Notebook

'31 PGA Champ Tom Creavy
A Major Mystery

There are golf trivia, and there are golf minutiae. That Walter
Hagen won 22 consecutive matches in the PGA Championship is
trivia. That he wore a tie during those matches is minutia.
Basic information about the winner of a major wouldn't qualify
as either trivia or minutiae, except in the case of Tom Creavy.

Creavy, who at 20 won the 1931 PGA at Wannamoisett Country Club
in Rumford, R.I., is the most obscure major champion of the
modern era. He easily outdistances '57 U.S. Open champion Dick
Mayer (who at least was known for wearing a cap like Ben Hogan's)
and the two Alfreds, Perry and Padgham, who won the '35 and '36
British Opens, respectively (and who, if nothing else, are
remembered as the two Alfreds).

Facts about Creavy's life are few and far between, but this much
is known: Born on Feb. 3, 1911, Creavy was one of seven children
and the son of a carpenter. He grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., a
suburb of New York City, and learned the game while caddying. As
a competitor he was one of the greatest match players in history.
He was also a boy wonder. At 17, he beat U.S. Open champ Johnny
Farrell in the quarterfinals of the Metropolitan PGA
Championship. Creavy had an all-world short game, but his
competitive career was shortened by an untimely accident. In
later years he became a respected teacher whose pupils included
'73 Masters champ Tommy Aaron.

When Creavy won the PGA, he was playing in his first major and
was only two months older than Gene Sarazen had been in 1921 when
he became the youngest winner in the history of the championship.
Creavy whipped Sarazen 5 and 4 in the semifinals and topped Denny
Shute 2 and 1 in the final, a match that was refereed by Creavy's
idol, Bobby Jones. The next year Creavy lost to Frank Walsh on
the 38th hole in the semifinals, and in 1933 he fell to Jimmy
Hines in the quarters. Creavy never played in another PGA, but
his 83% winning percentage among those with 10 or more matches is
the second highest (Lionel Hebert won 85%) in the event's
history.

"Tom Creavy was the quietest, least conspicuous fine player I
ever knew," says Paul Runyan, the '34 and '38 PGA champion. "I
remember him as tall but slightly built and not a powerful
hitter. But he had one of those magical short games that made him
tough to beat head-to-head."

Creavy's record and his ability around the green should have
earned him more adulation, but a combination of circumstances
conspired to reduce his historical impact to less than a
footnote. He shone during a shadow era for golf: Bobby Jones had
retired in 1930, and the game was becoming increasingly
irrelevant as the Depression intensified.

Still, Creavy would have had other chances to deepen his mark. He
had played in the first Masters in 1934, won the '34 San
Francisco Match Play and tied the 18-hole scoring record at the
U.S. Open with a final-round 66 at Merion in 1934. Shortly after
the Open, however, Creavy fell and severely injured his back; the
details of the accident went to the grave with him when he died
of a heart attack in 1979.

"When other people brought it up, my father would tell great
stories about his playing career, but never in a wistful way,"
says Creavy's only child, Jean Chodkowski, 55, a
special-education teacher in Milford, Del. "He considered
teaching golf his true calling. He was the kind of person who
gave people confidence."

Aaron, perhaps the most obscure winner of the Masters, worked
with Creavy during the last two years of Creavy's life, after
having met him at the Saratoga Spa golf course in Saratoga
Springs, N.Y., where the '31 PGA champ was the longtime pro. "I
was drawn to the way Tom talked about golf--simple, but deep,"
says Aaron. "When he put his hands on a club, you could tell he
really had been a player."

That is more than history has ever told us.

Presidents Cup
Venturi Adds A Zinger

Despite having had their heads handed to them by the
International team in the 1998 Presidents Cup, many veteran U.S.
players are having trouble mustering enthusiasm for the Oct.
20-22 reprise at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside
Washington, D.C. The matches, held since '94 in Ryder Cup off
years, are seen as one team event too many, and they're obscured
by a crowded schedule of big-money events.

