Golf:

In a tournament known for its generosity, a newcomer to this year’s Toshiba Classic has a streak of selflessness in him.

One sentence said it all.

It was toward the end of a phone conversation when Corey Pavin, U.S. Ryder Cup captain and Champions Tour rookie made one statement that struck to the core.

This statement revealed the inner man.

“If I don’t like the way I’m playing, I don’t want to take someone’s spot,” Pavin said Friday from Florida, where he played the Allianz Championship, finishing tied for 34th place (six-under par).

The Allianz was Pavin’s third on the Champions Tour (golfers 50 and older), but the 1995 U.S. Open champion referred to an invitation to play in this August’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc. Pavin isn’t sure if he will play at Whistling Straits. He’ll wait to see how he’s playing.

What a refreshing thing to hear. I gained an immediate respect for Pavin, 50, in my first conversation with him.

I still remember watching Pavin on television hit that 4-wood into the 18th green at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., in the final round of the 1995 U.S. Open. The ball landed, rolled a bit and stopped five feet from the flagstick. Pavin raised both arms in the air and walked up the fairway like a soon-to-be major champion. He two-putted for par to help seal a two-shot victory over Greg Norman.

Pavin will be making his debut at Newport Beach Country Club for the Toshiba Classic, March 5-7. The tournament is known for its charitable donations. In the last 12 years, more than $12.1 million has been raised.

It runs somewhat parallel to Pavin’s stance on not wanting to play an event if he feels his game doesn’t warrant it. This is like saying, “Take my spot in the batting order. You deserve it at this time.”

While I believe we’re owed nothing in this life (it’s a gift), no matter what Pavin does, someone will receive the gift of playing in the PGA Championship. Whether Pavin or another golfer, I hope either of them will accept it as a gift.

Pavin, a 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, will be the center of attention at the Champions Breakfast Tuesday of tournament week.

Pavin was pleased with the way he played the last half of 2009 and plans to play 25 or 26 tournaments this year (six or seven on the PGA Tour with the rest on the Champions Tour). He said he feels better about his game. He finished tied for 13th (10-under) in his Champions Tour debut at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai at Hualalai Golf Course in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, in January.

“I liked every thing about it,” Pavin said of his first Champions Tour tournament. “I saw people I hadn’t seen in a long time and the golf courses (including The Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Fla.) suit my game. They aren’t as long. It’s nice to hit irons into the greens.”

So what has he heard about NBCC’s layout?

“I’ve heard it’s an old-style golf course with tight fairways,” Pavin, a two-time, first-team All-American at UCLA, said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m used to all the grasses [in Southern California].”

Pavin was born in Oxnard, Calif., and now calls Dallas, Texas, his primary residence. He joins Tom Watson, winner of 39 PGA Tour and 13 Champions Tour events, defending Toshiba Classic champion Eduardo Romero and the tournament’s only two-time winner, Hale Irwin, in this year’s field.

There could be another Toshiba champion crowned, but Pavin is a winner in my book.

BRYCE ALDERTON’S golf column appears Wednesdays. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].