Five golfers with Las Vegas ties hope to wear green at Masters
To this point, only one player with strong ties to Las Vegas has won the Masters, arguably golf’s most precious prize. Former UNLV All-American Adam Scott claimed the green jacket by winning at Augusta in 2013. In the process, he became the first UNLV golfer to win a major.
Scott, who played at UNLV in 1998 and 1999 before turning professional, made a 12-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Angel Cabrera. Shortly after the win, UNLV golf coach Dwaine Knight sent a congratulatory text to Scott. Knight received a reply a few minutes later.
“That putt on 18 should earn me lap credits,” Scott wrote, referencing Knight’s punishment of making the team run laps when standards weren’t met. The text included a note of thanks to Knight for his help over the years.
Scheduled to join Scott in the field this week at the Masters are fellow former Rebels Charley Hoffman and Ryan Moore, and Las Vegas residents Kevin Na and Scott Piercy. Last year, Hoffman was among the leaders for the entire tournament before faltering on Sunday. He finished in a tie for ninth.
Hoffman said he thinks tentative putting during the final two rounds led to his downfall, but he was satisfied with his overall performance.
“It was a great experience, and from tee to green, I probably hit it better than anybody,” he said. “I struggled on the greens on Sunday, and I probably got a little tentative with my putting. It’s hard to explain how fast and undulated those greens are, but the first couple days, I was making putts and getting balls to the hole. The last couple days, I wouldn’t say I was trying to not three-putt, but you can knock a 6-footer six feet by the hole and you can’t be scared to do that.”
There have been other memorable moments for Las Vegas pros at Augusta. Scott also finished in a tie for second in 2011, and former Rebel Chad Campbell lost in a playoff in 2009 to Cabrera. In 2005, Moore won the silver cup for finishing as the low amateur and tied for 13th overall.
Scotty Cameron putters
Las Vegas Golf & Tennis is home to the only Scotty Cameron Showcase in Southern Nevada and is part of a national network of exclusive locations. The showcase features a complete selection of Cameron putters, which are used by many of the world’s best players.
The showcase fitting area is open every day, but an official launch event for the Select 16 line of putters is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Friday and is a part of the mega-masters sale that runs through Monday.
Deal of the Week
The Las Vegas Junior Golf Association Saturday Series for kids 8-18 begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and runs through May 14 at Legacy or Eagle Crest. Fees are $65 for all sessions or $15 to play each week. Visit LVJGA.org for more information.
Ladies clinics at Golf Summerlin
LPGA teaching professional Kerri Clark, who played professionally on the LPGA Tour and internationally, is hosting Golf 101, 102 and 103 clinics for women, which begin Friday and run for five weeks. Call Eagle Crest at 702-240-1320 to register.
Stars off course
Avid golfer and Las Vegas resident Brandon Flowers opened the new T-Mobile Arena with the Killers on Wednesday. Flowers is the cousin of Las Vegas tour player Craig Barlow.
The golf notebook appears every Thursday. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider.
