Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 12:33 p.m.
The 13th annual Las Vegas Senior Classic by TruGreen-ChemLawn promises to be bigger -- if not better -- than ever.
Besides increasing its purse by $400,000 to $1.4 million, the field for the Senior PGA Tour event will expand from 56 to 78 players and from 54 to 72 holes covering two golf courses -- the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin and the TPC at The Canyons.
This marks the first time since 1985 that a Senior Tour event will be played on two courses.
Joining defending champion Hale Irwin in the field for this year's event will former two-time champions Jim Colbert of Las Vegas and Chi Chi Rodriguez, as well as 1992 champion Lee Trevino and Gil Morgan, a three-time winner on the Senior circuit this year.
"With the addition of Arnold Palmer and all the former champions, I really believe we have one of the strongest fields we've ever had for this tournament," Charlie Baron, LVSC tournament manager, said.
The new format is the most striking change for the tournament. For the first 12 years of its existence, the Las Vegas Senior Classic played with a limited field of 56 professionals playing 54 holes. The tournament will use a split-field format for play Thursday and Friday, with both TPC courses being used Thursday and Friday.
The TPC at Summerlin alone will be used on the weekend. The tournament was played exclusively at the TPC at The Canyons for the first time last year after moving to the TPC at Summerlin in 1994 following an eight-year run at the Desert Inn Golf Club.
"Utilizing both Tournament Players Clubs, the TPC at The Canyons and the TPC at Summerlin, will make for a bigger and better event for the Las Vegas community," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "It will also serve to take the tournament to the next level."
Las Vegas Senior Classic tournament chairman Ted Wiens Jr. agreed.
"This is a very important step in the continuing growth of this tournament," Wiens said. "The tournament will gain greater stability through the increased field and the significant increase in the purse. It opens up new opportunities for marketing the tournament and Las Vegas."
Irwin continued his domination last year of the Senior PGA Tour by picking up his fourth victory of the season at the TPC at The Canyons. Irwin would go on to win nine tournaments and $2,343,364.
Irwin's nine wins tied the Senior PGA Tour mark set by Peter Thomson in 1985 and his season earnings were the most by any player on any tour, shattering Colbert's Senior Tour record of $1,627,890.
It was by no means an easy win for Irwin, who entered the final round last year with a two-shot lead over John Jacobs and Isao Aoki. The field battled wind gusts that were measured at up to 50 mph on Sunday. By the time Irwin and and Aoki stepped to the tee on the 54th hole, the two were tied for the lead.
Both players found the right rough off the tee but Irwin hit his approach shot to within 15 feet of the pin while Aoki's landed on the fringe, 20 feet from the hole. Aoki left his birdie attempt short and Irwin drained his to capture the tournament and the $150,000 first-place check.
Irwin comes into this year's Las Vegas Senior Classic with one win, at the Toshiba Senior Classic in March. Morgan, the tour's leading money winner after nine official events, already has three victories -- the season-opening MasterCard Championship, the LG Championship and The Tradition.
Joining Irwin and Morgan in the 'contenders' category this week is Colbert, the two-time winner and all-time leading money winner in LVSC history with $436,401. Colbert became the second player to successfully defend his title in Las Vegas by capturing the 1995 and 1996 events at the TPC at Summerlin.
Now that the tournament is returning to Summerlin, Colbert said he likes his chances this week.
"I'm looking forward to going back to Summerlin and the TPC," Colbert said. "It's not a secret that I prefer that golf course because I've had a lot of success there and I've played it a lot.
"I think it's a great situation to be playing both golf courses, playing for four days and having the weekend totally at Summerlin -- I think it's good for everybody."
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