Page 66 - LVGL Winter 2021 FLIPBOOK_Neat

EVENT

prowess. One hole that should get a little more attention
during tournament week is the par-3 4th hole. At 209 yards
it’s not long by Tour standards, but, add in a pond and bun-
ker that front the green and the challenge just went up a
notch or two. If the wind blows at all, picking the right club
will become that much tougher. And one final note. If the
Tour puts in a front-right pin location, just over the water
and bunker, all bets are off. If a player is leading the tourna-
ment he’s a little more likely to play cautious and take the
front problems out of play. If a player is chasing the leaders
it might force him to be a little more aggressive and try to
pick up a stroke on the field. “It definitely could be one of
the hardest holes on the property,” Reid said. “And 12 and
13 tend to be no picnic either. It’s going to be a good test for
the players.”

And that field will have plenty of local talent playing as
area pros Harry Hall, David Lipsky, Taylor Montgomery,
and John Oda are all expected to tee it up in the chase for
the title. The purse for the tournament is $600,000. Reid
said that while there is plenty of golf history when it comes
to the professional play in Vegas, don’t sell the Las Vegas
Paiute Golf Resort courses short. “In 2008 we hosted the
Monday qualifier for the Justin Timberlake event on that
course,” Reid said. “Grant Waite finished up birdie, birdie,
eagle (a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th), birdie to close out his
round to make it into the tournament.”
And there’s plenty more.

When the Wolf opened in 2001, the layout hosted an Annika
Sorenstam-Karrie Webb matchup as its inaugural round of
golf. The event was part of the Shell’s Wonderful World of
Golf series that ran from 1961-2003. In that Las Vegas match
at the Wolf, Webb shot a 64 to beat Sorenstam by a stroke.

In 2019, the Sun Mountain also played host to a U.S. Open
qualifier event where Alex Kang was the medalist with a
seven-under-par 65. The name Alex Kang might not be
familiar to that many in the golf world, but what is well-
known is his caddie that day--his sister, LPGA superstar
Danielle Kang.

So as we try to get our lives back on track--on and off the
golf course--it’s only fitting that professional golf sets its
sights on playing a new event in Las Vegas. “We aren’t sure
if we’re going to be able to have fans, but we’re certainly
hoping we can,” Reid said. “It will let them see all we have to

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