GOLF NOTEBOOK / MARTIN BECK : May Has Been Winning Cash but No Titles

Before starting his first full season on the Nike Tour, sort of the triple A of the PGA Tour, Bob May set a lofty goal.

In the first three years of the tour, six players had won three tournaments in a calendar year. May decided he would try to win four.

He figured it couldn’t hurt to set such a high goal, because if he fell short, he still would be ahead of much of his competition.

He was right, although things haven’t gone as he had planned. May, who grew up in La Habra and now lists his residence as Anaheim Hills, hasn’t won a tournament in 18 attempts this season, but he ranks fourth on the season-earnings list, putting him in excellent shape to move onto the PGA Tour next year.

The top 10 money winners this year on the Nike Tour get exemptions for the 1994 PGA Tour. The top five receive higher priority than those who advance from the PGA Tour qualifying school.

May, who won Southern Section individual titles in 1986 and ’87 for Hacienda Heights Los Altos High School, has won $88,761 by being one of the steadiest players on the tour.

He has finished in the top 10 eight times, six of those in the top five. He has more birdies than any other player, averaging nearly four per round. He is averaging slightly more than 70 strokes per round, fifth on the tour.

But consistency hasn’t propelled him to victory, although he has been second twice.

“I’ve had seven good chances to win and I’ve posted some good rounds,” May said. “I’ve just been clipped by someone else who had a better round. It’s been a bit frustrating but I figure if I just stay around the top, eventually my chance will come.”

His most recent opportunity came last weekend at the Greater Ozarks Open in Springfield, Mo. After two rounds, May was 11 under par and tied for the lead with Chris DiMarco. Saturday, May shot 72 and dropped three shots off the lead. Then in the final round Sunday, he shot 68 and finished in a tie for second with Bob Burns, two shots behind Tommy Tolles.

Tolles earned $31,500 for the victory; May and Burns each got $17,369. May missed a three-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have given him sole possession of second.

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May appears to be a lock to finish among the top 10. Last year, No. 10 made a bit more than $75,000. May has made about $600 less than third-place Doug Martin and nearly $15,000 more than fifth-place Larry Silveira. But he isn’t dwelling on the details.

“I don’t really think about it,” May said. “All I’m trying to do is win golf tournaments, not try to think about all the benefits that come when you finish in the top five or even the top 10.”

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Technically, May is a resident of Anaheim Hills. He rents an apartment there with his wife, Brenda, but it doesn’t get much use.

“I haven’t been there since February,” he said.

He is taking this week off from the tour, staying in Tulsa, Okla., at the home of his wife’s parents. He says it will give him time to relax and work on his game.

The couple are planning to move to the Summerland suburb of Las Vegas when a home they have bought is completed.

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Tentative pairings for the U.S. girls’ junior championship, which starts Monday at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, show that Kellee Booth of Coto de Caza is in the same group as defending champion Jamie Koizumi of Hawaii. The group is scheduled to tee off at 9 a.m. Monday.

Koizumi beat Alicia Allison of Santa Ana in the final last year. Allison defeated Booth in the semifinals. Allison’s group is scheduled for a 1:40 p.m. tee time.