Columnist Victoria Sun: Gamez off to fast start in ‘01

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001 | 11:43 a.m.

Victoria Sun's golf columns appears Wednesday. Reach her at 259-4078 or victoria@lasvegassun.com.

Maybe Robert Gamez has finally taken sports psychologist Bob Rotella's words to heart.

Gamez flew to Virginia in December to meet with Rotella.

During a press conference preceding the Aladdin Classic Golf Tournament that was hosted by Gamez in January, the Las Vegan said he was very confident the meeting would produce positive results.

It's early, but Gamez is off to a great start.

On Sunday, Gamez fired a final-round 61 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic to finish in a seven-way tie for 11th place. Gamez's five-day total 337 was 13 strokes behind winner Joe Durant.

Gamez entered the final trailing Durant by 17 strokes.

He earned $69,500 at the Hope, bringing his yearly earnings to $91,250, which is good if you consider that he has entered only three tournaments.

Gamez's best finish last year was when he tied for 12th at the Honda Classic.

Because Gamez finished 145th on last year's money list, he has partial exempt status, meaning he will only get into about 18-20 tournaments this year through sponsors' exemptions and through exemptions into tournaments with weaker fields.

"Regardless of where Buy.com ends up, whether they are ultimately successful or not, it will not impact where we go with this tour," said Calfee, the chief operating officer of the Buy.com tour and executive vice president of the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour owns it, manages it and operates it.

"We're committed to growing the tour. We're committed to helping it."

Buy.com signed a five-year, $42.5 million deal in October 1999 to sponsor the developmental tour, formerly called the Nike Tour.

But if the company's financial woes continue, the sponsorship will be terminated in 2002, making it a 3-year deal instead.

"We're looking at some strategies if the term of the agreement is shortened," Calfee said. "Whether we would resell it to another corporate title -- or maybe not and fund it in a different way."