The Elevator: Up and down the Vegas sports scene

By Ron Kantowski (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 | 2 a.m.

A special Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open version of who’s going to the penthouse in local sports — and who’s getting the shaft.

GOING UP

In the Hole — er, Hall

PGA Tour tournament winner Tommy Armour III, amateur standout Louis Reddon, PGA of America pro Jerry Roberts and longtime amateur birdie specialist and course operator Eric Dutt were inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame during a ceremony on the eve of the tournament at TPC Summerlin. Armour is the grandson of Tommy Armour I, who won the 1927 U.S. Open, the 1930 PGA Championship and the 1931 British Open — and once took a 23 on a par 5 at the Shawnee Open in Oklahoma, a dubious record that stands today (unless Amanda Beard is still out on the course at the Pro-Am).

Ellen wheels

Every time somebody would call out to Ellen DeGeneres to turn around from what she was doing on the putting green to pose for a photo, she would. An A-list celebrity with an A-plus attitude toward the working stiffs — that’ll play on any fairway.

Hacker attacker

It might have sounded a little rude to those who ponied up $8,000 (or more) to play. But Justin Timberlake said he has only one rule when it comes to the tournament with his name on it: Don’t let the hackers out with the pros. Although having amateurs play with pros is a good way to raise money for charity, the only way for this tournament to stand on its own is to attract better players. By limiting the tedious Pro-Am to one day, at least there’s a chance of that happening.

GOING DOWN

Short-term memories

Shriners Hospitals is a great charity, noble cause, and every other good thing you can say, and it’s easy to see why Justin Timberlake traded in his porkpie hat for a fez in partnering with the network of 22 pediatric hospitals that do so much for children. But one shouldn’t forget the tournament’s previous host organization, the Las Vegas Founders, raised more than $15 million for charity, all of which stayed right here in Las Vegas. Even if the PGA Tour said it raised only $10 million.

Fez dispenser

Though the crowd following Justin Timberlake at the Pro-Am was small and orderly compared with the frat boys who once galleried for Tiger Woods here, the security force just wasn’t used to seeing anybody pressed up along the ropes separating the people who play golf on Wednesday from the people who work. One of the Shriners got his fez in bunch when two overgrown teeny-boppers ducked under the rope to take another blurry picture of the singer’s rear end. “You wanna be thrown outta here? You think I’m joking?” The Fez growled before calling bigger, um, authorities to deal with Patty Hearst and Ma Barker, who somehow managed to escape.