Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Commentary: Strong field for Las Vegas Senior Classic fights fatigue

THERE MIGHT be two dozen players among the 56 entered who are capable of winning this week's Las Vegas Senior Classic. And the single greatest factor in determining who eventually gets the $150,000 might be fatigue.

The tour doesn't do Las Vegas any favors, scheduling the annual stop here on the heels of the PGA Seniors' Championship in Florida. That tournament, won by Hale Irwin Sunday, was the second consecutive major for the Seniors and the third straight for those few players who were also invited to The Masters.

In addition, geography comes into play, with the Seniors who are playing in Las Vegas on a Florida to Nevada to North Carolina swing. The travel alone could keep the older guys on the tour from being especially sharp.

It's to Las Vegas' credit that virtually all of the Senior Tour regulars are playing here this week. Given the tournament's lack of proximity to either Florida or North Carolina, it would be easy for many of the players -- especially those on the high end -- to take a pass on the pair of cross-country trips involved.

"We've been in this position for a couple of years and we're fortunate we're still able to attract a great field," tournament manager Charlie Baron said. "The guys on the tour can't play every week and our tournament is a little out of their way, yet most of them are playing here because they like the golf course and the community."

Seventeen of the top 20 finishers from Sunday's tournament will be playing this week at the TPC at Summerlin. In fact, of the biggest names in the sport, only Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer are skipping Las Vegas.

Irwin, with two wins already this year and four since turning 50 last June, is an obvious favorite. But he could face a letdown of sorts, having played the majors trifecta the last three weeks. Yet on talent alone, he figures to be in the hunt.

A handful of other players would have to be considered in the first group, including defending champion Jim Colbert, 1994 champion Ray Floyd, No. 2 money winner Bob Murphy, superstar Lee Trevino and -- a newcomer to the Las Vegas field -- Isao Aoki.

A good word about each: Colbert was 10 over in Florida but that might serve to further motivate him to bounce back in Las Vegas; Floyd was +3 in Florida and never in the title hunt, which could have him seeking a measure of revenge this week; Murphy rallied to finish in a tie for seventh in Florida and has played well all season; Trevino is a threat every time he tees it up, although he hurt his left knee Saturday; and Aoki, who was Irwin's primary challenger at Palm Beach, has the length, the steady game and the temperament to handle the TPC even if he hasn't yet played it.

Eight of the nine men who have won on the Senior Tour this year are playing in Las Vegas, and here's a quick sketch of the guy most likely to win here: 50ish, in excellent condition and lucky enough to have had a direct flight from Florida.

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