Not a Blast From Past for Norman : PGA Championship: He puts loss to Tway in ’86 behind him and is a favorite as play begins today.

TOLEDO, Ohio —  America has a one-shot mind. Say Inverness, and it thinks Bob Tway . . . the bunker blast on No. 18 . . . the improbable PGA Championship of 1986.

Meanwhile, Greg Norman is going out of his mind. Say Inverness, and he thinks small blunt instrument--the better to whack the next questioner over the head.

Norman loves Inverness, site of this week’s 75th PGA Championship. If it were an infant, he’d adopt it. “I have great vibes here,” he said.

But if Norman hears another peep about Tway and 1986 and birdies out of the sand, he is going to dye his hair black and become an assistant club pro in Wichita, Kan. In short, he has had it with memory lane.

“Seven years ago was seven years ago,” said Norman, who begins today’s play on the short list of pre-tournament favorites. “Questions about Bob Tway and the bunker shot. It’s been seven long years and as of (now), I’d like to drop the issue.

“I’m just going to go on to the next question from now on. I’m happy to drop the issue if you guys are.”

Not so fast. There is still this matter of revisionist history. According to Norman, he didn’t lose the ’86 PGA because of Tway’s magic on the final hole. The tournament was lost on No. 11, a modest 378-yard par-four.

“I hit a one-iron down the fairway into a divot,” Norman said. “I tried to blade the ball out and buried it in the bunker. I ended up taking a double bogey. That shot cost me the PGA Championship.”

With that finally settled, it’s on to the 1990s, when Norman, Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Payne Stewart and Bernhard Langer are receiving most of the attention.

Norman is hot. In five of his last six tournaments he finished fourth, third, second, second and first. The victory was no cheapie, either: four sub-70 rounds at a little something called the British Open.

Then there is Price, the defending PGA champion who happens to be Norman’s choice for Best Player in The World designation. Norman would know, since he used to own the same title.

All Price has done is win three of his last four tournaments. The former Rhodesian fighter pilot has won enough money this season to probably buy his own jet. He missed one cut--the Masters. That’s it.

“Like they say, life doesn’t get any better than this,” Price said. “I’ve had this smile on my face for four months. It’s going to take a lot of three-putts to wipe it off.”

Putting isn’t going to be the problem this week; driving is.

Inverness, a quirky but fair course designed by Donald Ross and massaged and refined later by A.W. Tillinghast, Dick Wilson, George and Tom Fazio and Arthur Hills, is known for its small greens and numerous par-fours (13, more than just about any other major championship course). Miss the fairways at Inverness and you’re doomed.

“It’s the same Inverness we’ve always played,” Jack Nicklaus said. “Small greens, heavy rough.”

As for the 13 par-fours, they’ve already had an impact. John Daly, who won the PGA at Crooked Stick in 1991, is thinking of retiring his driver this week. With only two par-fives and a premium on accuracy, Daly has to think twice about his grip-it-and-rip-it philosophy.

“It hurts my game a lot,” he said.

Daly arrived in Toledo with a new haircut, a new diet (no more M&Ms--he;’s gone from 205 to 186 pounds in two months), a new shoe contract and four wedges in his bag. But the impatience remains.

“There is a chance I might just say to hell with it and pull out a driver,” he said.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Daly talked about leaving the club in his bag at the British Open, but quickly grew bored with hitting three-irons off the tee. So he returned to his first love and promptly drove a 421-yard hole at Royal St. George’s. By tournament’s end, Daly had finished 14th.

As if the pressures of the PGA Championship weren’t enough, there is also some intrigue involving the selection of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Six of the 12 available spots are set in stone: Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Corey Pavin and Payne Stewart. Still to be determined are four more automatic choices--as determined by a Ryder Cup point system--and two wild-card selections, which come courtesy of U.S. captain Tom Watson.

Watson is here this week. Not only will he be playing, but he’ll be scouting, too.

“It’s coming down to this week,” Watson said.

Daly is a possibility, as are about 20 other American players. But Watson shouldn’t worry too much about picking the right players. Inverness will do that.

Golf Notes

Here’s a pleasant change for a major championship: no major whining about the course setup. “I haven’t heard a lot of criticism,” said Tom Kite. “(It’s) probably too easy.” And from Nick Price: “The PGA is to be commended. It is very, very, very fair.” . . . This is Inverness’ seventh major tournament and second PGA Championship in the last eight years. Actually, Inverness wasn’t supposed to be the host in 1993. But when Aronomink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., was unable to comply with PGA of America policy concerning integrated memberships, Inverness was selected as the substitute site. . . . John Daly on his new diet: “I haven’t really done anything. I do have a new hobby. I’m learning to play the guitar. I don’t think you lose weight doing that, but it is a lot of fun. You can’t get me to run. No way.” . . . Only one person has a chance to win his third consecutive PGA Championship: caddie Jeff (Squeeky) Medlen. Medlen carried Daly’s bag in 1991 and Price’s bag in ’92.

PGA Championship at a Glance

Event: 75th PGA Championship. Site: Inverness Country Club, 7,024 yards, par 35-36--71. Playoff (if necessary): Sudden death. Field: 151. Purse: $1.6 million. Winner’s Share: $280,000. Defending champion: Nick Price. Former champions in field: Nick Price, John Daly, Wayne Grady, Payne Stewart, Jeff Sluman, Larry Nelson, Bob Tway, Hubert Green, Hal Sutton, Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, David Graham, John Mahaffey, Lanny Wadkins. TV (all times PDT): Today: TBS 9 a.m.; Friday, TBS, 9 a.m.; Saturday, TBS, 8 a.m., CBS, 10:30 a.m.; Sunday, TBS, 7:30 a.m., CBS, 10:30 a.m.