Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 | 7:07 a.m.
Las Vegas native Robert Gamez established a PGA Tour benchmark in San Antonio on Sept. 25 by winning the Texas Open. That came 15 years, six months after his last tour victory, at the 1990 Bay Hill Invitational. Butch Baird -- at 15 years, five months and 10 days -- had held the previous mark for time between tour wins.
Gamez will tee off with playing partner Ben Crane on the 10th tee at 12:10 p.m. today when the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas gets under way at TPC at The Canyons. The two will start at 8 a.m. Friday at the first tee at TPC at Summerlin.
The Sun caught up with Gamez before he teed off for a practice round early Wednesday.
Birthdate: July 21, 1968
Birthplace: Las Vegas
MB>Height/Weight: 5 feet, 9 inches; 180 pounds
Education: Clark High School, University of Arizona
Residence: Orlando, Fla.
Family: Wife Lynn
GOLD LABEL?
After San Antonio, Gamez celebrated with family and friends at his favorite spot, a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Orlando. The proprietor of the restaurant presented him with a 15-year-old bottle of Scotch, Gamez said. "It was nice to get that off my back. I knew I'd win (again). It was just a matter of time. I didn't know when, but I knew it would be nice to get in the winner's circle again." He earned $630,000 for the victory.
HOME SWEET HOME
Gamez has played well here, finishing second in 1994 and among the top 10 three other times. "It's a good event for me," he said. "Obviously, the format has changed, which is even better for me. They took out the easier courses, like Southern Highlands and Bear's Best." He favors Summerlin over The Canyons because he has played the former more frequently. "But both are good, and fun to play," he said.
CONFIDENCE GAME
Gamez has been pleased with every aspect of his game this season. Before the U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst, N.C., in June, he raved about how well he had been playing before missing the cut at 15-over par. "I'm looking forward to the week," he said. "It'll be a good week for me. I'm doing everything solidly, driving and putting well. I hope it adds up to decent scores."
THE FIELD
As a sign of his focus, Gamez could not handicap the Michelin field. As usual, Phil Mickelson is the favorite. Oddsmakers list Jim Furyk, Davis Love III, Padraig Harrington and Stuart Appleby in the next group of challengers. For all Gamez knew, though, Bobby Jones himself might be teeing up. "I haven't seen who's playing," he said, "or a list of player pairings."
NO DAILY DOUBLE
Gamez now holds the record for time between tournament victories, but not number of tournaments between wins. The Texas victory came 394 tourneys after Bay Hill, but Ed Fiori once went 409 events between wins.
MICKEY MOUSE WIN
Gamez could have made a TV commercial after breaking through in Texas. One of his hobbies, according to the PGA media guide, is going to Disney Theme Parks.
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