Las Vegas: A golf legend rose out of this desert  PGATOUR.COM Contributor What starts in Vegas doesn't end in Vegas. If you have trouble with that sentence, consider this example from a city known for its big conventions:  TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev. (Feldman/WireImage)
Man arrives in Vegas for a throw down with his peers -- although he's actually the junior person in the mix - not even old enough to legally obtain an adult beverage in a casino. Remarkably, man performs the best of anyone in the throw down. As a just reward, the man receives several baubles: an outsized check, the respect of his elders (begrudgingly in some cases) and an invitation to one of the biggest throw downs in his industry. Six months later, the man wins that even-bigger throw down, too. Impossible? No. Because when it comes to the larger-than-life-legend that is Tiger Woods, one of his defining moments came out of the Nevada desert. Eleven years ago, Woods rode into Las Vegas looking to make enough money in the last two months of the PGA TOUR season to land a full playing card for 1997. That third consecutive U.S. Amateur title he'd won barely a month earlier? This was the professional arena; that and a dollar would get him a shot of espresso. But Woods left Vegas a week later a changed man. He'd ground out a victory in the 90-hole Las Vegas Invitational, beating Davis Love III in a one-hole playoff. He guaranteed his card for two years, leaving his top 125 money worries in the dust, and a check for $297,000. Even that large a pile of cash eventually disappears. But among the baubles Woods received that Sunday night was a pass into the Masters, a tournament exemption he'd received as U.S. Amateur champ and surrendered just as quickly the next day when he turned pro. That 1997 Masters? Woods won it by 12 strokes over Tom Kite. The legend took on a life of its own, and it has grown larger and more incredible with each passing day. It seems almost quaint to look back on that October week now that he's played a total of 230 TOUR events, won 61 times (including a collection of 13 major championships), finished out of the top 25 just 40 times and pocketed nearly $76 million in official earnings. It is startling, now that Woods is a father in his early 30s, to gaze at photos from a week that doesn't seem that long ago and recall how incredibly young he looks. Slim, not the muscular figure. A face almost cherubic. The tournament now known as the Frys.com Open celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a wide assortment of memories. It began in 1983 as the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic and covered four local layouts; today it's hosted by the TPC Summerlin and TPC The Canyons. Even from that first year, the tournament showed a penchant for crowning some of the game's top players: Fuzzy Zoeller claimed a four-shot win. Succeeding years saw champions such as Curtis Strange (1985), Greg Norman (1986), Paul Azinger (1987), Bob Tway (1990) and Love (1993).  Woods and Love both look a little older these days, but the competition is still there. (Condon/PGA TOUR)
It was little surprise in 1996, then, that Love was near the top all week, less so the presence of Woods. Rick Fehr equaled the TOUR's 36-hole scoring record by opening 64-62 and the eventual playoff foes trailed at 133, seven back. Woods had a dozen 3s in his second-round 63 and backed it up with 68-67, heady stuff from a guy who would've been in his junior year at Stanford University. The last day at Summerlin, a strained groin muscle could have derailed Woods, who began the round four behind leader Ronnie Black and three back of Love. He re-hurt himself at the Amateur, re-injured himself during the third round in Las Vegas and then re-re-hurt himself slashing a 2-iron to 45 feet at the long 13th hole in the final round. As if to prove this throw down wasn't the first where he'd suck it up, Woods two-putted for birdie en route to shooting 17 under on the par-5 holes during the week. Those last few holes were a melee with a half-dozen players in contention. Dave Stockton Jr. looked to forge ahead but missed two short putts at the 16th and 17th. Kelly Gibson, then one of the longer hitters on TOUR, tiptoed to 26 under but missed a short par putt at the 17th. Mark Calcavecchia also pushed his chin to 26 under but couldn't nip one more stroke off par. That left Woods and Love, whose approach at the 10th airmailed the green and landed in an unplayable lie. Love atoned with a 25-footer for eagle at the driveable 15th while trying to keep pace with Woods, playing a few groups ahead and already with a birdie on the card at the 16th before a pair of closing pars. Love caught Woods at 27 under with a five-footer at the 16th, then couldnąt connect from 12 feet at the 17th and played the last safely to get into the playoff. Unfortunately for Love, playoffs are match play, and Woods was the format's master. Back at the 18th tee, Love split the fairway with the driver, and Woods - who had hit 2-iron in regulation - slipped a 3-wood just behind Love's ball. Woods' 9-iron approach checked up 18-feet right of the stick, and Love pulled an 8-iron into the back bunker, then missed the six-footer for par. "I told him congratulations and great playing," Love said of his brief conversation with a youngster who had tailed along with him for a few practice rounds since turning pro. "As disappointed as I am, I'm just as happy for him. He's great for the PGA TOUR." |
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