Golfer Begay Had Previous DWI

PGA pro Notah Begay said Friday his arrest this week for drunken driving was his second in five years, and he will seek professional help to determine if he has a drinking problem.

Begay, arrested Wednesday night outside an Albuquerque bar after a noninjury collision, said he was convicted of drunken driving in Scottsdale, Ariz., in November 1995 and spent one night in jail.

Begay said he will plead guilty to the latest charge of aggravated DWI at a court hearing here Tuesday.

"They are just two isolated incidents five years apart that I'm not very proud of, two very big mistakes in my life," Begay said. "I know there's going to be some negative repercussions

Begay said he decided to disclose the Arizona arrest because he wanted prosecutors to have all the facts.

"I wanted to be forthright with the whole situation," he said. "In order to do that, in order to insure that justice was served, they (prosecutors) needed to know about everything. I felt it would be hypocritical of me for the information to come out after the fact."

Begay faced at least two days in jail for the latest arrest. But because of the prior conviction in Arizona, the minimum sentence is now four days in jail, defense attorney Paul Bardacke said.

Prosecutors were checking Friday on whether the judge would have the discretion to run the second two-day sentence concurrent with the first two days so that Begay would only serve two days.

Begay, the only American Indian on the PGA Tour, won two tournaments and more than $1 million as a rookie in 1999. He reiterated Friday that he's ready to face the consequences.

"I don't want to be treated any differently than the next guy," he said. "If I'm required to miss one or two (tour) events because I need to serve some time or pay a fine, I'm going to do it."

According to police, Begay took two breath-alcohol tests about an hour after the wreck that showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.21

nearly triple the legal limit of 0.08. Bardacke, however, said that was not totally accurate.

"An hour after this incident, it was .16," Bardacke said. He said the blood-alcohol appeared to rise after the arrest, and "it was probably well below .16 at the time of the incident."

But Begay admitted drinking more than two beers the number he told police he had consumed.

"Obviously I was under the influence at the time and just threw a number out there arbitrarily," Begay said. "More than two drinks? I would say more than five."

Begay said he does not believe he is an alcoholic but will seek help to determine if he has a problem.

"I'm going to go out myself and seek some professional consultation to get some feedback," Begay said. "If they say, Notah, we think that yoneed to do this, this and this, then I'm going to do it just to make sure I cover all the bases, because I'm not denying that I do have a problem or that I don't. I want to find out."

Begay plans to return to the tour next week at the Phoenix Open. He said he had discussed his arrest with PGA officials and was assured his status with the tour had not changed.

"I've got their full support. It does not affect my status as a member and it is simply between the local authorities and myself," Begay said.

Nike, with whom Begay has an endorsement contract, also has said it stands behind him.

Begay said his arrest in Scottsdale occurred soon after he graduated from Stanford and moved to that city. He said he was on his way home after spending an evening with friends and was pulled over for speeding. Police found open containers of alcohol in Begay's vehicle, and he was arrested.

©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed