Trevino to add merriment

They will complete a grand slam of sorts when they tee it up for their ninth annual CVS Charity Classic June 18-19. Co-hosts Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon already have been blessed with appearances by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus.

This time around, they'll have Lee Trevino in the mix and Andrade couldn't hide his pleasure.

"We're absolutely tickled to have him in the field," said Andrade. "We know there was a Big Three of that era, but if it would've been called the Big Four, there's no doubt who the fourth would've been."

Lee Buck Trevino. The Merry Mex.

He's 67 now, an occasional participant on Champions Tour events, and years of wear and tear have done a number on his back. But as Andrade provided details of Trevino's career -- six major titles, 29 wins on the PGA Tour, a similar number of Champions Tour triumphs -- it occurred to me that the gregarious, sassy, and bodacious Texan provided to the golf landscape in his time what is sorely missed today.

Remarkable skill, great personality, and, above all, the unmistakable heart to challenge.

He would hit knockdown shots that left you breathless, and on command he could whip a low draw into a left-to-right wind. Fades, bump-and-runs, and low-running 5-irons from 160 yards -- Trevino mastered all of them.

When he burst upon the scene with a fifth-place finish at a 1967 US Open remembered for Nicklaus's win over Palmer at Baltusrol, Trevino was hardly considered a rival to his more heralded colleagues. That changed in a hurry, because at the 1968 US Open at Oak Hill, Trevino pulled off something that would become so much a part of his aura -- he outplayed Nicklaus.

For seven seasons, Trevino was as good as it got in pro golf and, oh, how he could stand up on the grandest stages and perform his magic. Consider that in four of his six major titles, he left Nicklaus in second and in his final one, the 1984, he left Player a runner-up.

In other words, the man stood up against the best and no better example stands out than the 1971 US Open, an 18-hole playoff head-to-head with Nicklaus at Merion.

Trevino shot 68, Nicklaus 71.

Where today too many players seem resigned to a Tiger Woods victory, Trevino thrived on the challenge to take on the game's greatest champion, Nicklaus. More times than not, he lost. But on a handful of glorious occasions, he won. That was what defined a career that unfortunately gets overshadowed in light of whom he played against.

While Andrade and Faxon confirmed what had previously been reported here -- that Juli Inkster and Natalie Gulbis would become the first women to play in the event -- they revealed a field that arguably is their best.

Defending champs Nick Price and Tim Clark will be aboard, as will Chris DiMarco, who has also won this early-summer charity event twice. In a real coup, Andrade and Faxon received a commitment from Masters champion Zach Johnson, as well as one of the game's best young talents, Trevor Immelman. Camilo Villegas will bring his flair to Rhode Island CC, Stewart Cink, David Toms, J.J. Henry, and Sean O'Hair asked in, and the Ocean State will again be represented by Andrade, Faxon, and the Quigleys, Dana and Brett. For fashion, you have Jesper Parnevik; for laughter, there's Peter Jacobsen.

But for those who cherish memories of persimmon, shot-making, and great heart, Trevino's the attraction.

If you like crowds, then you'll love Monday qualifiers now on the Nationwide Tour. Already popular among those with game but no place to play, these weekly events became more attractive when Greens Worldwide of Charlotte, N.C., recently suspended three mini-tours -- the US Pro Golf Tour, the Tightlies Series, and the California Series -- because of lack of funds.

Thus a bundle of players shifted their focus and headed toward Georgia, where the Nationwide Tour played last week and is scheduled for another start today.

"For the first time ever, I signed up on time but had to be an alternate," said Rob Oppenheim of Andover, who couldn't get into last week's qualifier for the South Georgia Classic.

That tournament's qualifier attracted 328 players, with two sites awarding seven spots each. No surprise, the competition was stiff. Just ask Pembroke's Justin Peters, who shot 68 but missed a playoff by one stroke, or Jamie Neher of Weston, whose round of 70 wasn't good enough. At the other site, scores were even lower, thus did Rhode Islander Brad Adamonis go home disappointed after shooting 69 when 66 was needed to get into a playoff.

"It's been crazy now that the US Pro Golf Tour shut down," said Oppenheim, who was able to get into this past week's Monday qualifier for the Athens Regional Foundation Classic, which starts today. Alas, Oppenheim shot 72 and missed a playoff at 71 for the final spot.

On a bright note, Oppenheim has full status on the Hooters Tour, where last weekend he shot 69-73-69-67--278 in Auburn, Ala., to finish joint sixth.

Though he has full status on the Canadian PGA Tour, Oppenheim said he'd probably stick to the Hooters Tour, because many of its tournaments are close to Nationwide stops so players are able to take in the Monday qualifiers. The Canadian PGA Tour, meanwhile, has events in California and Mexico.

Curtis Strange's election into the World Golf Hall of Fame was made official yesterday and it truly is well deserved. Back-to-back US Open victories, the first of which came in a memorable playoff against Nick Faldo at The Country Club in 1988, highlight his 17-win career, of course, but Strange will forever be regarded as one of the game's most ferocious competitors.

Cheers to him -- and Hubert Green (19 wins, including two majors) -- but another annual ballot slips away without proper respect given to a man who also deserves a cherished spot in the Hall of Fame -- Denny Shute.

No surprise that Shute didn't secure the necessary 65 percent of those who handed in their ballots; he only received a nod from 31 percent. Perhaps these folks missed the part where Shute won a British Open (1933) and back-to-back PGA Championships (1936-37), and to help them along, let me explain that's three major championships.

