Columnist Peter Benton: Fan support poor for Invensys Classic

Peter Benton

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

I am coming to the conclusion that we don't deserve to have the PGA Tour playing in our city.

Over the years we have lost PGA Senior Tour and LPGA events, and I can just about guarantee that lack of spectator support was part of the equation.

This past weekend we had glorious weather for the Invensys Classic but once again the crowds were -- considering the prestige of this event -- not at all what they should have been.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, the top two players in the world, did not tee it up. But we still had a world-class field which provided some very exciting golf.

This $5 million event had so much riding on it. Players trying to crack the top-30 mark on the money list for entry into the prestigious Tour Championship, and a score of players trying hard to make the top 125 in earnings to retain their precious tour card are always storylines in Las Vegas.

I realize that when the tournament's home course was the Las Vegas Country Club (and the Dunes and Desert Inn layouts were also utilized), it made things easier and more convenient for spectators.

However, since the city has quadrupled in size, the two latter layouts are but memories, and going from course to course these days is far more time consuming.

So, one asks, what is the problem?

Unfortunately I am not in the position to know the whys and wherefores. I am neither the tournament manager, Charlie Baron, who works tirelessly on trying to make our event bigger and better each year; nor am I privy to those at the helm of the Las Vegas Founders Club, who, rumor has it, will sponsor next year's event unless Baron finds a replacement for outgoing sponsor Invensys.

My feeling is that Las Vegans in general are either a.) too lazy and do not want to be inconvenienced by driving to the more distant courses; b.) have become so blase with what this town has to offer that complacency has set in; c.) would far rather catch all the action via television; d.) take too much for granted and are not bothered about supporting what our community has to offer; e.) just don't give a damn about anything but themselves; or f.) all of the above.

A sorry state indeed. As with many things in life, it is often not until you lose someone or something that you finally appreciate what you had.

Professional golf in Las Vegas began in 1953 (when Al Besselink won the first Tournament of Champions at the Desert Inn) and it has virtually continued ever since.

If we don't rid ourselves of this couldn't-care-less attitude and support what is being provided, we could very well drop off the world golfing map.

This is just one man's opinion. But, by golly, it is food for thought.