Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LVI officials receive six more commitments

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1998 | 1:14 a.m.

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His golf column appears Tuesdays. He can be reached on the Internet at bh@lasvegassun.com

John Daly wasn't the only marquee player on Monday to commit to play in next week's Las Vegas Invitational.

Lee Janzen, Tom Lehman, Tom Kite, Fred Funk and Frank Nobilo also informed the PGA Tour that they would be among the 144 players competing for the $360,000 first prize in the 16th annual LVI.

"We did pretty good," tournament manager Charlie Baron said after receiving the most recent commitment list from the tour office.

"I think it's a reflection, one, that the guys like to compete here because of the community and, two, because the high-caliber golf courses we use in the rotation bring out the best in the players."

The $2 million LVI will be played Oct. 14-18 at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin, the Las Vegas Country Club and the Desert Inn Golf Club. The final two rounds of the 90-hole tournament will be played exclusively at the TPC at Summerlin.

With the addition of Janzen, Funk and Lehman, 15 of the top 30 money winners on the PGA Tour this year will be playing in Las Vegas.

Also on Monday, Stewart Cink informed LVI officials that he would be playing next week after all. Cink earlier had committed to play here, only to withdraw late last month.

Cink stands 32nd on the money list and could move into the top 30 with a good performance in the LVI. The top 30 on the PGA Tour's money list qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship.

"It looks like Stewart re-thought his commitment to making the top 30," Baron said, "and has decided to play here next week. His commitment to play here just makes the field that much stronger."

The 16th annual Las Vegas Invitational is the penultimate full-field event on the PGA Tour schedule. After Las Vegas, the tour heads to Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for the Walt Disney World Golf Classic. The Tour Championship will be held the following week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

* PALMER SPECIAL: The Golf Channel will present a two-hour documentary on the life and career of golfing legend Arnold Palmer later this month. The special, "Arnold Palmer: Golf's Heart and Soul," will premier on Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. and promises never-before-seen photographs, film footage and interviews with Palmer and his family.

* AROUND THE GREEN: Las Vegas native Robert Gamez snapped a streak of three straight tournaments in which he had failed to make the cut. Gamez shot a second-round 69 at last weekend's Buick Challenge in Georgia and advanced to the weekend, where he finished tied for 48th place and earned $3,636. Gamez has earned $64,873 and is 198th on the PGA Tour money list with three tournaments remaining. ... Red Tees Golf Shop for Ladies, a Las Vegas specialty golf store, is holding a "Women Fore Women" golf tournament to benefit the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Entry fee for the tournament, to be played Oct. 31 at Angel Park Golf Club, is $150 per player. Call 597-9775 for additional information. ... The Theta Eta chapter of the Sigma Kappa Sorority at UNLV will hold its eighth annual Pompeii Classic Golf Tournament to benefit Alzheimer's Disease on Nov. 1 at The Legacy Golf Club. The entry fee is $135 per player. Call 454-4777 or 269-3005 for more information.

* UPCOMING EVENTS: The PGA Tour is in Williamsburg, Va., this week for the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill. David Duval is the defending champion; ESPN and CBS will televise. ... The Senior PGA Tour is in Napa, Calif., for The Transamerica at Silverado Country Club. Dave Eichelberger won last year's event; ESPN will televise. ... The LPGA Tour resumes after a week off by staging the AFLAC Tournament of Champions at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Auburn, Alabama. Annika Sorenstam is the defending champion; the Lifetime channel will televise.