Twenty-five players have won more majors; all are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Of the 16 others who have three majors on their résumés, only James Anderson and Robert Ferguson sit on the sidelines with Shute (and we're not counting Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, both of whom are locks once they get on the ballot). Throw in Shute's 16 PGA Tour wins and his omission is perplexing.

Embarrassing is the fact that 2 percent of the ballots returned named John Daly.

Given the locale of tomorrow night's annual Bonhams & Butterfields auction (Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline), it's only fitting that an oil painting of Francis Ouimet playing the 17th hole at The Country Club is one of the premier items. Ouimet, after all, was born and raised in a house not far from the museum. The evening will consist of golf memorabilia, including 25 pieces by famed artist Nicholas Leaskou. Scottish artist Craig Campbell did the Ouimet painting, which is estimated at $800-$1,200. A preview of the auction items begins today at noon. The auction begins tomorrow at 4 p.m. For more information, go to bonhams.com/us.

If you're wondering why Boo Weekley avoids traditional golf slacks, be warned, he'll flat-out tell you -- and you may not want that. He'll explain about an allergy to cotton, then tell you what happens: "It just looks like I got ringworm. Have you ever had ringworm?" the man from the Florida Panhandle asked reporters Monday after his stunning win in the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. "Ringworms. It's like little pus pockets pop up on your skin. It itches, I can tell you that. Bad case of poison ivy is what it's like." I trust everyone was thrilled by the graphic details.

Fairway news: The European PGA confirms the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales will stick with a competitive schedule of three days.

Clubhouse view: The galas, however, will be spread over seven.

So, how did some guys unwind from the pressure of the Masters? By traveling to the far corners of the globe for more golf, that's how. Thomas Bjorn missed the cut at Augusta, so he got an early jump on a long trip to China, where he shot 70-72-73-76 to finish joint 44th in the Volvo China Open. Angel Cabrera didn't get any sort of headstart, but he didn't seem to need it. After finishing tied for 37th at Augusta National, Cabrera hurried off to his native Argentina, where he won the Abierto de Centro, thanks to a pair of 65s wrapped around 75-73 to leave him 5 under and in front by two. Eduardo Romero finished joint fifth, eight shots back . . . Meanwhile, Ernie Els had plenty of time to simmer over losing out to Weekley's chip-in pars at the 17th and 18th in Monday's conclusion to the Verizon. That's because he flew to Shanghai for the Asian Open, which begins today. Also enticed by an appearance fee is John Daly, who was tied for 36th at the Heritage as he tries to put together his game on the eve of his 41st birthday (April 28). No doubt he'll be appearing at a Shanghai Hooters.

He may have failed at a Monday qualifier for the Nationwide Tour, but Rhode Island's Brad Adamonis had better luck getting into this week's PGA Tour stop, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Adamonis earned one of four spots awarded in the Monday qualifier and thus he'll tee it up in his sixth PGA Tour event and second in New Orleans . . . Among those who failed to get through the qualifier were Ron Philo Jr., the onetime NEPGA standout who is now a club pro in New York, and Pat Bates, the former Mass. Open winner who spent much of his boyhood honing his game at Essex County Club . . . Defending champion J.J. Henry and former champs Brad Faxon and Peter Jacobsen will return to play in the Travelers Championship June 21-24 in Cromwell, Conn. . . . Remember Spencer Levin, the amateur who recorded an ace at Shinnecock Hills and placed tied for 13th as an amateur at the 2004 US Open? The pro life has been a struggle, but he was among those who got into a four-way playoff for the San Jose International Open on the Canadian PGA Tour last weekend. Aussie Adam Bland prevailed.

When Justin Leonard finished tied for 16th in the Verizon Heritage, it marked his first top-20 finish since the 2006 FBR Open, a stretch of 31 tournaments in which he missed 15 cuts. How uncharacteristic was that? Consider that Leonard missed just 15 cuts in the three previous seasons combined . . . Speaking of comebacks, that was Birdie Kim popping back into view with a tie for sixth in last weekend's LPGA Tour Ginn Open. The stunning winner of the 2005 US Women's Open, Kim missed 15 cuts in her next 38 tournaments and failed to record a top 10 until the Ginn. She won $560,000 for her heroics at the US Women's Open, but just $152,103 in her next 38 events . . . As for comebacks that probably should be reconsidered, Nancy Lopez, 50, shot 83-80 at the Ginn and was dead last in a field of 140. "I'm disappointed with my numbers, but getting out here and playing is the only way you can come back," said Lopez, who has stated she's intent on playing at least seven events this season.

Morgan Pressel played the last 24 holes of the Kraft Nabisco Championship without a bogey, a key ingredient to her becoming the youngest winner of an LPGA major. Not only did that streak come to a halt when she bogeyed the very first hole of the Ginn Open, but so did her stretch of consecutive cuts made, ending at 15. Pressel, who shot 75-72 to exit early, had been no worse than T-13 in her four starts in 2007 and hadn't missed a cut since last June.

Good numbers: Tiger Woods has won 12 major championships. The nine players right behind him in the world rankings have 13 combined.

Bad numbers: Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies were both in position to win the Ginn Open Sunday, but they combined to play the last six holes in a mind-boggling 12 over.

Though he won't play in this week's Zurich Classic, Phil Mickelson made the Hurricane Relief Fund one of his charitable endeavors, donating $250,000. It's the third straight year Mickelson has donated that sum to the cause . . . Mickelson is committed to a stretch of three straight tournaments after this week, going from the Byron Nelson Classic to the Wachovia Championship to The Players Championship. Official word won't come until tomorrow, but it is expected that Woods will skip the Nelson, then play Wachovia and Players.