Golfers are staying sharp but having fun

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005 | 8:43 a.m.

Grace Park summed up the attraction of golf's "silly-season" events in general and the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge in particular with one word: Fun.

After exhausting travel schedules that last up to 10 months, nine players representing the three major golf tours will be at SouthShore Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas today to participate in the 14th annual Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge.

In addition to keeping their games sharp during their brief off-seasons, the event gives the players an opportunity to mix with golfers from other tours in a relaxed atmosphere -- which is what lured Park back to the challenge for a second year.

"It is (hard), but then it's always a privilege playing in these events," Park said during last year's event. "It's also a lot of fun, and I learn so much from it. I enjoy playing in these so any chance I get, I try to fit (it in)."

Park will join Cristie Kerr and Lorena Ochoa as the LPGA Tour will attempt to defend its title in the 3-Tour Challenge. Last year, Park, Kerr and Juli Inkster defeated the PGA Tour and Champions Tour teams in the charity event.

Mark Calcavecchia, Kenny Perry and John Daly will represent the PGA Tour, while Hale Irwin, Jay Haas and Craig Stadler will play for the Champions Tour. The teams will battle for a $900,000 purse while raising money and awareness for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The event has raised more than $18 million for the charity since its inception in 1992.

Last year's victory by the LPGA Tour marked only the third time that the women had prevailed. The LPGA Tour won the inaugural event and in 2001.

The PGA Tour has six victories in the series, while the Champions Tour has notched four wins. The Senior set, however, hasn't won a challenge since 1999 behind the play of Irwin, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Irwin has been on three of the four winning Champions Tour teams.

Daly, one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, has been a member of two challenge-winning teams, in 2002 and 2003. Calcavecchia played on the winning team with Daly in 2003.

This will mark the ninth year the made-for-TV event has been held at Lake Las Vegas and the fourth time it has been on the Jack Nicklaus-designed SouthShore Golf Club.

The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge features three players from each of the tours matched against each other in threesomes. Each threesome consists of one player from each tour, and the tournament format includes two separate nine-hole, stroke-play matches.

The first team is scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m., and the final group will tee off at 8:50 a.m.

ABC Sports will televise delayed coverage of the event on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18.

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or at bh@lasvegassun.com.