By Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator

Into the Biggest Little City in the World come some of the biggest champions in the world of golf this week.

For the eighth straight year, Reno, Nev. is playing host to the Reno-Tahoe Open. Five former major championship winners are in the field, including 1992 and '94 PGA Championship and 1994 British Open winner Nick Price.

The TOUR veteran took some time off during the summer months to spend with his children, whom he said are growing up too fast, but is looking forward to the tournament.

"I am at a part of my life where, the more time I spend at the golf course, the more time I am away from my kids," said Price. "To put in the hard work and put in the practice time that I really need to, I feel guilty because I am being away from my kids, which I have done my whole career."

The affable Price, who has won 18 times in his career, hopes to compete well again this week against some formidable competition. Other major winners in the field include Rich Beem (2002 PGA Championship), Mark Brooks (1996 PGA Championship), David Duval (2001 British Open) and Larry Mize (1987 Masters).

Four Wanamaker Trophies on the mantles of the players this week, one Green Jacket in the closet and two Claret Jugs. That's not too shabby.

It's no surprise that players are excited about the event, one of five tournaments on the TOUR played on a course planned by The Golden Bear himself. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Montreux Golf and Country Club poses a challenge for the TOUR players, who may have to adjust to playing in a higher altitude.

Still, not much can beat the view. "A lot of my friends come to a hunting convention here in January, friends from back home, they told me about the area, how beautiful it was and it is," said Price.

The course, nestled at the edge of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains, will test 49-year-old Price for the first time, as he makes his career debut in the city.

"I played the front nine yesterday. It is what I expected here, with the Ponderosa Pines and the elevation changes. It really is a pretty, pretty golf course," Price said. "It is strategic, too, you have to know what you are doing here. You have to take into account the elevation changes and the altitude, which basically I grew up in an altitude very similar to this in Zimbabwe.

"With the wind and everything, club selection is going to be the biggest challenge for most guys."

Price, a 24-year TOUR veteran, will have to contend against the same challenges as some of the top rookies on TOUR this week. Big-hitting Bubba Watson leads the TOUR in Driving Distance with an average of 319.3 yards in 2006, though the higher altitude should give him additional yardage this week.

Watson's fellow rookie and opponent Nathan Green has also performed well to date, with six top-10 finishes. Perhaps his most impressive performance came at the Buick Invitational, which he lost in a three-way playoff to Tiger Woods and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Vaughn Taylor successfully defended his title at last year's tournament, giving him the win in both 2004 and 2005. Taylor's victory, along with six top-10 finishes in 2006, helped him make the U.S. Ryder Cup team this year. By making the American squad, he earned a spot in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and chose to play there with his future teammates.

All the better for his would-be competition, who relish the opportunity for someone else to take home the title this year.

Whether that winner of the first-place, $540,000 prize is Kirk Triplett, who won the event three years ago, 2005 runner-up Jonathan Kaye or any of the other golfers in the field remains to be seen.

Come Sunday, though, one lucky golfer will leave the Biggest Little City in the World with a big little paycheck and a big little victory.