That malaise no doubt figured into Ken Venturi's surprising
choice of 40-year-old Paul Azinger as one of his two captain's
picks. Venturi said as much on Monday, citing Azinger's passion
for team play when announcing the choice. Venturi also said
having Azinger on the team made up for Azinger's absence in 1994,
the year he underwent treatment for lymphoma.

But by picking Azinger, who ranked 24th on the Presidents Cup
points list, Venturi broke with tradition. For the last two Cups,
the U.S. captain made the 11th and 12th players on the list his
wild cards (the top 10 automatically qualify), and no player
lower than 14th had been selected. Venturi did make the
11th-ranked Loren Roberts his other wild card but passed on No.
12, a deeply disappointed Chris Perry, who had said making the
team was his "sole goal for the year." In 1999 Perry finished
16th on the Ryder Cup list and was passed over by captain Ben
Crenshaw. "Ben told me I missed by the width of a finger," says
Perry.

Sorry, Chris. Thumbs down again.

B/W PHOTO: BETTMANN/CORBIS History has given short shrift to Creavy, who won the first time he played in a major.

COLOR PHOTO: SUSAN SIGMON

COLOR PHOTO: KIM ROBINSON

COLOR PHOTO: MIKE MATHERS

COLOR PHOTO: PAUL F. GERO/SABA

TWO COLOR PHOTOS

Old Favorites
Some pros still rely on their low-tech gear

Players used to treat their favorite clubs like body parts, but
new technology, endorsement contracts and bonus pools have
severed some old appendages. Gone are staples like Jack
Nicklaus's 1958 MacGregor three-wood and Little Ben, Ben
Crenshaw's battered Wilson 8802 putter. "The new technology
kills the old stuff," says Nick Price. "They can make clubs now
that exactly fit your swing." Today on Tour, an old club is one
that's more than five years old. Here, then, is a sample of what
passes for Old Favorites.

Bernhard Langer's irons (Wilson Staff forged blades--numbers 5, 6,
8 and 9--circa 1984. Used since 1991.) "I'm looking for an
endorsement contract. Until then, I know what these will do. I
can hit other irons farther, but I know exactly the distance I
can hit these."

Tom Watson's sand wedge (Ram Tom Watson model, 56 degrees, circa
1985. Used since 1992.) "It's similar to the Wilson sand wedge I
won the '82 U.S. Open with. I'll have to replace this one because
it's worn out."

Nick Price's one-iron (Wilson Ultra System 45, perimeter weighted
with offset, circa 1990. Used since 1997.) "I don't like the
hybrid ironwoods. I hit this off the tee when I have to be
straight, and I hit it higher off the fairway than others I've
tried."

Jeff Sluman's sand wedge (Ping Eye2, beryllium copper, 56
degrees, circa 1985. Used since 1988.) "The bounce doesn't bother
me from the fairway, so I don't need a 60-degree wedge. It helped
me lead the Tour in sand saves last year."

Phil Mickelson's lob wedge (Ping Eye2, stainless steel, 61
degrees, circa 1984. Used since 1985.) "I've had it since such a
young age, and I built my short game around the club. The ball
reacts the way I expect. It's about the only club I use in the
sand."

Scott Verplank's putter (Ping Anser, manganese bronze, circa
1966. Used since 1984.) "I've made so many putts with it,
although now I've missed so many with it maybe I should switch.
The head looks very good behind the ball."

Steve Jones's putter (Acushnet Bulls Eye, brass, circa 1982. Used
since 1982.) "I got it at Greensboro after my clubs were stolen
in my rookie year. It's the only putter I feel comfortable with
on those downhill putts where you take the putter back only two
inches."

Loren Roberts's putter (Greg Norman Cobra U model, milled
forging, circa 1992. Used since 1992.) "It has the right weight.
I like a heavy head; this one is about E-7. I've thought about
grinding Greg's name off the bottom, but I don't want to mess it
up. I'm always looking for extras because very few are left. I
just got a couple off the Internet."

Greg Norman's three-wood (Maruman, 13 degrees loft, circa 1990.
Used since 1990.) "I'm very comfortable with the way it looks,
and I can do a lot of things with it. It's pretty long off the
tee, and I can hit a low slider, a high cutter or turn it over
hard."

