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BOB HARIGNow 44, 1995 U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin is still searching for the success he enjoyed earlier in his career.
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - The curly hair is gone, and so is the mustache. Corey Pavin looks nothing like the golfer who made history here nine years ago, and that is by choice. The fact that his game is missing, too ... well, that is something he is still working on.
Pavin is 44, sporting a buzz cut that makes him look even leaner than the day in 1995 when he hit the famous approach shot to the 18th green at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to wrap up the U.S. Open title.
The 4-wood he used that Sunday is mounted on a wall in his California home, a shrine to the success he achieved that day. Not that he ever would have trouble remembering.
"It's fun to come back here and think about things that happened nine years ago," Pavin said Monday. "It seems like a long time ago. It's a lot of fun driving in again and seeing the walkway over Highway 27 (that leads to the course). It brings back a lot of memories."
Pavin shot 2-under-par 68 to come from three strokes off the pace. His win was notable for several reasons, not the least of which was he dealt Greg Norman more heartbreak. The Shark finished two strokes back after leading by two through 36 holes. He made one birdie during the final round.
More stunning was the power advantage Norman had over Pavin. Norman needed to hit only a 7-iron approach to the final green, not a fairway wood. In recent years, Pavin - who is 5 feet 9, 155 pounds - has become the No. 1 example cited when observers lament the lack of shotmakers in the game. Pavin could work the ball every direction but never hit it far. Last year, he averaged 268 yards off the tee, 189th on Tour.
And many figured that is why his game dropped off.
"I don't think technology has hurt me at all. It helps everybody," Pavin said. "Everybody is in the same boat in that regard. ... Young guys are long and strong, and equipment helps. But they also have technically better swings, personal trainers, nutritionists, mental-game experts. They're athletes, not the nerds we were when we started."
Pavin started fast. After winning 11 collegiate tournaments at UCLA, he won in each of his first five full seasons on the PGA Tour. By the time of the 1995 U.S. Open, Pavin had 12 PGA Tour victories and was considered the best player without a major championship - a tag that spurred him.
"It really bothered me," he said. "So winning our national championship was special."
Pavin was at the top of his game, but he didn't stay there long. He won the Colonial in 1996 and had eight other top-10 finishes to rank 18th on the money list, but he hasn't come close to those heights since.
Only once since 1996 has Pavin cracked the top 100 money winners. The past two years he finished 148th, remaining exempt solely because of his Open win.
"Lots of things have changed, my personal life, for one," Pavin said. "I am divorced and happily remarried. My game has gone through some change, too. I was okay for a year or two after winning (the Open) and then I fell into a slump. (In '96) I started swinging poorly. But it was disguised by my short game. My chipping and putting statistics that year were quite exceptional. They saved me. It was a very tough, grinding year for me. After that, I spiraled down."
Pavin saw several different teachers, but it wasn't until August that he began working with Butch Harmon, the noted instructor who has helped numerous tour players such as Tiger Woods.
Harmon has tried to help Pavin with his shoulder turn to get more power, and the results have been encouraging. Pavin, in addition to doing some television work for ESPN, has earned $355,498 and ranks 107th on the money list. He missed the cut last weekend at the Buick Classic.
Monday marked Pavin's third visit to Shinnecock since winning. He visited last month on behalf of NBC-TV, and all the memories started flooding back. But it is a different game, and a different Pavin who will compete this week.
"It's been a struggle, it's been tough," Pavin said. "I've worked hard. There's a lot of frustration, a lot of time I've put into it, and I'm hoping it'll pay off here pretty soon. For me, I just want to get out there and give it everything I've got, and hopefully I'll land in a better place than I've been the last seven or eight years. That's my goal."
104TH U.S. OPENWHEN/WHERE: Thursday-Sunday, Shinnecock Hills C.C., Southampton, N.Y.
TV: Thursday-Friday, 11-3 p.m., ESPN; 3-5, Ch.8; 5-7, ESPN. Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-7, Ch.8.