Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Shadow Creek, Edgewood Tahoe crack ‘100

Wednesday, April 7, 1999 | 10:15 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's golf notebook appears Wednesday. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Only two Nevada golf courses, both designed by Tom Fazio, cracked Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

Once again, Steve Wynn's exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Club in North Las Vegas made the list and was ranked the 20th-best course in the nation. Another Fazio design, the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Northern Nevada, made its first appearance on the list at No. 99.

The top course in America, as rated by Golf Digest's 667-member evaluation panel, once again was Pine Valley Golf Club in Pine Valley, N.J. The course, designed by George Crump and H.S. Holt, has been ranked No. 1 for 14 consecutive years.

Rounding out the top 10 are Augusta National Golf Club; Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.; Pebble Beach Golf Links; Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.; Merion Golf Club (East Course) in Ardmore, Pa.; Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.; Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course) in Mamaroneck, N.Y.; Pinehurst Resort and Country Club (Course No. 2) in Pinehurst, N.C.; and Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

In its May issue, Golf Digest also ranked the best courses in each state. Shadow Creek was rated No. 1 and Edgewood Tahoe was No. 2 in Nevada, followed by Montreaux Golf and Country Club in Reno, Rio Secco Golf Club in Henderson and SouthShore Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas.

Rounding out the top 10 in Nevada are The Golf Club at Genoa Lakes in Genoa; The Oasis Golf Club in Mesquite; Incline Village Golf Resort; the Tournament Players Club at The Canyons; and the TPC at Summerlin.

* BERRY HONORED: UNLV senior Chris Berry was named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Golf Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.

Berry earned the first individual title of his collegiate career when he captured medalist honors Sunday at the U.S. Collegiate Golf Championships in Lecanto, Fla., after a one-hole playoff.

With his 8-under-par 208, Berry led the Rebels to their fourth team title of the year. Berry became the fourth UNLV golfer to be so honored by the conference this season.

* KUCHAR STAYING: Matt Kuchar, the lowest-scoring amateur at last year's Masters, announced Tuesday he will return to Georgia Tech for his senior season.

Kuchar, 20, emerged on the golf scene last year at The Masters where, as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, he played with Tiger Woods in the opening round. Kuchar finished the tournament with an even-par 288 to tie for 21st and earn an automatic invitation to this week's Masters.

Kuchar toyed with the idea of turning pro following his sophomore season at Georgia Tech before ultimately deciding to remain in college. Kuchar tied for seventh at last year's NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

* SENIOR TICKETS: Advance tickets for the 14th annual Las Vegas Senior Classic, to be held May 13-16, are now on sale at the tournament office.

Daily tickets are priced at $15 each and season badges are available for $50 each. Special ticket promotions will be offered by Cadillac West, Cashman Cadillac, Ted Wiens Tire and Auto Centers and at local golf courses.

Call the tournament office at 242-3000 for additional information.

* UPCOMING EVENTS: The Senior PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and Nike Tour all are off this week in deference to The Masters, which begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Mark O'Meara is the defending Masters champion, having won his first major championship at Augusta last year with a one-shot victory over Fred Couples and David Duval.

The USA cable network will televise Thursday and Friday and CBS will handle the coverage on Saturday and Sunday.