Follow the Wind

A fanciful commingling of golf history and Alice in Wonderland told with reverence for the legendary heroes of the game, this lighthearted debut novel is sure to charm devotees of ``sowpasture pool.'' A 20-year-old man dreaming of becoming a PGA touring pro chases an errant shot into the fog-shrouded rough on San Francisco's Lincoln Park public links and stumbles into the men's locker room of The Club. He is greeted by the legendary Walter Hagan and the immortal Bobby Jones, who inform him he has three days to deter the great Ben Hogan from replaying the final round of the 1955 USGA Open Championship, where he lost his bid for a record fifth Open championship in the playoff that ensued after he was tied by Jack Fleck, a come-from-nowhere driving-range pro. The problem here is twofold: Since Bantam Ben is still living, he's not a member of The Club; even more critical, tradition prohibits a golfer from replaying a recorded round; to do so now would forever alter the course of golf history and destroy the very foundation of the game. Though at times insufferably serious and frequently longwinded, this fantasy might just fill the time provided by a rain-spoiled afternoon on the links. (Apr.)