Trust Me

If Tiger makes next year's Masters his fourth straight win in
the majors, the feat should not be counted as a Grand Slam.
Tennis was confronted with the same issue in 1984-85, when
Martina Navratilova won the four majors consecutively. Most
aficionados did not count her achievement as a Grand Slam. The
magic of Bobby Jones's 1930 season was in its building drama and
symmetry. Carryover Slams lack both.

Threesomes
What do these players have in common?

--Ben Hogan
--Bobby Jones
--Jack Nicklaus

They are the golfers Tiger Woods says he would include in his
dream foursome.

Feedback
Is Valhalla of major championship quality?

Yes........ 52%
No......... 48%

--Based on 6,621 responses to our informal survey

Next question: If Woods is victorious in next year's Masters, he
will have won the four majors consecutively. Should that feat be
considered a Grand Slam, or must he win them all in the same
calendar year? Vote at golfplus.cnnsi.com.

Thesaurus

SYNONYMS for an APPROACH SHOT HIT CLOSE TO THE HOLE

Against it, all over it, buried, cozy, DL, flagged, jammed,
kick-in, Klingon, leaner, packed, pin hunter, pin rattler,
skintight, snug, stacked, stony.

Numbers

With his victory at the Atlantic City Kids Classic, former major
league pitcher Rick Rhoden became the first golfer to surpass $1
million in career earnings on the Celebrity tour, which began in
1997 and has 14 events this year. Here are the tour's alltime
money leaders.

STARTS WINS MONEY

Rick Rhoden 36 16 $1,017,574
Dan Quinn 30 8 581,381
Shane Rawley 32 2 348,849
John Brodie 34 2 330,250
Al Del Greco 20 1 277,736

Faces

Brooke Tull, Georgetown, Texas
Brooke, 17, was the only player with a 4-0 record at the Canon
Cup, an East versus West team event for the top 10 junior boys
and girls in the country. Brooke, whose West squad fell to the
East 27-23, won the American Junior Golf Association's Texace
San Antonio Shootout in June and will play for Texas Christian
this fall.

Pat Boyle, South Milwaukee, Wis.
Boyle, 35, a high school history teacher, took the 99th
Wisconsin Amateur with a two-over-par 290 at Racine Country
Club. Boyle, who in June was victorious in the state public
links championship, drained a 33-foot birdie putt on the
next-to-last hole of the Amateur to defeat Bob Gregorski of Cato
by a stroke.

Teresa Fisher, North Pole, Alaska
Fisher, 43, the athletic director at North Pole High, prevailed
in the Alaska Amateur at Anchorage Golf Course by beating Yasue
Alkins of Elmendorf Air Force Base in the first playoff in the
tournament's 42-year history. After both players finished
regulation tied at 39-over 327, Fisher parred the second extra
hole for the victory.

Submit Faces candidates to golfplus.cnnsi.com/faces.

Pet of the Week
Dallas and Tulsa, Billy Mayfair's rottweilers

Billy Mayfair's love affair with rottweilers began when he and
his future bride, Tammy, starting dating. A rottweiler named
Tallie was Tammy's constant companion, and after the Mayfairs
eloped in 1994, Billy, Tammy and Tallie traveled on Tour as a
trio. Tallie died of cancer in '96. To cheer up Billy, Tammy
surprised him on their second anniversary with a female
rottweiler puppy, whom they named Dallas. A few days later the
Mayfairs got another female from the same litter. They named her
Tulsa, in honor of Billy's victory at the '95 Tour Championship
at Southern Hills. The dogs have cruised down Magnolia Lane
with their heads hanging out of the car and were most memorably
seen cavorting on the 18th green of Valencia Country Club after
Mayfair defeated Tiger Woods in a playoff at the '98 Nissan
Open. But the dogs have been homebodies since the Mayfairs had
their first child, Maxwell, last November. Road-tripping these
days consists of loping next to Tammy as she runs with a baby
jogger.