Bottom Lines

Shrinking: Think golf's booming everywhere? The South African
Masters, scheduled for March 12-15, has been canceled because of
a lack of a cosponsor, and the South African tour has shrunk
from 11 to six events. Tiger Woods: "I wish the media would be a
little more lenient and not so nitpicky about everything I do."
Jack Nicklaus: He might be back at the U.S. Open after all. The
Golden Bear checked with the USGA, which told him "no decision
has been made yet" on another exemption. In other words, play
well at the Masters, Jack. Sweden: In a stunner, Annika
Sorenstam was named that country's golfer of the year. Gary
Player: "In my opinion Ernie [Els] will be better in the long
run than Tiger." Golf Heaven: Getting bored because your
development has only one course? Move to PGA West in La Quinta,
Calif., which is planning to build a sixth. Drivers: According
to the Darrell Survey, in 1997 more than 66% of all Tour pros
used Callaway drivers and no other company had more than 10%.
Flicks: Filming has begun on The Tiger Woods Story, a
made-for-TV movie produced by Showtime. Low Pay: The starting
salary of a major league umpire is $135,000. A first-year PGA
Tour official gets $53,000.