It has a special connection with Ben Hogan (one of his mentors). They've honored me and it's very nostalgic for me to return here with so many good friends in Los Angeles and Palm Springs that I want to visit when I'm here.''

Palm Springs is where Venturi met his second wife, Beau, whom Frank Sinatra gave away at the wedding. Beau died in July 1997 of cancer after 25 years of marriage. At the time of Beau's illness, Venturi considered retirement to spend more time with her. On the advice of broadcast partner Jim Nantz, Venturi found that continuing the TV work was therapeutic.

Finally able to cut back from the full schedule after the 2000 season - capped with his acting as captain of the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team - Venturi has time to spend helping design courses, develop his golf academy near his home in Marco Island, Fla., write books and make speaking engagements.

Venturi says he always wishes he could have played not only more but better at Riviera. But by the time the tour stop returned regularly to the majestic site in '73, after leaving in '54, the carpal tunnel syndrome in Venturi's hands made it too painful for him to enjoy his rounds fully.

But it's also painful for CBS' Nantz and producer Lance Barrow to think of what the network's coverage might be like this year without Venturi as a regular.

``He's such a symbol of CBS golf - five decades - which is a great tribute to his lasting power,'' said Nantz, whom Venturi considers a son. ``It's hard to imagine CBS golf without him, but we're thankful for any time he's here.

``L.A. is a great spot for him to talk about Hogan and what he meant to the game. I think this year will be a great test for him, when he's sitting at home and watching us at some old favorite spots, maybe wishing he could come back. In 2002, I wouldn't be surprised if his schedule changed.''

Said Barrow: ``I'm just glad we have him for six events this year instead of none. He's been CBS golf a long time.''

``I'm probably just going to do six a year for as long as I want to do it,'' said Venturi, a former stutterer who was the recipient of the 1999 PGA of America's Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. ``The travel is a little more difficult, but I really like the crew and sitting next to Jim in the 18th tower is what I'll miss the most when I'm finally gone.''

--Tiger tales: The media's infatuation with Tiger Woods finally got PGA Tour player Paul Stankowski to blow his stack at last week's Bob Hope Classic, which was won by unheralded Joe Durant with a record-breaking performance.

``If you guys spent a little more time looking at other players, maybe you'd know,'' said Stankowski, the tournament's runnerup, when asked about what he knew of Durant, who won without the presence of Woods at the event.

``You ask the average golf fan who some of these (other) guys are, they have no idea because they don't show them (on TV). You want to showcase the superstar and that's great. If I watched the Lakers and all they showed was the bench, I would be a little bummed. I like watching Kobe and Shaq going at it. But it's also hurting the tour.''

Told of Stankowski's protest, Venturi agreed.

``He was right,'' Venturi said. ``TV should focus on those who are there and give that more importance than those who aren't. I've said that about TV and about how CBS covers golf. When Rocco Mediate beat Tiger Woods by 12 strokes at the Buick Classic last year, they showed more of Tiger, including all the commercials. I think we've got caught in this quicksand and we can't get out sometimes.''

SOUND BYTES

WHAT SMOKES

--Can you handle more Dale Earnhardt? After Fox Sports Net's exclusive rights to the two-hour coverage Thursday of the memorial service in North Carolina - that's not creepy, is it? - the ``Beyond The Glory'' installment Sunday night refocuses on Earnhardt's life. Fox's regularly scheduled coverage of the NASCAR event from Rockingham (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.) also will include plenty of Earnhardt tributes. ``If Dale was still with us, he'd be out there going after that checkered flag,'' Fox racing analyst Darrell Waltrip said. ``Dale tragically died Sunday, but racing did not.'' ESPN2 re-airs its one-hour special, ``Dale Earnhardt Remembered'' today at 4:30 p.m. ESPN Classic's 12-hour salute Saturday starts at 9 a.m. with five of his greatest races, including the 1998 Daytona 500.

--Another honest XFL comment by an NBC employee. From Jay Leno's monologue Tuesday: ``What does Hannibal Lecter think when he watches XFL football? That's a trick question. Nobody watches XFL football.''

WHAT CHOKES

--More annoying than Chick Hearn struggling to maintain his consecutive-game broadcasting streak - Wednesday's efforts for KCAL Channel 9 from San Antonio were appreciated, but he should have been sent home before he even got on the air - is ESPN's Chris Berman's infatuation with anchoring at least one episode of ``SportsCenter'' a year. He has done so since the network's inception in 1979 even though he's essentially been off the show the last 10 years. Sunday at 8 p.m., he regroups with Dan Patrick to read the news of the day. Glory, glory hallelujah, the Boomer marches on.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: KEN VENTURI

Box: SOUND BYTES (see text)