IT was a long way from their respective professional golf tours, but the cause made it just as important for PGA Tour veteran Corey Pavin and LPGA star Meg Mallon.

Pavin and Mallon were at Bowling Green Park at the corner of Broadway and Beaver Streets in lower Manhattan yesterday chipping and putting for a charity close to their respective hearts – raising money for the American Stroke Association with each chip and putt holed out.

And, as a bonus for the cause, The Post threw itself into the fray in an attempt to raise extra money for the cause. Unfortunately, our efforts (one $1,500 holed putt out of a makeshift sand trap) were only a small part to the $130,000 raised on the day.

In what’s billed as the “American Stroke Challenge,” Pavin, who lost his father to a heart attack in 1997, and Mallon, whose mother has had a number of mini-strokes in the last few years, will also raise $1,500 for every birdie and $3,000 for every eagle they card in competition for the month of May. The money is being donated by Bayer Aspirin, which in the past six years has given $740,000.

There also is a million dollar hole-in-one contest involving a number of courses in the New York area. One registered golfer from each city will be selected to participate in the ASC with Pavin in Los Angeles on June 19. If the participant makes a hole in one, he or she will get $1 million and Bayer will donate another $1 million to the ASA.

Competing with Pavin, who’s best known for his 1995 U.S. Open victory at Shinnecock Hills, and Mallon, the 1991 U.S. Women’s Open winner, I actually chipped in my first practice shot in from a mat on a sidewalk over a cobblestone street to an elevated green with three sand traps that was constructed about 25 feet away. Had that one counted, I’d have raised $5,000 for the charity. Story of my life, though: It didn’t count.

Though my first five chips were closer to the hole than any of Mallon’s first five, upon asking Pavin for advice on lofting my shots a little higher into the air, he still recommended that I “stick to writing.”

The first session included five chips from 25 feet, five 12-foot putts, five 10-foot putts from out of the sand and five shorter chips from about 15 feet. Mallon was the winner of our mini-competition, having raised $13,500, while Pavin raised $10,500 and I chipped in (pun intended) the $1,500.

The two pros took some more shots throughout the day and lifted the total stakes to $130,000 entering their May birdie competition. Last year, Pavin was edged out by Nancy Lopez, 49 birdies to 48. Each player is competing in three tournaments in May.

New York players can register for the $1 million hole-in-one contest at Clearview, Dyker Beach, Kissena Park, LaTourette, Pelham-Split Rock, Silver Lake, South Shore, Van Cortlandt, West Sayville and Central Valley.