ROUNDUP News and notes

Curtis impresses some Bolts: Ben Curtis was still wearing a San Diego Chargers shirt and cap after his practice round Wednesday when Nate Kaeding, the kicker for Southern California’s only NFL team, walked up and said, “You look good in that Chargers gear.” Kaeding and punter Mike Scifres then presented Curtis with a powder-blue Chargers shirt to add to his wardrobe for the Open. Curtis, an avid football fan who won the British Open in 2003, wears the apparel of the local NFL team during PGA Tour stops. Reebok, which outfits NFL teams, is one of Curtis’ sponsors. Reebok will donate $5,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation for every birdie Curtis makes at the Open, or a minimum of $20,000, and will also give $1 million if he makes a hole-in-one Sunday.

Lineup change: Sean O’Hair withdrew Wednesday because of a pulled chest muscle and was replaced by Gary Wolstenholme, a 47-year-old career amateur from England. The 25-year-old O’Hair won the PODS Championship in March, his second PGA Tour victory.

Word of the week: There’s lots of kikuyu grass in the fairways and rough on the Torrey Pines South Course, and golfers and TV commentators will no doubt be talking about it a lot. “I think perhaps to put it in the shortest description, Pat Gross, our agronomist, has described kikuyu as Bermuda on steroids,” USGA president Jim Vernon, said.

Chronicles of Calc: Few players speak as bluntly as Mark Calcavecchia, even when it comes to his chances of winning — or not — this week. Calcavecchia said his body is not in the best shape. What’s hurting? “My foot, knee, back, shoulder and brain,” he said. Otherwise, everything else is fine? “My confidence is at an all-time low,” he added. He has been at Torrey Pines all week but still has not played the full 18 holes. Part of that is finding a good time to stop his practice round. He has played the first six holes, then No. 10 and part of the 14th. “I hit a 4-iron into the 14th, then walked over to the right and went straight to the shuttle,” he said. But at least he had a chance to play the 13th, a par 5 with a new tee box that stretches the hole to 614 yards. Calcavecchia decided to walk to the back tee and hit a driver. And then what? “I was looking for a cart to get back to the fairway,” he said.

Associated Press