LVI undergoes format changes

Adam Candee

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

They say that it is not being done to attract Tiger Woods and that it is just for one year.

Still, the Las Vegas Founders are certainly making the city's PGA tour stop into a more enticing prospect for Woods and others by reducing the tournament from 90 to 72 holes, a move announced Monday.

That means the Las Vegas Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 7-10, will begin on a Thursday instead of the traditional Wednesday opening. There will still be three days of pro-am play, from Thursday through Saturday, and the tournament will still be played on three courses. The cut will come after Saturday's round.

Tournament chairman John Sullivan said the change is being made to accommodate players taking part in the American Express World Golf Championship in Ireland during the week before the LVI. Sullivan met with a handful of tour players about two months ago before The Players Championships in Florida, and that group told him that going from Ireland to Las Vegas in just a couple of days could dissuade some players from entering the LVI.

"It didn't affect the core issues of what we like about our golf tournament," Sullivan said of the switch.

Moving the event back a day will give players the chance to comfortably travel to Las Vegas, as well as giving them an opportunity to practice on the tournament's newest course, Bear's Best. Southern Highlands opted out after two years of hosting play along with TPC at Summerlin and TPC at the Canyons, both of which will continue as host courses.

The Founders are even looking into the large expense of chartering private jets to shuttle players to Las Vegas from the East Coast or from overseas. The tournament is already likely to lose last year's European entrants who were already in the country for the World Golf Championship, which rotates between Europe and the United States.

Local tour pro Craig Barlow, a Henderson resident, feels that most players will support the move to a four-day tournament.

"Five days, late in the season like that, can be a grind," Barlow said. "We're used to playing four rounds. I personally like that it will be four days."

Sullivan said that if players and/or sponsors support the idea of a 72-hole tournament, the Founders would consider leaving this format in place. The plan for now is to revert to 90 holes in 2005.

"As of right now, our next year tournament would be held as a five-day, three-course event," Sullivan said.

That is usually a decision determined by an event's title sponsor, but the LVI is operating on a private commitment of $5 million over three years from California widow Helen Morton. The LVI did not have a title sponsor last year after Invensys pulled out after a three-year deal that ended with the 2002 event.

The tour originally listed the dates reserved for the LVI as "TBD" when its released its 2004 schedule, as neither the Founders nor the tour would commit to a Las Vegas event without some form of financial backing. Sullivan said that the Founders continue to solicit corporate sponsors to secure the long-term future of the tournament.

"We've had a lot of interest," Sullivan said. In a smaller change, Saturday's round at the TPC at Summerlin host course will now include high-profile players paired with celebrities. That change is designed to placate corporate skybox and grandstand partners who usually pay to watch only the pros in both Saturday and Sunday rounds.