MARTIN'S PRESENCE GIVES NIKE EVENT LUSTER, WIDER AUDIENCE

          Casey Martin's participation in the Nike Tour's Greater
     Austin Open (GAO), which begins today, has tournament
     officials expecting crowds of 20,000 on Saturday and Sunday,
     "based on advance ticket sales, gate projections, and Martin
     making the cut," according to Bill Nichols of the DALLAS
     MORNING NEWS.  Last year, the event drew "about" 10,000 for
     the weekend days.  Martin's rise "has placed him in a
     spotlight that shows no signs of fading."  Defending Greater
     Austin Open champion Eric Booker, on Martin: "He's like a
     Tiger Woods out here" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/5).  On ABC's
     "GMA," Jimmy Roberts reported from the GAO and said there
     were "more reporters and camera crews here" than there were
     for Woods' professional debut two summers ago.  Roberts:
     "So, I think it's safe to say that this has exceeded even
     the hubbub that surrounded Tiger Woods' debut" (ABC, 3/5).
          THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT: In DC, Barker Davis writes
     under the header, "Big Bucks, Endorsement Deals Distance
     Casey Martin From Nike Tour Brethren."  Davis writes that
     Martin has "unintentionally circumvented" pro golf's
     "unspoken order" and that "[t]hanks to his marketability,"
     he has "tasted the game's financial rewards before ever
     reaching its playing pinnacle."  Former PGA Tour player John
     Maginnes: "He's a million-dollar man on a hundred-dollar
     tour.  Damn right, he's different" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/5).
     The Nike Tour is gaining unprecedented exposure this week
     with writers from most of the top markets at the GAO.  In
     DC, Leonard Shapiro profiles the Tour under the header,
     "Under PGA Tour's Wing, Nike Tour Starting To Fly."  With 31
     events on its schedule, the Tour's total purse of $7.4M has 
     "more than" doubled since $3M in '90 (WASHINGTON POST, 3/5).