A tougher course awaits golfers for fall PGA Tour event

Leila Navidi

Marc Turnesa holds up the trophy celebrity host Justin Timberlake handed to him moments after winning the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, Aug. 7, 2009 | 10:07 p.m.

Nine golfers at last year’s Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC at Summerlin shot at least 20-under-par.

Don’t expect that to repeat come Oct. 15 when the PGA Tour invades Las Vegas for this year’s event. Organizers are working hard to make the course more challenging.

“I don’t think you’re going to see the winning score go from 26-under par to 8-under-par or anything like that,” said Adam Sperling, the tournament’s director. “But certainly, it’s going to be a more difficult course.”

Course Superintendent Dale Hahn and his team have narrowed nine fairways, sped up the greens, added 14 large pine trees and increased the rough height by three inches.

“I think the course will play two to three shots more difficult,” Hahn said. “And if it does, then they’ve made a difference.”

Organizers didn’t always have this opportunity.

For years, Las Vegas’ PGA Tour event featured a massive amateur tournament with hundreds of players spread across up to five courses. Having to abide by amateur course guidelines limited the changes that could be implemented.

“We were required by rules officials to keep the course relatively modest by terms of difficulty,” Hahn said. “Now that the amateur component is just the Pro-Am on Wednesday, those restrictions have gone away.”

Hahn said a more challenging course would bring higher caliber players to town.

More notable professionals would conversely attract more fans to TPC at Summerlin. Hahn said he hoped this year would be the start of that.

“Spectators don’t want to come Thursday and see four amateurs paired with one pro,” Hahn said. “You have to host a tournament the players want to play in and start getting the Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsons — get those top 10 players.”

Woods in 1996 won the event, then-called the Las Vegas Invitational, for his first win on tour. He returned to compete the following year and hasn’t been back since. Sperling said it was doubtful Woods would compete in October.

“There’s always a chance, but people should certainly take a look at how he does his schedule and where this tournament falls,” Sperling said. “In the last few years, he’s been shutting down after the Tour Championship (Sept. 27 this year).”

With the direction they envision the tournament going, players like Woods will want to be involved. It all starts with improving the course for this October.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or at case.keefer@lasvegassun.com.