Pride’s on line in Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge

Monday, Nov. 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Golf's "silly season" comes to Las Vegas Tuesday in the form of the Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge, a team event that features top players from the PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA tours competing in head-to-head competition at Lake Las Vegas' SouthShore Golf Club.

Representing the Senior PGA Tour team will be Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Jim Colbert. Colbert was a last-minute replacement for Jack Nicklaus, who withdrew from the event late last week because of recurring back and hip problems. Nicklaus, Floyd and Irwin teamed to win the Three-Tour Challenge last year at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Payne Stewart will comprise the PGA Tour team and the LPGA Tour contingent will consist of Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam and Patty Sheehan.

Although the event is an unofficial tournament for each of the three tours, there is nothing silly about the money being offered in the 18-hole event, which benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. A purse of $651,000 is at stake and each member of the winning team will earn $100,000.

According to Irwin, however, money will not be the motivating factor in the 18-hole tournament, which will employ a point system this year rather than the stroke format that has been used in years past. The winner of each hole is awarded two points for that player's team and the runner-up earns the remaining point. In the event of a tie, the points are evenly divided.

"I think any of these year-ending events, as unofficial as they are, I still think they're competitive and probably put more of each players' pride on the line as much as anything else," Irwin said. "You take the Wendy's Three-Tour event in particular, you're sort of carrying the banner of your own tour -- at least that's what I felt last year.

"Stepping in with Jack and Raymond, I was sort of the new kid and I felt some responsibility to represent the Senior Tour well and play well. I don't mind telling you, whether you're on the LPGA or the regular tour or the Senior Tour, you do have your pride of ownership, if you want to call it that. The Senior Tour now owns the current trophy and I don't think we're willing to relinquish it."

Colbert, who maintains a residence in Las Vegas, said he is looking forward to playing in his first Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge -- even if he does have some big shoes to fill.

"I'm real happy to do it," Colbert said. "Las Vegas has been good to me and that's my main place. I never thought twice about not doing it, even though I'm replacing Jack Nicklaus.

"I watch the Challenge every year on television, and it looks like a lot of fun and I'd love to be exposed to the other two circuits. After Jack pulled out, I was the first one they called and that was good enough for me."

In addition to getting a chance to play against members of the PGA and LPGA tours, Colbert said he is eager to play in the event for another reason -- the opportunity to finally play the Nicklaus-designed SouthShore.

"Even though I live in Las Vegas, how often am I home?" Colbert said, explaining why he has yet to play the spectacular course. "I played 34 events last year and 32 this year -- not counting these special events. I'm basically on the road for 40 weeks so I haven't had a lot of time (to play it) and when I'm in Las Vegas, I'm happy not to play at all.

"I'm really looking to playing it. I fly over it all the time and I see it and it looks like it'll be terrific."

The Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge will be held Tuesday morning, beginning at 9:30. Love, Irwin and Sorenstam will be paired in the first group, Stewart, Colbert and Sheehan will tee off at 9:40 a.m. and Couples, Floyd and Davies will be the final pairing at 9:50.

The event will be taped by ABC for broadcast in December. General admission tickets priced at $15 are available at the gate.

Colbert

Irwin